Chapter 4 - THE BROTHER WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Vincent Falcone arrived at the family estate carrying white roses.
Dominic watched him enter the library.
His younger brother wore a cream linen suit, an expensive watch, and the expression of a man who had never suffered consequences.
"I heard Clara wasn't feeling well," Vincent said.
Dominic did not rise.
"She has two broken ribs."
Vincent's smile faded with practiced concern.
"Jesus. What happened?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
Vincent placed the roses on the desk.
"She always was stubborn. Probably slipped somewhere and didn't want anyone making a fuss."
Dominic studied him.
"Where were you six days ago?"
"Which day?"
"Friday."
"At the marina. Why?"
"All day?"
"Most of it."
Dominic leaned back.
"Interesting."
Vincent's gaze shifted.
"What's interesting?"
"Because someone saw you at Pier Forty-Four."
A moment passed.
Then Vincent shrugged.
"I stop by our warehouses all the time."
"Did you see Clara?"
"No."
Dominic said nothing.
Vincent crossed one leg over the other.
"Look, if this is about the foundation accounts, I already sent Matteo the documents. Clara made some unauthorized transfers. Maybe she got nervous and started asking questions."
Dominic felt a dangerous calm settle over him.
"My wife is injured, and you're accusing her of theft?"
"I'm trying to protect you."
"From Clara?"
"From a scandal."
Dominic stood.
Vincent's confidence flickered.
"Tell me something," Dominic said. "When we were children, what did Father say was the difference between loyalty and obedience?"
Vincent frowned.
"What?"
"Answer me."
"He said obedience was doing what you're told. Loyalty was doing what was right."
Dominic nodded.
"And which one have you been giving me?"
Vincent's expression hardened.
"Careful, brother."
There it was.
Not grief.
Not concern.
A warning.
Dominic stepped closer.
"You're going to stay away from Clara."
Vincent laughed.
"You can't seriously believe I'd hurt her."
"I didn't say you had."
For the first time, Vincent looked genuinely unsettled.
Dominic continued.
"Until this is resolved, you have no authority over the foundation accounts, warehouse security, or medical donations."
"You can't do that."
"I just did."
Vincent rose so abruptly that his chair struck the floor.
"You think you can humiliate me because your wife cried?"
Dominic's eyes turned cold.
"Leave."
Vincent stared at him.
Then he smiled.
It was a small, ugly smile.
"You always did choose the wrong people."
He walked out.
Dominic waited until the front door closed before calling Matteo.
"Follow him."
"Already arranged."
"And Grant Mercer?"
"His access was suspended this morning."
"Good."
Dominic moved toward the window.
Outside, Vincent's car disappeared through the gates.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Clara.
We need to talk. Not as husband and wife. As two people who have been lied to.
Dominic read it twice.
Then he went upstairs.
Clara was sitting at the small desk in the guest suite.
She had changed into a soft gray sweater.
Her face was pale, but her eyes were steady.
On the desk lay a flash drive.
Dominic stopped.
"What's that?"
"The reason Vincent hurt me."
She inserted it into her laptop.
A spreadsheet appeared.
Hundreds of transactions.
Millions of dollars.
Hospital donations routed through offshore companies.
Dominic recognized several corporate names.
Some belonged to businesses he had inherited.
Others were unfamiliar.
Clara opened a second file.
A video.
The footage showed Vincent meeting with three men inside a warehouse.
One of them wore a police commander's uniform.
Another was a senior executive from the hospital foundation.
The third man stood with his back to the camera.
Clara paused the recording.
"Do you recognize him?"
Dominic leaned closer.
The man turned slightly.
A silver ring caught the light.
Dominic knew that ring.
He had seen it at Christmas dinners.
At funerals.
At his wedding.
His expression changed.
"That's impossible."
Clara looked at him.
"Who is it?"
Dominic sat down slowly.
"My uncle."
Antonio Falcone.
The man who had raised him after his father's death.
May you like
The man Dominic had trusted more than anyone.
And the man who had once told him that family loyalty mattered more than truth.
