"Tell him I received them."
Raffaele laughed.
"You're not leaving with those documents."
"Then you'll have to stop me."
Raffaele's expression hardened.
"You still think this is about business."
He raised his weapon.
"It's about what your father stole."
The next moments were chaos.
Alessandro pushed Sofia behind the metal cabinets as the first shot struck the wall.
The two men exchanged fire.
A light shattered.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Sofia crawled toward the desk, clutching the folder against her chest.
She heard a grunt.
Then a body struck the floor.
When the gunfire stopped, Alessandro was standing near the staircase.
One hand pressed against his side.
Raffaele was gone.
One of his men lay unconscious near the door.
The other had disappeared.
"Are you hurt?" Sofia asked.
Alessandro looked down at his shirt.
A thin line of blood crossed his ribs.
"Nothing serious."
"You're bleeding."
"I've had worse."
"That doesn't mean you should ignore it."
He looked at her.
Even now, she was worried about him.
It was an unfamiliar feeling.
And he did not know what to do with it.
***
By dawn, the estate had changed.
The gala decorations remained in the ballroom, but the mansion no longer resembled a place of celebration.
Security officers moved through the corridors. Matteo had ordered every entrance monitored. The medical team treated Alessandro's wound, while Sofia sat in the library with a blanket around her shoulders.
The documents were locked inside a safe.
Alessandro stood by the fireplace.
Matteo entered.
"You should be in bed."
"I've had enough advice tonight."
Matteo ignored him.
"Vittorio has called three times."
"Did you answer?"
"No."
"Good."
Matteo looked at Sofia.
"How much does she know?"
"Enough."
"Alessandro, this is dangerous."
"I am aware."
"Then send her somewhere safe."
Sofia lifted her head.
"I can hear you."
Matteo looked mildly uncomfortable.
"I wasn't trying to insult you."
"You were trying to send me away."
"Because people are trying to kill you."
"People have been trying to kill my father for years. Sending me away won't change what happened."
Matteo sighed.
Alessandro watched the exchange.
There was something about his brother's behavior that bothered him.
He had been unusually eager to dismiss Sofia's claims.
He had also known she had entered the east corridor before Alessandro had mentioned it.
And when Sofia had collapsed, Matteo had been standing unusually close to the private dining room.
"Matteo," Alessandro said.
His brother turned.
"Yes?"
"Where were you at 8:15 last night?"
Matteo frowned.
"With the guests."
"Which guests?"
"Several."
"Names."
A brief silence.
"Why are you questioning me?"
"Because I asked."
Matteo looked at Sofia.
Then back at Alessandro.
"I was speaking with Vittorio."
The room became quiet.
"What about?" Alessandro asked.
"Business."
"What business?"
"Nothing important."
Alessandro took one step toward him.
"Try again."
Matteo's jaw tightened.
"You're exhausted. You're injured. Perhaps we should discuss this later."
"No."
For a moment, the brothers stared at each other.
Then Matteo turned and walked out.
Sofia watched him leave.
"Do you trust him?"
Alessandro did not answer immediately.
"He is my brother."
"That's not what I asked."
He looked at her.
"No," he said quietly. "It isn't."
***
At ten in the morning, Vittorio Bellandi arrived without an appointment.
He walked into the library carrying a silver walking stick. Two men followed him.
His expression suggested that the previous evening had been an inconvenience rather than a disaster.
Alessandro stood behind his desk.
Matteo was already there.
Sofia remained near the fireplace.
Vittorio looked at her.
"Miss Romano."
She did not respond.
"Your father was a stubborn man."
Sofia's fingers tightened around the blanket.
"Where is he?"
Vittorio sighed.
"Still asking that question."
"Answer me."
The old man looked toward Alessandro.
"She should not be here."
Alessandro placed both hands on the desk.
"She stays."
Vittorio's eyes narrowed.
"You have no idea what you're involving yourself in."
"I have the documents."
For the first time, Vittorio's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Alessandro noticed.
"Then you have been reading things you were never meant to see."
"I read enough."
Vittorio leaned on his walking stick.
"Your father made mistakes."
"One of them was trusting you."
"Your father and I built this family together."
"No. You built a business together. Then you murdered everyone who knew what it cost."
Vittorio smiled faintly.
"Such dramatic language."
Alessandro opened the folder and placed a photograph on the desk.
Lorenzo.
Vittorio.
Enzo Romano.
The old man's face became still.
"Where did you find that?"
"Under the chapel."
Vittorio stared at the photograph.
Then he looked at Sofia.
"You should have stayed away from this family."
"My father worked for your family."
"And he should have remembered his place."
Sofia stepped forward.
"He was a good man."
Vittorio turned toward her.
"Good men are often the first to die."
Alessandro's voice cut through the room.
"Enough."
He opened the letter from his father.
"Tell me what happened to my mother."
Vittorio looked at him.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he removed his gloves.
"Your mother was a difficult woman."
Alessandro's face became expressionless.
"Explain."
"She discovered certain arrangements. She threatened to expose us. Your father was weak when it came to her."
"Did you arrange her death?"
Vittorio looked toward the window.
"I protected the family."
The answer was enough.
Alessandro felt something inside him become very quiet.
"Did you kill her?"
Vittorio sighed.
"She was going to destroy everything."
Alessandro looked at him.