Chapter 6 - THE NIGHT THE SECURITY CAMERAS WENT DARK
Mrs. Conte had worked for the Moretti family for twenty-three years.
She knew every employee's schedule.
Every delivery.
Every key.
Every room.
For years, Dante had considered her part of the family.
Now he began to wonder whether that trust had been misplaced.
He asked Sarah to investigate quietly.
No public accusations.
No threats.
No armed confrontation.
Just records.
---
The first discovery involved the household payroll.
Mrs. Conte had approved deductions that never appeared in employees' contracts.
She had also authorized several dismissals using forged disciplinary reports.
The second discovery was worse.
Her personal bank account contained payments from a consulting company linked to Bellini.
Regular deposits.
Every month.
For six years.
Dante stared at the statements.
"She was being paid to control the staff."
Sarah nodded.
"That is one possible explanation."
Alessia looked at the records.
"Or to keep them quiet."
---
That evening, the security system failed.
At exactly 10:41 p.m., the cameras covering the east wing shut down.
Rocco immediately notified Dante.
But by the time they reached the hidden records room, the door was open.
The filing cabinets had been emptied.
The documents were gone.
And Mrs. Conte was missing.
Alessia stood in the doorway, staring at the empty shelves.
"They knew we were getting close."
Dante looked toward Rocco.
"Check the exits."
Rocco nodded.
Then stopped.
"Boss, there's something else."
He showed Dante a security report.
The system outage had been authorized using Mrs. Conte's credentials.
But the request had originated from a terminal inside Bellini's private office.
Dante closed his eyes.
For twelve years, Lorenzo Bellini had managed his money.
Advised him on investments.
Attended family dinners.
Spoken at his father's funeral.
And now the evidence pointed toward him as the architect of a long-running fraud.
---
At midnight, Alessia returned to her room.
A small envelope lay beneath her door.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed her younger brother, Nico, leaving his college dormitory.
Beneath it were four words.
STOP ASKING QUESTIONS, ALESSIA.
Her heart stopped.
Nico was nineteen.
He studied mechanical engineering in Milwaukee.
He knew nothing about the Moretti family.
Nothing about Bellini.
Nothing about the secret records.
Alessia called him immediately.
He answered sleepily.
"Al?"
"Where are you?"
"At the dorm. Why?"
"Are you alone?"
"Yeah. What's wrong?"
She struggled to keep her voice steady.
"Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice."
He laughed.
"At midnight?"
"Please promise me you'll be careful."
A pause.
"Alessia?"
She closed her eyes.
"I love you, Nico."
"Love you too."
When the call ended, she sat on the edge of the bed.
Her hands shook.
She had entered the study because she heard a frightened woman.
She had told the truth because she believed it mattered.
Now someone was threatening her brother.
---
At one in the morning, Dante knocked.
Alessia opened the door.
He took one look at her face.
"What happened?"
She handed him the photograph.
His expression changed.
"Who sent this?"
"I don't know."
He studied the image.
Then looked at her.
"Your brother?"
She nodded.
Dante's jaw tightened.
"I can arrange security."
Alessia stepped backward.
"No men with guns following him."
"Alessia—"
"He's a student. I won't let him become part of your world."
Dante stopped.
For a moment, she expected him to argue.
Instead, he nodded.
"Then we'll ask an independent security specialist to advise him. With his consent."
She looked at him.
"Thank you."
He hesitated.
"Alessia, you don't have to continue this investigation."
"I know."
"You can leave. Your employment and final wages will not depend on what you decide."
She stared.
He continued.
"You've already done more than anyone could reasonably ask."
For a moment, she nearly accepted.
She thought of Nico.
Her tiny apartment.
The ordinary life she had before entering the Moretti mansion.
Then she remembered Rosa.
Clara.
Maria.
The displaced families.
And the forged letters.
"No," she whispered.
Dante looked at her.
"I'm staying long enough to tell the truth."
He nodded slowly.
May you like
"Then we do it together."
---
