Chapter 3 - THE FATHER BEHIND THE LOCKED GARDEN
Giovanni Moretti had once ruled Chicago's most feared criminal organization.
That was the story everyone knew.
What fewer people knew was that he had retired after a stroke three years earlier.
The stroke left him with weakness in his right hand, difficulty walking, and occasional problems finding words.
His mind remained sharp.
But the world had begun treating him as though his intelligence had disappeared with his strength.
Alessandro had inherited responsibility for the family's businesses.
At thirty-eight, he controlled a network of shipping companies, warehouses, hotels, and private investments.
Some were legitimate.
Others carried the shadow of the family's criminal past.
He worked constantly.
Traveled frequently.
And trusted his household staff to care for his father.
That trust had apparently been misplaced.
The next morning, Alessandro asked Giovanni to explain what had happened.
They sat in the library.
Meline was not present.
Giovanni held his walking stick across his knees.
“Beatrice stopped serving me in the dining room six months ago.”
Alessandro stared.
“Why?”
“She said I frightened the guests.”
His son's face hardened.
“What guests?”
“Your business associates.”
Alessandro looked away.
Giovanni continued.
“She moved my meals to the small sitting room. Then the kitchen began forgetting them.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Giovanni smiled sadly.
“I tried.”
Alessandro looked back.
“When?”
“Three times.”
Silence.
“Your assistant said you were busy.”
Alessandro closed his eyes.
He remembered the messages.
His father's requests to speak.
The notes he had postponed.
The calls he had promised to return.
He had believed his father was lonely.
He hadn't understood that he was being neglected.
“Dad,” he whispered.
Giovanni looked at him.
“I don't blame you for being busy.”
Alessandro shook his head.
“You should.”
“No.”
Giovanni's voice strengthened.
“I blame you for forgetting that money doesn't replace attention.”
The words struck harder than any accusation.
That afternoon, Alessandro ordered a full review of the household's care arrangements.
The investigation revealed missed meals, canceled medical appointments, and repeated restrictions on Giovanni's movement.
Several staff members admitted they had been afraid to challenge Beatrice.
But the most disturbing discovery came from the garden security camera.
It showed Giovanni waiting outside the house on multiple occasions.
Sometimes for hours.
Because Beatrice had instructed employees not to let him use the main entrance when important guests were expected.
Alessandro watched the footage in silence.
Then turned to his security chief.
“Who authorized this?”
“No one, sir.”
“Then why did it happen?”
The man hesitated.
“Because everyone assumed Mrs. Voss spoke for you.”
Alessandro looked at the screen.
May you like
His father stood alone in the rain.
And suddenly, the most powerful man in the house understood how little power his father had actually possessed.
