Chapter 3 - My Father Was Alive, and He Had Been Hiding the Truth About Luca
My father had been officially dead for four years.
Cancer.
That was the story.
A funeral.
A private cremation.
A sealed medical report.
I had watched the coffin disappear behind closed doors.
But suddenly a man who had supposedly died four years ago was alive.
And my brother was alive too.
I felt like every fact of my life had been manufactured.
Elias took me to another location.
A house in the mountains.
A single light burned above the porch.
When the door opened, I saw a man sitting beside a fireplace.
Older.
Thinner.
But unmistakable.
My father.
I raised my gun.
He looked at me.
“Put it away, Sebastian.”
I didn't.
“You're dead.”
“Yes.”
“You let me bury you.”
“I needed you to.”
“Why?”
“Because The Meridian believed I was dead.”
“And Luca?”
“Alive.”
I nearly shouted.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because you were being watched.”
“By Victor?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
“Everyone.”
I lowered the weapon slightly.
My father looked exhausted.
For the first time in my life, he seemed old.
Not powerful.
Not frightening.
Just tired.
He told me the truth.
Our grandfather had built the Vale empire.
But he had also discovered The Meridian was trying to absorb it.
My father fought them.
Luca learned about the trust.
He wanted to expose the organization publicly.
My father believed the only way to survive was to disappear.
Then a betrayal occurred.
Someone inside the family sold Luca's location.
The result was the explosion I had been told killed him.
But Luca survived.
He was badly injured.
Victor found him.
Then everything changed.
“Why did Victor pretend to betray me?”
“Because The Meridian had eyes everywhere.”
“And Claire?”
“She was moved to protect her.”
“Emma?”
“My granddaughter was hidden because The Meridian needed her.”
“Why?”
My father stood.
“Because the trust requires a blood heir.”
I stared.
“Emma.”
“Yes.”
“That means they need her?”
“They need her alive long enough to authenticate the trust.”
I felt sick.
“Then why not take her directly?”
“Because the trust also requires Luca.”
I understood.
Luca wasn't simply a missing brother.
He was one half of the key.
Emma was the second.
And I was the final authorization.
“What happens if they get all three?”
“They control everything.”
“How much?”
My father looked at me.
“Enough to shift ownership of every Vale asset.”
I turned away.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I believed protecting you meant keeping you ignorant.”
“That worked well.”
He accepted the criticism.
“You have every right to hate me.”
“I don't have time.”
“Correct.”
He moved toward a locked cabinet.
Inside was a small box.
He gave it to me.
“Luca left this.”
I opened it.
A photograph.
The three brothers as children.
My father standing behind us.
On the back:
Some families inherit money.
Ours inherited secrets.
Beneath it was another message.
Sebastian, if you're reading this, find Emma before they do.
I touched the photograph.
“Where is Luca now?”
“Moving.”
“Where?”
My father looked toward the window.
“With Claire and Emma.”
“Why did he come back?”
“For you.”
My chest tightened.
“All these years, he could have contacted me.”
“He tried.”
“What stopped him?”
“Every attempt put you in danger.”
I looked at him.
“Did you ever love us?”
His eyes filled.
“Yes.”
“Then why did you make us strangers?”
He looked down.
“Because I chose survival over honesty.”
That answer hurt.
But it also sounded true.
We returned to New York.
Victor contacted me.
His voice was quiet.
“Boss.”
“Where is my brother?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“I want to see him.”
“You will.”
“Now.”
A pause.
“Come alone.”
I followed his instructions to a church in Brooklyn.
An old building.
Empty.
I entered through the rear door.
Footsteps echoed.
Then a man stepped from the shadows.
I stopped.
Luca.
He was older.
Scarred.
Thinner.
But alive.
I couldn't move.
Neither could he.
For several seconds, we simply stared at each other.
Then he smiled.
“Hey, Seb.”
My chest broke open.
I crossed the room.
He hugged me.
Hard.
I could feel him shaking.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I thought you were dead.”
We laughed and cried at the same time.
I hit his shoulder.
“You bastard.”
He smiled.
“I know.”
“Why did you let me mourn you?”
“I didn't.”
“You could have called.”
“I did.”
“Never got anything.”
“Because someone intercepted every message.”
“Who?”
He looked at Victor.
“Not him.”
I nodded.
“Who?”
Luca's face became serious.
“Someone you still trust.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”
“Your attorney.”
I froze.
“Mark?”
“Mark Halden.”
“He's been with me for eight years.”
“He works for The Meridian.”
I stared at him.
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“Proof?”
Luca nodded.
Victor handed me a folder.
Inside were copies of communications.
Payments.
Meeting schedules.
Photographs.
Mark meeting Meridian officials.
I felt betrayed.
But not surprised anymore.
“What do they want now?”
“Emma.”
“Because of the trust.”
“Yes.”
“What about Claire?”
“They want her too.”
“Why?”
“She knows the original location of the ledger.”
I turned toward Claire.
She was standing with Emma.
I looked at the woman my brother loved.
“You know where it is.”
She nodded.
“I do.”
“Where?”
“Your mother's childhood home.”
“My mother is dead.”
“The house isn't.”
I remembered it.
An old place in Connecticut.
Abandoned after her death.
I looked at Luca.
“You hid the ledger there?”
He smiled.
“No.”
“Then who did?”
“Your mother.”
I stared.
“My mother knew?”
“She knew everything.”
Then Emma walked toward us.
She held a small drawing.
“Daddy?”
Luca crouched.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
She handed him the drawing.
It showed three wolves beneath a moon.
Luca looked at me.
“She drew us.”
I smiled.
“Three wolves?”
Emma nodded.
“Mommy says family means nobody gets left behind.”
Luca looked at me.
My throat tightened.
“She's right.”
Then a gunshot shattered the church window.
Everyone dropped.
Victor shouted.
“Move!”
More shots.
The building erupted in chaos.
Luca grabbed Emma.
Claire ran.
I pulled my weapon.
Men entered through the front.
The Meridian had found us.
We escaped through an underground tunnel.
When we emerged several blocks away, Luca looked at me.
“They know we're together.”
“How?”
He stared at Mark's photograph.
“They always knew.”
I looked at Emma.
She was frightened.
I knelt.
“Hey.”
She looked at me.
“Are we safe?”
I smiled.
“With me?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
“You are.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck.
And for the first time, I felt something larger than responsibility.
I felt like an uncle.
Like family.
But Luca interrupted.
“We have to leave the city.”
“Why?”
“Because the next move won't be aimed at us.”
May you like
He looked at Emma.
“They're going after her school.”
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