Chapter 5 - The Man Behind Victor’s Orders Was My Dead Father—And the “Heir” He Wanted to Replace Me With Was Someone I Had Raised at My Own TableMy father had always been complicated.
Cold.
Demanding.
Obsessed with legacy.
But I had believed he loved me.
Perhaps he had.
Perhaps his version of love was simply twisted beyond recognition.
The contract changed everything.
Victor had signed it years ago.
The plan was not new.
It was older than Sophia.
Older than my heart condition.
Older than my own illness.
They had been waiting.
The chosen heir's name was hidden.
I needed to know.
We opened my father's old financial vault.
It contained family records.
Trust documents.
Inheritance plans.
And one sealed envelope.
My name was written on it.
Inside was another name.
Gabriel Moretti.
My younger cousin.
Twenty-nine.
Ambitious.
Loyal.
Or so I'd thought.
Gabriel was the man I'd promoted after my brother died.
The man who had access to my schedule.
The man who knew my medications.
The man who managed security records.
I called him.
“Where are you?”
“Home.”
“Come to the estate.”
He arrived twenty minutes later.
Calm.
Confident.
“What's wrong?”
I showed him the contract.
His expression changed.
“You found it.”
I froze.
Not “What is this?”
Not “I don't understand.”
You found it.
He knew.
I stood.
“You've been involved.”
He sighed.
“Alessandro.”
“Answer me.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Since the beginning.”
I felt betrayed in a way I hadn't expected.
Victor had been with me for twenty-five years.
Gabriel had eaten at my table.
Called me family.
And both had been preparing my death.
“Why?”
“You were supposed to surrender control.”
“When?”
“When you became too weak.”
He admitted it.
He had worked with Victor.
He had monitored my condition.
He had tracked my medication.
He had helped erase camera footage.
He had been the second man Sophia drew.
The silver watch.
The ring.
Everything.
I asked:
“Did you change the pills?”
“Sometimes.”
“Did you plan to kill me?”
“Eventually.”
I stared.
“And Sophia?”
He looked at the little girl.
“She complicated things.”
My blood ran cold.
“What were you going to do?”
“Remove her and her mother.”
I moved.
Gabriel raised his hands.
“I haven't hurt them.”
“You threatened them.”
“Yes.”
I looked at Sophia.
She wasn't crying.
She simply stared at him.
Then she pulled a crayon from her pocket.
She drew a new picture.
Four people.
Me.
Her.
Elena.
Gabriel.
She crossed out Gabriel.
I almost smiled.
Then Gabriel said:
“You still don't understand the plan.”
“What?”
“Victor wasn't trying to kill you.”
I stared.
“He was preparing you.”
“For what?”
Gabriel smiled.
“For a public collapse.”
My heart tightened.
“Explain.”
“Tomorrow night.”
He left.
The next morning, a gala would take place.
My entire organization would attend.
And there, they planned to announce my health had deteriorated beyond recovery.
Then I would disappear.
Officially, I would retire.
In reality, I'd be dead.
The empire would pass to Gabriel.
May you like
But they had made one mistake.
They assumed I was still taking the pills.
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