Chapter 9 - THE SECRET IN GIOVANNI'S OLD JOURNAL
Giovanni had kept a journal for forty years.
Not a business ledger.
A personal journal.
He wrote about his wife.
His children.
His regrets.
And the decisions he wished he could undo.
One afternoon, he asked Alessandro to bring him the oldest volume.
The leather cover was cracked.
The pages smelled of dust and cedar.
Giovanni opened it to a date twenty-five years earlier.
Then handed it to his son.
Alessandro read slowly.
The entry described a meeting with Vincent's father.
A dispute over shipping contracts.
A threat.
And Giovanni's decision to protect his family by making a compromise he later regretted.
Alessandro looked up.
“What is this?”
Giovanni sighed.
“The beginning of the trouble.”
He explained that Vincent's family had long resented Alessandro's branch of the Morettis.
They believed Giovanni had stolen influence that should have belonged to them.
When Giovanni retired, Vincent saw an opportunity.
He wanted to restore the old criminal networks.
And he needed Giovanni either compliant or discredited.
The journal contained names, dates, and references to financial arrangements that could help investigators understand the family's history.
Alessandro contacted his attorney.
The journal was preserved and reviewed through proper legal channels.
That evening, Giovanni looked exhausted.
Meline visited after work.
She brought him a container of homemade soup.
He smiled.
“You never learn.”
She laughed.
“Neither do you.”
They ate together in the small sitting room.
Giovanni looked at her.
“Meline, I owe you something.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
He smiled.
“Not money.”
She paused.
“What?”
“An apology.”
She frowned.
“For what?”
“For allowing this house to become a place where someone like you could be treated badly.”
Meline's eyes filled.
“You didn't do that.”
Giovanni nodded.
“But I didn't stop it.”
She took his hand.
“You're stopping it now.”
He smiled.
Then whispered:
“Promise me something.”
“What?”
“Don't let my son hide behind his reputation forever.”
Meline looked toward the window.
May you like
Then nodded.
“I'll remind him who he is.”
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