"I never gave him your documents."
"I know."
"He'll never believe me."
Alessandro moved closer.
"Elena, listen to me. You are not responsible for what he chooses to do."
She looked at him.
"People keep saying that. But when he looks at me, I feel like everything is my fault."
Alessandro's expression softened.
"That is what he wants."
A loud noise came from the corridor.
Giovanni immediately turned.
"Stay here."
He left.
Alessandro remained beside Elena.
Then the security room door opened.
Matteo stood in the doorway.
He was holding a small pistol.
"Hello, brother."
Alessandro did not move.
"Put it down."
Matteo laughed.
"You always did enjoy giving orders."
Elena backed toward the wall.
Matteo noticed her.
"There she is."
Alessandro shifted slightly, placing himself between them.
"Leave her out of this."
Matteo's smile widened.
"That's the problem, Alessandro. You keep bringing her into it."
"She has nothing to do with the family."
"She has everything to do with it."
Matteo raised the weapon slightly.
"Four months ago, she was nobody. A frightened little servant who needed money. Then you decided to make her your responsibility."
"Put the gun down."
"Do you know what our father would say if he saw you now?"
Alessandro's eyes remained fixed on his brother.
"Don't use his name."
"He would be ashamed."
"Perhaps."
Matteo's smile faltered.
Alessandro continued.
"But he would be more ashamed of what you've become."
For a moment, the brothers stared at each other.
Then Matteo turned toward Elena.
"Tell him."
She did not understand.
"Tell him what?"
"Tell him what I asked you to take."
"I didn't take anything."
Matteo laughed.
"She still thinks she can lie her way out."
Alessandro looked at Elena.
"Did you take something?"
She shook her head.
"No."
Matteo stepped forward.
"Search her room. You'll find the envelope."
Alessandro's expression changed.
"What envelope?"
Matteo realized his mistake.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he smiled again.
"Exactly."
Alessandro understood.
Matteo had planted something in Elena's room.
Something that could make her appear responsible for the missing financial records.
He had been preparing to use her as a scapegoat.
And now, with the investigation closing in, he needed to recover whatever evidence remained.
"Giovanni!" Alessandro called.
The security chief appeared behind Matteo.
Two guards followed him.
Matteo turned.
The pistol moved.
A single shot struck the ceiling.
The guards rushed forward.
The weapon fell to the floor.
Matteo was forced against the wall.
Alessandro stood motionless.
He looked at his brother.
"How long?"
Matteo struggled against the guards.
"Get your hands off me!"
"How long have you been stealing from this family?"
"You're making a mistake."
"How long?"
Matteo stopped struggling.
His expression changed.
The anger disappeared.
In its place was something much older.
Resentment.
"Since the day Father chose you."
Alessandro stared at him.
"He chose me because I did the work."
"You were always his favorite."
"You had the same opportunities."
"No. I had your shadow."
Matteo laughed bitterly.
"Every decision, every meeting, every business. You were the heir before anyone even knew what the word meant."
Alessandro looked at him.
"And you thought stealing from the family would make you worthy of it?"
Matteo said nothing.
"Take him away."
The guards escorted Matteo from the room.
Elena remained against the wall.
Her hands were shaking.
Alessandro turned toward her.
"It's over."
She looked at him.
"Is it?"
He did not answer immediately.
"No," he said. "But you are safe."
***
The following morning, the police arrived at the mansion.
They had been contacted by Alessandro's legal representatives, who provided evidence of financial fraud, document forgery, and the attempted coercion of a household employee.
The matter became more complicated when investigators discovered that several companies connected to Matteo had also been used to conceal money stolen from business partners.
Matteo was taken into custody.
Two accountants were questioned.
The security officers who had helped him were dismissed and placed under investigation.
For the first time in years, the Moretti mansion felt as though it could breathe.
But Elena did not feel relieved.
She sat alone in the greenhouse, staring at the rows of flowers.
She had spent four months believing that the most dangerous person in the mansion was Matteo.
Now she wondered whether she had simply been lucky that Alessandro had noticed her.
A door opened behind her.
Beatrice entered carrying a small tray.
"Tea?"
Elena smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
The older woman placed the cup beside her.
"Don Alessandro asked me to tell you something."
Elena looked up.
"What?"
"He wants you to know that your brother is doing well. The specialist has reviewed his case, and they have a treatment plan."
Elena closed her eyes.
For several seconds, she could not speak.
Then she whispered, "Thank you."
Beatrice sat beside her.
"You know, I have worked in this house for thirty-two years."
Elena nodded.
"I know."
"I have seen powerful men come and go. Some were generous. Some were cruel. Most believed that the people who served them existed only to make their lives easier."
She looked at Elena.
"But Don Alessandro is changing."
Elena looked away.
"People don't change that easily."
"No," Beatrice agreed. "They don't."
She lifted her tea.
"But sometimes they finally see what they have been refusing to look at."
***
Daniel's condition improved over the following weeks.
The specialist adjusted his treatment, and his blood counts began responding.
Elena visited him every evening.
She told him about the new doctors.
About the hospital room.
About the meals she brought.