Chapter 6 - The Betrayal Inside the House
They survived the shooting.
But one of Vincent's security men did not.
The investigation revealed that the shooter had access to the house's surveillance system.
Someone inside had given Voss the security schedule.
Vincent shut the gates.
Everyone was questioned.
Every guard.
Every employee.
Then Vincent discovered an envelope in his office.
Inside was a photograph.
Charmian standing beside an older man.
Her father.
On the back:
ASK HER WHAT SHE STOLE.
Vincent confronted her.
She didn't deny it.
"My father took something from your family."
"What?"
"A drive."
"What's on it?"
"Evidence."
"Where is it?"
"I don't know."
Vincent stared at her.
"You keep secrets from me."
"So do you."
"That's different."
"Why?"
He had no answer.
She walked away.
Then Matteo arrived.
"We found the mole."
"Who?"
"Mrs. Gable."
Vincent's expression changed.
The housekeeper had worked for his family for sixteen years.
She had raised him.
She had known his mother.
She had hired Charmian.
Vincent went to the kitchen.
Mrs. Gable was crying.
"Why?"
She looked at him.
"Because your mother asked me to."
Vincent froze.
"She's alive?"
"No."
Mrs. Gable's voice broke.
"She died years ago."
"Then why?"
"She left instructions."
"What instructions?"
"Protect the girl."
He looked toward Charmian's room.
"Why Charmian?"
"Because your mother trusted her father."
Mrs. Gable opened an old tin box.
Inside was a letter.
Vincent read it.
If Vincent ever becomes like his father, protect him from himself.
He stared at the page.
His mother had known.
She had expected this.
She had known the Costa empire might destroy her son.
And she had placed Charmian in his path for a reason.
Not to spy.
Not to manipulate.
To remind him there was another life.
Vincent found Charmian sitting outside on the back steps.
"You knew Mrs. Gable was working with my mother."
Charmian nodded.
"How?"
"My father told me."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because your mother wanted you to discover the truth yourself."
He sat beside her.
"My mother knew you?"
"Yes."
"Why me?"
Charmian looked at him.
"Because she believed you could become something your father wasn't."
Vincent laughed bitterly.
"I killed people."
"So did your father."
"What's the difference?"
"You regret it."
He looked at her.
That answer cut deeper than any accusation.
His organization dismantled over the next months.
The legitimate businesses were separated from the criminal operations.
Lawyers cooperated with investigators.
Assets were surrendered.
Vincent gave testimony.
He had nothing left to hide.
When it was over, he was not a mafia boss anymore.
He was a man.
And he was terrified.
He sold the old estate.
Charmian finished her semester.
Elias returned to school.
Vincent helped create a foundation using recovered legal assets.
He named it after his mother.
The Costa Reyes Foundation.
Its mission was simple.
Help young people escape organized crime families.
One evening, Charmian arrived at the new office.
Vincent was standing behind a desk.
"I have news."
"What?"
"I found your father's drive."
Her eyes widened.
"Where?"
"In my mother's old storage unit."
"What does it contain?"
"Everything."
She stared at him.
"Then Voss is finished."
"Yes."
She smiled.
Vincent watched her.
"You look different."
"So do you."
"How?"
"You look less angry."
He smiled.
"I'm trying."
She stepped closer.
"Vincent."
"Yes?"
"I got accepted to the university."
He smiled.
"I'm proud of you."
"I want to study law."
"Good."
She laughed.
"You aren't going to tell me what to do?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because that's your life."
Her eyes softened.
She hugged him.
He stood still.
Then slowly wrapped his arms around her.
It was the first time he allowed himself to imagine a future.
Not a throne.
Not an empire.
Just a quiet life.
With her.
But someone from his old world wasn't finished.
A letter arrived the following morning.
YOU THINK YOU WON.
THEN:
COME TO THE DOCKS ALONE.
May you like
OR THE BOY DIES.
Elias was missing.
