And Vincent had no intention of letting anyone see it.
***
Pier Forty-One was deserted when they arrived.
The old warehouse stood beside the river, its metal doors covered in rust and graffiti.
A single light burned above the entrance.
Alessandro stepped out of the car.
Marco remained inside, pressing a cloth against his shoulder.
Elena followed.
"You shouldn't come."
Alessandro turned.
"Neither should you."
"I'm tired of being told where I can go."
He looked at her.
For a moment, the anger disappeared from his face.
Then he nodded.
"Stay close."
They entered the warehouse.
The interior smelled of dust, oil, and damp wood.
Rows of old shipping crates stood beneath the metal rafters.
At the far end, a small office remained lit.
Vincent was waiting.
He stood behind a desk.
A leather ledger lay open in front of him.
Beside it was Elena's mother's wooden jewelry box.
She stopped.
"My mother's box."
Vincent looked at her.
"She kept it for twenty years."
"Give it to me."
"Your mother made the same mistake."
Elena stepped forward.
"What mistake?"
"Believing that the truth would save her."
Alessandro moved toward the desk.
"Close the ledger."
Vincent laughed softly.
"Do you know what is inside this book?"
"Yes."
"No, Alessandro. You know what your father wanted you to believe was inside."
Vincent turned a page.
"Your father didn't simply move money through these accounts. He bought judges. He paid police officers. He funded political campaigns. He arranged murders and made them disappear into business expenses."
He looked at Elena.
"And your father discovered it."
Alessandro's jaw tightened.
Vincent continued.
"Matteo Moretti believed he could expose the entire operation. He thought the law would protect him."
He shook his head.
"People like Matteo never understand how power works."
Elena looked at the ledger.
"Why did my mother keep it?"
"Because she believed she could use it to protect you."
"From you?"
"From all of us."
Vincent closed the book.
"She should have given it to me."
Alessandro stepped forward.
"You poisoned me."
Vincent shrugged.
"I gave you an opportunity to retire."
"You tried to kill me."
"You were becoming a liability."
Alessandro looked at him.
"And my father?"
Vincent's expression became colder.
"Your father understood the price of power."
"Did he order Matteo's death?"
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
Elena's eyes filled.
Vincent continued.
"He also ordered Sofia's disappearance. I merely ensured that she never returned."
Alessandro stared at him.
"Did you kill her?"
Vincent looked at Elena.
"Would the answer change anything?"
"Yes," she whispered.
Vincent smiled.
"Then perhaps you should ask the man who was there."
He looked toward the warehouse entrance.
Marco had appeared.
His face was pale.
His weapon hung loosely in his hand.
Elena turned.
"Marco?"
Vincent smiled.
"Tell her."
Marco looked at Elena.
Then at Alessandro.
"I found Sofia after your father left."
Elena's voice trembled.
"Was she alive?"
"For a little while."
"Did you help her?"
Marco's face crumpled.
"I tried."
"Did she say anything?"
He nodded.
"She asked me to take you away."
Elena covered her mouth.
"She was still alive?"
Marco looked down.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you save her?"
"Because I was afraid."
The warehouse became silent.
Alessandro looked at Marco.
"You let her die."
Marco nodded.
"Yes."
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Marco placed his weapon on the floor.
"I've spent twenty years trying to make that decision mean something."
Elena looked at him.
"It doesn't."
"I know."
He turned toward Vincent.
"But it ends tonight."
Vincent raised his weapon.
Alessandro moved.
A shot rang out.
The office lights shattered.
Elena dropped to the floor.
Someone shouted.
Another shot followed.
When the emergency lights flickered on, Vincent was lying beside the desk.
His weapon had fallen several feet away.
Marco stood near the doorway.
Blood spread across his chest.
Alessandro was beside him.
"Marco!"
The older man looked up.
"Don't."
"Stay awake."
Marco managed a faint smile.
"Still giving orders."
Alessandro pressed a hand against the wound.
"You're going to the hospital."
Marco shook his head.
"Listen."
Alessandro leaned closer.
"Tell me."
"Your father didn't leave you the empire."
Marco coughed.
"He left you a prison."
Alessandro said nothing.
"Don't make the same mistake."
His eyes moved toward Elena.
"Give her the truth."
Then his hand fell.
Alessandro held him.
For the first time in many years, the head of the De Luca family had no words.
***
The police arrived forty minutes later.
This time, the officers were not controlled by Vincent.
The ledger contained enough evidence to expose several members of the old organization. It also contained names of politicians, judges, and businessmen who had spent decades believing their secrets were safe.
The following morning, the story appeared on every major news channel.
A prominent criminal figure had been found dead in a warehouse.
An investigation into decades of financial corruption had begun.
The De Luca family was under federal scrutiny.
And Alessandro De Luca had disappeared from public view.
Elena spent the next several days in a secure apartment.
She refused to return to the Bellagio.
She refused to speak with reporters.
She spent most of her time reading her mother's letters.