Chapter 6 - The Last Twenty Minutes of Giovanni Moretti|
The recovered footage changed everything.
It didn't show a dramatic confrontation.
It didn't show a fight.
At first, it showed something much worse.
Ordinary business.
Giovanni Moretti standing inside an office.
Richard Bellini speaking beside a desk.
Vanessa holding a folder.
And Adrian Romano standing near the door.
The camera had no audio.
But the timestamp was clear.
9:41 p.m.
Seventeen minutes before the first fire alarm was reported.
Luca watched without blinking.
Giovanni opened his briefcase.
Removed several documents.
Placed them on the desk.
Richard shook his head.
Then Vanessa reached for the papers.
Giovanni pulled them away.
A tense exchange followed.
Adrian stepped between them.
For a moment, the older man appeared to be trying to calm everyone.
Then Giovanni pointed toward the door.
Richard's expression hardened.
He left the office.
Vanessa followed.
Adrian remained.
Luca leaned forward.
“What happened next?”
Marco adjusted the playback.
Giovanni sat down.
Adrian stood near him.
The two men spoke for several minutes.
Then Adrian looked at his phone.
He appeared frightened.
He moved toward the door.
Giovanni stood.
Reached for his arm.
Adrian pulled away.
And left.
Luca's jaw tightened.
“He abandoned him.”
Marco said nothing.
The camera continued recording.
Giovanni returned to his desk.
Then the lights flickered.
He looked toward the ceiling.
A few seconds later, smoke appeared near the doorway.
Giovanni rose.
He tried the door.
It didn't open.
Luca stopped breathing.
On the screen, his uncle pulled the handle again.
Then stepped backward.
Smoke thickened.
The footage ended.
No one spoke.
I had watched Luca Moretti silence rooms full of powerful men.
I'd seen him remain calm during difficult business meetings.
But now he sat staring at a screen, unable to move.
His uncle had been alive.
Trapped.
And Adrian had left him there.
Luca slowly covered his face.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Then he whispered, “He called me that night.”
Marco looked up.
Luca continued.
“Giovanni called at nine-thirty.”
His voice broke.
“I was driving to the airport.”
I stood near the doorway.
My chest tightened.
“He left a voicemail.”
Luca lowered his head.
“I deleted it after the funeral because I couldn't bear hearing his voice.”
He began crying.
For the first time since I'd worked at the mansion, I saw the man everyone feared completely overwhelmed by grief.
Marco looked away.
I didn't know what to do.
Then I remembered how Allison had sat at the dining table trying not to cry.
How she'd needed someone to remain beside her without demanding she be strong.
So I quietly placed a glass of water near Luca.
And stayed.
After several minutes, he looked up.
“Emily?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Why are you still here?”
I swallowed.
“Because nobody should have to hear something like that alone.”
His eyes filled.
For a moment, he couldn't speak.
Then he nodded.
“Thank you.”
The next morning, investigators began reviewing the warehouse fire as a suspected criminal act.
The financial records suggested Richard's company had been using Moretti facilities for unauthorized shipments.
Giovanni had discovered the scheme.
He planned to report it.
And someone arranged for the warehouse records to be destroyed.
But investigators still needed to determine who caused the fire, who blocked the office door, and who knew Giovanni was trapped.
Adrian's earlier admission became crucial.
So did the security footage.
The next afternoon, Detective Elena Ramirez came to the mansion.
She met with Luca privately.
Then asked to speak with me.
I sat across from her in the small sitting room.
“Emily Carter?”
“Yes.”
“I understand you overheard a conversation between Vanessa Bellini and Adrian Romano before dinner.”
I nodded.
She opened her notebook.
“Tell me exactly what you heard.”
I described Vanessa straightening Adrian's tie.
The way he caught her wrist.
The words.
Not here. She'll see.
Ramirez listened carefully.
Then asked, “Did you see anything else?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
She looked up.
“What?”
“Vanessa gave Adrian a small envelope.”
Ramirez's pen stopped.
“What kind?”
“Cream-colored. It had a gold seal.”
“Did you see what was inside?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
She nodded.
“Thank you.”
Then she closed her notebook.
For a moment, she studied me.
“Emily, did you feel pressured to remain silent?”
I swallowed.
“Yes.”
“By whom?”
“Vanessa.”
I looked down.
“She threatened my job.”
Ramirez nodded.
“That's important.”
Then she said something that made my stomach tighten.
“Investigators found a matching envelope in Adrian's briefcase.”
I stared.
“What was inside?”
She hesitated.
Then answered:
“A copy of Giovanni's death certificate.”
My breath caught.
“Why?”
Ramirez's expression grew serious.
“Because someone had written a message across it.”
I stared.
May you like
She continued.
“THE NEXT ONE WILL BE ALLISON.”
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