Chapter 6 - The Mother Behind the War
My mother was alive.
My mother had orchestrated the war.
Those two facts collided inside my head until I could barely breathe.
Lorenzo watched me carefully.
“She didn't start this because she wanted power.”
“Then why?”
“To protect you.”
I laughed.
Everyone wanted to protect me.
Father.
Marco.
Lorenzo.
Gabriel.
My mother.
And every single one of them had lied.
“What happened?” I asked.
Lorenzo told me everything.
Twenty-one years earlier, my mother discovered Bruno was planning a coup.
She tried to warn Salvatore.
Salvatore refused to act publicly because Bruno controlled too many soldiers.
So Maria created a secret counter-network.
Lorenzo joined her.
Marco joined later.
Gabriel joined after discovering his own father's involvement.
But then something went wrong.
My mother became convinced the only way to stop Bruno was to make him believe the Moretti family was already collapsing.
That meant faking deaths.
Disappearing people.
Hiding Matteo.
Even allowing Alessandro to inherit the family.
The plan worked.
Until Bruno discovered the truth.
And now he was making his final move.
I found my mother in a small country house outside the city.
She looked older.
Fragile.
Human.
Not the mastermind I had imagined.
When she saw me, she began to cry.
“You look like your father.”
I stood in the doorway.
“You died.”
“No.”
“You let me believe that.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Bruno would have killed you.”
“You should have trusted me.”
“I did.”
“No. You trusted your plan.”
She looked down.
“You are right.”
That was the first honest answer anyone had given me that night.
Sofia ran into her arms.
“Mama Maria!”
My mother hugged her.
“You're safe.”
Then I noticed something.
Sofia knew her.
“You've met her before.”
Elena nodded.
“She visited us.”
“Without me knowing?”
“Yes.”
My mother sat.
“There is one last truth.”
I almost laughed.
“Of course.”
She reached for a small box.
Inside was my father's wedding ring.
“You thought this was lost.”
I remembered it.
My father had worn it every day.
Inside the ring was an inscription.
M & S.
But beneath the metal was a second compartment.
Inside was a list of names.
Every person involved in Operation Twelve.
One name was crossed out.
Gabriel.
Another was crossed out.
Marco.
Lorenzo.
My mother.
Then one remained.
My attorney.
Victor Hale.
I suddenly understood everything.
The money.
The legal pressure.
The succession.
The hidden accounts.
Victor had been the one connecting Bruno's criminal network to the legal system.
He was not merely helping Bruno.
He was coordinating him.
I called Matteo.
“Find Victor.”
Too late.
Victor appeared on the television.
Every news station carried the same announcement.
Alessandro Moretti is dead.
I watched myself dying on television.
A doctored image showed my body beneath a white sheet.
Victor stood beside three regional crime bosses.
“According to reliable sources,” he said, “the Moretti family has entered a period of transition.”
Transition.
That word meant war.
Matteo stared at the screen.
“They are announcing your replacement.”
Victor said the name.
Marco Bianchi.
The room fell silent.
Marco's face hardened.
“They're framing me.”
My mother whispered, “They need the families to believe you betrayed Alessandro.”
I looked at Marco.
He met my eyes.
We both understood.
The final move had begun.
At midnight, Bruno would present evidence proving Marco had killed me.
Then Victor would seize control.
And if Marco resisted, the families would kill him.
We returned to the estate.
Every road was blocked.
Men loyal to other families surrounded the gates.
For the first time in my life, the Moretti mansion stood surrounded by enemies.
But beneath the house, my family gathered.
Mother.
Lorenzo.
Matteo.
Marco.
Gabriel.
Elena.
Sofia.
And me.
I looked at them.
“We have one hour.”
Lorenzo smiled.
“You've always been good under pressure.”
“No.”
I looked at Sofia.
“I've just never had anything this important to lose.”
Sofia took my hand.
“Don't let the bad man win.”
I crouched.
“I won't.”
Outside, church bells began ringing.
Eleven times.
One more.
Then every light in the estate died.
A voice came over the speakers.
“Alessandro Moretti.”
I recognized it.
Bruno.
“You have ten minutes to surrender.”
I smiled.
My father had built this house to survive war.
I knew every defense.
Every tunnel.
Every hidden door.
And for the first time, I understood why he had taught me all those things.
Not to become a monster.
To protect the people inside.
May you like
I looked at my family.
“Tonight, we stop running.”
