"His driver. A man named Carlo."
"Where is he now?"
Elena looked at him.
"Dead."
"Who killed him?"
She began trembling.
"Victor."
Alessandro stood.
"Why didn't you tell the police?"
"Because I had a recording."
She looked toward the small bedside cabinet.
"Under the false bottom."
Alessandro opened the drawer.
Inside was a small silver USB drive.
He picked it up.
"What's on this?"
"Victor speaking to Carlo. He admits everything. He also says something about Isabella."
Alessandro turned.
"What about my wife?"
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
"Your wife knew the truth."
The words struck him harder than any bullet.
"No."
"I'm sorry."
"Isabella died six months after Lily."
"I know."
"She died from an illness."
Elena looked away.
"That is what everyone was told."
Alessandro gripped the edge of the cabinet.
"What are you saying?"
Elena struggled to breathe.
"Victor visited her shortly before she died. I heard him threatening her. He told her that if she ever revealed what happened to Lily, he would make sure you and everyone you loved suffered."
Alessandro could barely speak.
"Did he poison her?"
"I don't know. But I heard him say that she would never have the chance to tell you anything."
Alessandro looked down at the USB drive.
For three years, he had believed his wife died of a broken heart.
He had mourned her.
He had placed flowers on her grave.
He had spent countless nights wondering whether he could have saved her if he had been a better husband.
And now he was beginning to understand that the truth might have been much darker.
"Why did you wait?" he asked.
Elena began crying harder.
"Because Victor threatened my daughter. He knew where we lived. He knew Sophia's school. He knew everything."
She reached for his hand.
"I was afraid."
Alessandro looked at the bruises on her face.
"Who attacked you?"
"Two men came to my apartment. They wanted the recording. I managed to escape, but..."
Her voice faded.
Alessandro gently released her hand.
"You did the right thing."
He placed the USB drive in his pocket.
"Rest now. I'll take care of everything."
Elena grabbed his wrist.
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"Don't let Sophia become like the men who hurt us."
Alessandro stared at her.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he nodded.
"I promise."
***
At 1:20 a.m., Alessandro returned to the estate.
Victor was waiting in the underground security room.
He looked surprisingly comfortable.
A bottle of water stood on the table in front of him.
When Alessandro entered, Victor smiled.
"How is the woman?"
Alessandro placed the USB drive on the table.
Victor's smile disappeared.
"Where did you get that?"
"From Elena."
The older man leaned back.
"You should have left her alone."
Alessandro sat opposite him.
"Tell me about Lily."
Victor stared at the ceiling.
"Children are fragile."
Alessandro's jaw tightened.
"Tell me about my daughter."
Victor sighed.
"You always were sentimental."
Alessandro said nothing.
"Your father made the same mistake," Victor continued. "He believed family made him strong. It made him predictable."
"Did you kill her?"
Victor looked directly into his eyes.
"I protected this organization."
"Did you kill my daughter?"
"She found the notebook."
Alessandro felt his heart hammering.
"She was six."
"She was curious."
"She was a child!"
Victor slammed his palm against the table.
"And you were too busy pretending to be a father to notice what was happening inside your own organization!"
The room fell silent.
Alessandro stared at him.
Victor's breathing became heavier.
"You want the truth? Fine. Lily found the ledger. She saw the names. She asked questions. Isabella made the mistake of telling her to keep quiet."
Alessandro's hands slowly closed into fists.
"Why?"
"Because your father had hidden accounts. Money that belonged to me. Money I spent twenty years building. I was not going to let a six-year-old destroy everything."
"So you arranged the accident."
Victor said nothing.
That silence was enough.
Alessandro leaned closer.
"And Isabella?"
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"She refused to understand."
"What did you do to her?"
"Nothing that wasn't necessary."
Alessandro stood so quickly that his chair crashed backward.
"You murdered my wife?"
Victor looked at him.
"I gave her a choice."
"What choice?"
"Stay silent or watch her husband die."
"And she chose?"
"She chose to protect you."
Alessandro felt something break inside his chest.
Victor continued.
"She was going to tell you everything. She came to me one last time. I told her the truth about the accounts, the money, the men. She realized that if she exposed me, the entire organization would collapse."
Alessandro's voice was barely audible.
"How did she die?"
Victor looked away.
"I arranged for her medication to be changed."
The room became unbearably quiet.
Alessandro slowly returned to his chair.
He had spent years believing that the world had taken everything from him.
Now he knew that the man sitting across from him had deliberately destroyed his family.
"Why?" he whispered.
Victor shrugged.
"Power."
Alessandro looked at him with empty eyes.
"All this time, I trusted you."
"And that was your mistake."
Victor smiled.
"You know what the saddest part is, Alessandro? I was the only person who stayed beside you after Lily died. I attended the funeral. I helped you bury Isabella. I watched you destroy yourself."
He leaned forward.
"And every time you cried, I knew I had won."
Alessandro stared at him.
Then he quietly said:
"No, Victor."
The older man frowned.
"You made one mistake."
"What?"
"You thought I had nothing left to lose."
Alessandro turned toward the door.
"Play the recording."
***
The recording lasted eleven minutes.