Chapter 3: The Brother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Chapter 3: The Brother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
For five years…
The Moretti family had lived with one painful truth.
Luca Moretti was dead.
His name was carved into black marble beneath a family monument overlooking the Moretti estate.
His photographs were displayed throughout the mansion.
His childhood memories were preserved in carefully organized albums.
His death had been reported by every major newspaper in New York.
A car accident.
A mountain road.
A stormy night.
A funeral attended by thousands.
The world believed Luca Moretti had died.
Alessandro believed it.
Until Vanessa Cole spoke his name.
The ballroom became completely still.
Even the security guards exchanged uncertain looks.
Nobody wanted to react first.
Because in the Moretti family, some names carried more weight than others.
And Luca Moretti was one of them.
Alessandro stared at Vanessa.
His face showed nothing.
But I had spent three years watching him from a distance.
I knew when something inside him moved.
His hands tightened slightly.
The only sign.
The only crack.
“Say that again.”
His voice was low.
Vanessa swallowed.
“Your brother.”
A long silence followed.
Then Alessandro laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was impossible.
“My brother died.”
Vanessa looked at him.
“I know what you were told.”
The room felt colder.
“You don’t know anything about my family.”
Her eyes filled with fear.
“Actually…”
She whispered.
“I know more than you think.”
Emma shifted in my arms.
She stirred slightly.
I held her closer.
I wanted to leave.
I wanted to take my daughter far away from this mansion filled with secrets and powerful people.
But something told me that leaving now would be a mistake.
Because somehow…
My daughter’s innocent words had uncovered something much bigger than a fake pregnancy.
Alessandro turned toward his security chief.
“Check everything.”
The man immediately nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
“Every record.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Every person connected to Vanessa.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then Alessandro looked back at Vanessa.
“You have one chance.”
She looked confused.
“One chance for what?”
“One chance to tell the truth before I find it myself.”
Vanessa’s lips trembled.
“You think I wanted this?”
“No.”
His answer surprised everyone.
“I think you were desperate.”
Her eyes widened.
“But desperation does not excuse betrayal.”
Those words destroyed the last bit of confidence she had.
She looked down.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
Alessandro said nothing.
“I loved you.”
Still nothing.
“I thought…”
She paused.
“I thought if I gave you an heir, everything would finally belong to me.”
The words hung in the air.
And immediately, everyone understood.
This was never about a baby.
It was about power.
Status.
Control.
The Moretti name.
I looked at Vanessa differently.
Not with anger.
With disappointment.
Because she had everything most people dreamed of.
Money.
Beauty.
Access.
A future.
And it still wasn’t enough.
Alessandro walked toward the window.
Rain slid down the glass behind him.
“You used my father’s legacy.”
His voice was quiet.
“You used my name.”
“You used the memory of my family.”
Then he turned.
“And now you are telling me someone helped you.”
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
She hesitated.
That hesitation was the answer.
Alessandro noticed.
“Who?”
Her voice became barely audible.
“Adrian.”
The name hit the room like a gunshot.
I didn’t know who Adrian was.
But everyone else did.
The security chief immediately looked away.
One of the guards lowered his head.
Even the old butler, Mr. Harrison, froze.
Alessandro’s expression changed.
“Adrian Moretti.”
Vanessa nodded.
“Yes.”
“No.”
His voice became sharper.
“That is impossible.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“He’s alive.”
The words seemed to stop time.
Alessandro stared at her.
“My brother is dead.”
“He isn’t.”
“Don’t say that again.”
“I saw him.”
Thunder exploded outside.
The lights flickered.
Emma suddenly woke up.
“Mama…”
I looked down.
“Yes, baby?”
“Can we go home now?”
My heart broke.
Because she was the only innocent person in the room.
I whispered:
“Soon.”
But I wasn’t sure anymore.
Because I had the feeling that this mansion was about to reveal things nobody was ready to hear.
Alessandro looked at Vanessa.
“Where?”
She looked frightened.
“I don’t know.”
“You saw him.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“He contacted me.”
“How?”
Vanessa hesitated.
“Through messages.”
“Show me.”
Her face changed.
“I deleted them.”
Alessandro stared at her.
A dangerous silence followed.
Then he said:
“Recover them.”
The security chief nodded.
“We’ll try.”
“No.”
Alessandro looked at him.
“Not try.”
His voice hardened.
“Do it.”
“Yes, sir.”
The security team immediately moved.
Vanessa watched them leave.
Then she whispered:
“He warned me.”
Alessandro stopped.
“Who?”
“Adrian.”
The room went silent.
“He told me you would never accept the truth.”
“What truth?”
Vanessa looked at him.
“That your father’s death wasn’t an accident.”
Nobody spoke.
I felt a chill run through my body.
Because this was no longer about a fake pregnancy.
This was about murder.
Alessandro slowly turned away.
“My father died fifteen years ago.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re saying Adrian knows something?”
Vanessa nodded.
“He said the person who killed your father is still close to you.”
The words landed heavily.
Alessandro’s face became unreadable.
“Who?”
Vanessa looked around the room.
At the guards.
At the cameras.
At the walls.
Like she was afraid the mansion itself could hear her.
Then she whispered:
“I don’t know.”
A pause.
“But Adrian said one thing.”
Alessandro waited.
“He said…”
Vanessa’s voice shook.
“The person who destroyed your family has been sitting at your table for years.”
The rain outside grew louder.
Nobody moved.
Because suddenly everyone in the room became a suspect.
The employees.
The relatives.
The closest allies.
Everyone.
Alessandro looked toward the empty doorway.
For five years, he had mourned a dead brother.
For fifteen years, he had believed his father’s killer was gone.
But tonight…
A three-year-old girl had exposed a fake pregnancy.
And that fake pregnancy had opened the door to a secret buried for half his life.
Alessandro turned back toward Vanessa.
“Where is Adrian now?”
Vanessa looked at him.
And her answer changed everything.
“He’s coming here.”
The room went silent.
“When?”
Vanessa looked toward the storm outside.
“Tonight.”
At that exact moment…
The mansion’s security system suddenly flashed red.
Every light in the ballroom turned off.
The guards immediately reached for their weapons.
A deep voice came through the mansion speakers.
A voice nobody had heard in five years.
A voice Alessandro knew better than anyone.
“Hello, little brother.”
The entire mansion froze.
“I know you’ve been looking for me.”
A pause.
Then:
“I’m finally home.”
And Alessandro Moretti…
May you like
The most feared man on the East Coast…
Took one step backward.
