Chapter 9 - THE NIGHT ENZO CHOSE THE TRUTH
Enzo learned about the threat from Mave's attorney.
She had hired one after the photograph surfaced.
He was relieved.
She needed someone independent.
Someone whose loyalty belonged to her.
Not to him.
The attorney explained that Mave had reported the note and was cooperating with investigators.
Enzo listened.
Then asked:
"Is her brother safe?"
"For now."
He nodded.
"What can I do?"
"Preserve your records. Continue cooperating. Don't contact Whitlock directly."
Enzo agreed.
That evening, he sat alone in his office.
The city glowed beyond the windows.
He thought about his father.
A man who had taught him that business was war.
That weakness invited destruction.
That loyalty mattered more than truth.
Enzo had believed him.
For years.
Now he looked at the photograph of Patrick Dunlevy.
A working man.
An electrician.
A father.
Someone who had refused to sign a false inspection.
Someone who had died.
And whose daughter had spent eleven years living with scars.
Enzo closed his eyes.
He had inherited an empire.
But he had also inherited its secrets.
And he could no longer pretend those secrets belonged only to the past.
He called his attorney.
"I'm ready."
"For what?"
"Full cooperation."
A pause.
"Enzo, you understand what that means?"
"Yes."
"It could expose your own involvement in past operations."
"I know."
"It could cost you control of the company."
Enzo looked toward the river.
"Then it costs me control."
His attorney sighed.
"Are you certain?"
Enzo thought of Mave.
Her gloves.
Her scars.
Her quiet refusal to accept money in exchange for silence.
Then he answered:
May you like
"Yes."
For the first time in his life, Enzo Baranti chose truth over power.
