Chapter 11 - The Brother Who Thought Blood Was Stronger Than Truth|
Matteo Bellini had never been afraid of ordinary consequences.
He'd grown up in a family where money opened doors, lawyers cleaned up mistakes, and employees learned to look away.
But betrayal frightened him.
Especially betrayal from someone who knew his secrets.
Marcus Vale had been his closest business associate for almost a decade.
They attended the same parties.
They invested in the same projects.
They traveled together.
And according to the auditors' preliminary findings, their business arrangements had become deeply entangled with foundation money.
Marcus had begun answering investigators' questions through his attorney.
The detective wouldn't tell me everything he'd said.
But she confirmed that the financial investigation now included contractor payments, false supporting documents, and suspected misuse of several scholarship accounts.
The foundation's records were no longer being treated as proof that families had received their money.
Investigators were reconstructing what had actually happened.
For me, that distinction meant everything.
A piece of paper could claim I'd received twelve thousand dollars.
But paperwork didn't make a lie true.
Three days after the community performance, Roman asked to speak with me.
I met him in the mansion's library.
The room smelled of polished wood and old books.
It was a room I'd dusted hundreds of times without ever sitting down.
This time, Roman pulled out a chair.
I sat.
He remained standing beside the fireplace.
"My brother has requested a private meeting with me."
I frowned.
"Why are you telling me?"
"Because I don't want you hearing afterward that I met him and wondering whether I've made another arrangement behind your back."
I studied him.
"What does he want?"
"To stop the investigation."
I wasn't surprised.
"Can you?"
"No."
"Could you have, before all this started?"
Roman looked at the fire.
"There was a time when I would have tried."
His honesty unsettled me.
I knew what people said about Roman Bellini.
He wasn't feared because he gave large donations to children's charities.
He was feared because for years he'd controlled dangerous businesses through intimidation, loyalty, and consequences few people dared question.
He'd inherited a criminal organization from his father.
And he'd spent much of his adult life maintaining its influence.
"Why not now?" I asked.
He looked at me.
"Because I finally understand that protecting the family name has become an excuse for hurting people who had no power to defend themselves."
I folded my hands.
"That doesn't erase what you did before."
"No."
Roman's answer was immediate.
"It doesn't."
I looked into his eyes.
"Then don't make me another promise about being different."
"What should I do?"
"Be different when it costs you something."
He nodded slowly.
"I intend to."
Later that afternoon, Roman met Matteo in the library.
His attorney and a trusted family business adviser were present.
Roman would tell me about the meeting afterward.
Matteo arrived furious.
"You've turned your back on your own brother."
Roman stood beside the fireplace.
"You used money meant for children."
Matteo laughed bitterly.
"Since when are you a saint?"
"I'm not."
"You think the money that built this house was earned by selling flowers?"
Roman's expression didn't change.
"No."
Matteo stepped closer.
"You have no right to judge me."
Roman looked at him for a long moment.
"You're right that my own decisions deserve examination."
Then he added, "But your choices don't become innocent because I've made bad ones."
Matteo slammed his hand against the desk.
"You're going to let the police take me?"
"I'm going to let the investigators do their jobs."
"After everything I've done for this family?"
Roman's eyes hardened.
"What did you do for Lily Miller?"
Matteo blinked.
"What?"
"What did you do for the other children whose grants went missing?"
Matteo's face twisted.
"They're children from families nobody important has ever heard of."
Roman stepped forward.
"And you thought that meant nobody would notice when you took from them."
Matteo opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Then he smiled.
It was a smile Roman recognized from childhood.
The one Matteo wore when he'd decided somebody else was going to pay for his mistake.
"Be careful, brother."
Roman said nothing.
"Your empire has secrets too."
"I'm aware."
"Then perhaps you should remember what happens when people start asking questions."
Roman walked to his desk.
He picked up a folder containing records from several of his own companies.
"These are being reviewed by independent counsel."
Matteo stared at him.
"You wouldn't."
Roman looked directly at his younger brother.
"I've spent too many years believing that hiding one wrong thing would somehow protect everything else."
His voice was quiet.
"I'm finished making that excuse."
Matteo's expression changed.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that Roman wasn't bluffing.
He left without shaking anyone's hand.
That evening, Roman called me.
"Grace, Matteo is no longer authorized to enter the foundation's offices or access its accounts."
I stood beside the kitchen sink.
"Does that mean we're safe?"
Roman hesitated.
"I don't want to promise something I can't guarantee."
I appreciated that more than I expected.
"Then what can you tell me?"
"That I've given investigators everything they've requested, including the authorization I signed."
I closed my eyes.
"Thank you."
He was silent for a moment.
Then he said, "You shouldn't have needed to fight this hard to get the truth."
"No," I whispered.
"We shouldn't have."
The next morning, Detective Torres called.
Her voice was urgent.
"Grace, we've obtained additional evidence connecting Matteo to the fraudulent payments."
My heart began racing.
"Is he being charged?"
"We're working with prosecutors now."
She paused.
"But there's something you need to know."
I gripped the phone.
"What?"
"Matteo's office was cleared out overnight, and his attorneys say they haven't been able to reach him."
I looked toward Lily, who was practicing quietly in the living room.
The detective continued.
May you like
"We're concerned he may be trying to leave before the authorities can question him again."
And suddenly the man who'd told me to go back to the kitchen was the one looking for a way out.
