Lorenzo immediately protested.
"You're going to investigate me over a child?"
Alessandro looked at him.
"No."
He paused.
"I'm going to investigate you because you forgot who this family is supposed to protect."
The evening gathering ended almost immediately.
Guests were escorted out.
Security officers sealed the entrances.
The ballroom, which had been filled with music and conversation minutes earlier, became a place of uncomfortable silence.
Lorenzo attempted to leave.
Two guards stopped him.
"Where are you going?" Alessandro asked.
"I have business to attend to."
"Not anymore."
"Uncle, you cannot treat me like a prisoner."
Alessandro walked toward the windows.
"Then don't behave like someone who has something to hide."
For the next two hours, the mansion was searched.
Victor personally supervised the security team.
They examined the cameras, interviewed the servants, checked the household accounts, and reviewed the reports Lorenzo had submitted.
At first, the findings seemed ordinary.
Then they discovered something disturbing.
The storage room.
A small, windowless room in the eastern wing.
Security footage showed Sofia entering the room repeatedly.
Sometimes she remained inside for twenty minutes.
Sometimes for hours.
On one occasion, the footage showed her sitting on the floor, hugging her rabbit, while Lorenzo stood outside laughing with another employee.
The footage from another evening was worse.
Sofia had been standing near the dining room, holding a plate.
She accidentally dropped a glass.
Lorenzo grabbed her arm and dragged her away.
The video had no sound, but the child's expression was unmistakable.
She was terrified.
Alessandro watched every second.
He did not speak.
He did not move.
His hands were clasped behind his back, and his eyes remained fixed on the screen.
When the footage ended, Victor looked at him.
"Sir?"
Alessandro closed his eyes.
"Continue."
Victor hesitated.
"There is something else."
He placed another document on the desk.
It was a medical report.
Sofia had visited the family physician several times over the previous months.
The notes mentioned anxiety, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, and unexplained bruises.
Every appointment had been marked as a minor childhood issue.
But one entry contained a sentence that made Alessandro's stomach turn.
The physician had recommended a psychological evaluation and a private interview with the child's legal guardian.
The appointment had been canceled.
By Lorenzo.
Alessandro slowly lowered the document.
"Bring him here."
Victor nodded.
Within minutes, Lorenzo was escorted into the study.
He looked angry now rather than frightened.
"This is ridiculous. You cannot believe these recordings tell the whole story."
Alessandro stood beside the desk.
"Did you lock her in that room?"
"It was for discipline."
"Did you stop her from seeing the doctor?"
"She didn't need a specialist."
"Did you tell the servants not to speak to her?"
Lorenzo said nothing.
Alessandro walked closer.
"Did you make her believe that her mother died because she was difficult?"
Lorenzo's face changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely uncomfortable.
"Who told you that?"
Alessandro's eyes hardened.
"So you admit it."
"I was trying to make her stronger."
"She's a child!"
The shout echoed through the study.
Lorenzo stepped backward.
Alessandro had finally lost the composure that had protected him for decades.
"She doesn't need to be stronger. She needs to feel safe!"
Lorenzo shook his head.
"You've become weak."
The words hung in the air.
Alessandro stared at him.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me. This family built an empire because we never allowed emotions to interfere with business. Your sister understood that. She chose a normal life, and look what happened to her."
Alessandro's expression became terrifyingly calm.
"Don't speak about my sister."
"She died because she was weak."
A heavy silence followed.
Victor looked toward Alessandro.
He knew that Lorenzo had just crossed a line from which there would be no return.
Alessandro slowly approached his nephew.
"My sister was the only person in this family who understood what it meant to be good."
He stopped inches away.
"She was stronger than every man in this building."
Lorenzo tried to respond.
Alessandro raised one hand.
"You're finished."
He turned toward Victor.
"Take him out of the house. He is no longer permitted near Sofia. Remove his access to every family account and every business operation."
Lorenzo exploded.
"You can't do that! I'm a Moretti!"
Alessandro looked at him one final time.
"Tonight, you proved that blood means nothing without loyalty."
The guards escorted him away.
But the investigation was far from over.
At midnight, Alessandro entered the eastern wing.
Maria, the elderly housekeeper, was sitting beside Sofia's bed.
The little girl had changed into soft pajamas.
Her stuffed rabbit rested against her chest.
She was awake.
When Alessandro entered, she immediately sat up.
"Uncle?"
He approached slowly.
"Can I sit with you?"
She nodded.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Then Sofia looked down at her rabbit.
"Did I make him angry?"
Alessandro felt his heart tighten.
"No, sweetheart."
"But he said I was bad."
"You're not bad."
"He said Mommy would be disappointed in me."
Alessandro's face became pale.
He reached out and gently moved a strand of hair away from her forehead.
"Your mother would never be disappointed in you."
Sofia looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Did Mommy love me?"
Alessandro's throat tightened.
He looked away for a moment.
Then he took a deep breath.
"Your mother loved you more than anything in the world."
"Even when I cried?"
"Especially when you cried."
Sofia seemed to consider this.
Then she asked the question that would haunt Alessandro for the rest of his life.
"Why didn't you come sooner?"
He could not answer immediately.
There were a thousand explanations.
Business.
Travel.
Enemies.
Responsibilities.
But none of them mattered.
He had been absent.
And a little girl had been waiting for him.
Alessandro lowered his head.
"Because I made a terrible mistake."
Sofia watched him carefully.
"Are you going away again?"
He looked directly into her eyes.