Chapter 5 - Matteo Called Me Family—Then Ordered His Men to Kill Me
Matteo Moretti looked nothing like the monster I had imagined.
He wore a navy suit.
Silver hair.
An expensive watch.
And the calm expression of a grandfather arriving for dinner.
That frightened me more than anything.
He smiled at me.
“You have your mother's eyes.”
I stepped backward.
Leo moved between us.
“Stay away from her.”
Matteo sighed.
“You have always been dramatic.”
“You lied to me.”
“I protected you.”
“You killed her.”
Matteo's expression hardened.
“She made choices.”
Leo raised his gun.
“You're done.”
Matteo laughed.
“You still don't understand the rules.”
He gestured.
Doors opened.
Men entered.
Weapons pointed at us.
I felt Leo's hand close around mine.
“Stay behind me.”
Matteo looked at me.
“Give me the pendant.”
“No.”
“You don't know what it controls.”
“I know what you want.”
“And what do I want?”
“You want me dead.”
Matteo smiled.
“Now you're learning.”
He reached for his phone.
“Samuel.”
Leo's eyes narrowed.
“You're working together.”
“No.”
Matteo smiled.
“Samuel works for your father.”
Silence.
Leo stopped breathing.
“My father?”
Matteo nodded.
“Your father never wanted to leave.”
Everything we believed collapsed.
The truth was worse.
Julian Moretti, Leo's father, had created the appearance of going legitimate.
But secretly, he had been expanding.
The trust.
The city.
The political connections.
He wanted absolute control.
Matteo had rebelled.
Samuel had switched sides.
Everyone was using everyone.
And I was the final piece.
Matteo stepped closer.
“Give me the pendant.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
His smile vanished.
“Kill her.”
Leo fired.
The room erupted.
I ducked.
Glass shattered.
Men screamed.
Leo grabbed me.
“Run!”
We sprinted through the vault.
Behind us, gunshots echoed.
A hidden exit opened into the forest.
We ran.
Branches struck my face.
I could barely breathe.
Leo pulled me onward.
“You okay?”
“No!”
He laughed.
“Good.”
“You're insane!”
“Probably.”
We reached an old tunnel beneath the chapel.
Leo locked the door behind us.
We stood in darkness.
I could hear my own heartbeat.
Then I looked at him.
“You're my brother.”
He nodded.
“I guess so.”
“That is insane.”
“Yes.”
“We kissed?”
His eyebrows rose.
“What?”
“No.”
“I thought you meant something else.”
I punched his arm.
He laughed.
Then became serious.
“You're not alone.”
“I know.”
“You're family.”
I looked at him.
“That word means very little to me right now.”
He understood.
We found another exit.
The tunnel opened near a river.
A vehicle waited.
Marcus was driving.
We climbed inside.
“Where?”
Leo looked at me.
“Somewhere safe.”
Marcus shook his head.
“No such place.”
They drove to an old Moretti-owned hotel.
There, Leo finally told me everything.
His father had been searching for the trust.
Matteo wanted it.
Samuel wanted control.
Other families wanted access.
And all of them believed I possessed the missing key.
“What happens now?”
Leo stared at me.
“You choose.”
“What?”
“I can hide you.”
“Or?”
“We can expose everyone.”
I looked at the pendant.
My mother had sacrificed everything to protect me.
My father had left me a secret.
I couldn't hide forever.
“Expose them.”
Leo smiled faintly.
“That was my hope.”
We prepared the evidence.
The tape.
The documents.
The trust records.
The old photographs.
Everything.
Then we discovered one more file.
A medical record.
My birth.
Mother: Elena Bell.
Father: Julian Moretti.
Witness: Samuel Reed.
I stared at the signature.
Samuel had been there when I was born.
He had known me my entire life.
He had watched me grow up believing I was nobody.
The betrayal felt personal.
The next morning, the city woke to a leak.
Names.
Accounts.
Politicians.
Judges.
Police.
The Moretti empire began collapsing.
But Julian Moretti was missing.
Then my phone rang.
I answered.
My father's voice said:
“Leora.”
I couldn't speak.
“I've been waiting for you.”
“Where are you?”
“Come home.”
“I have a home.”
“You have my blood.”
He paused.
“Don't make me come find you.”
The call ended.
Leo looked at me.
“What did he say?”
I whispered:
“He wants me to come home.”
May you like
Leo's expression turned cold.
“We're going.”
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