Chapter 6 - The Brother from the Grave
Rocco stared at the glowing monitor, entirely paralyzed by the impossibility on the screen.
His younger brother, Carlo, had supposedly died in a fiery car crash a decade ago.
Rocco had mourned him, avenged him, and built an empire in his memory.
Now, Carlo was standing in the study, smiling warmly as he kissed Valentina on the cheek.
The betrayal ran much deeper than a simple greedy wife.
This was a decade-long conspiracy designed to destroy him from the inside out.
"Mr. Moretti," Elena whispered, interrupting his dark thoughts.
"The baby needs milk, and it is freezing down here."
Rocco turned away from the monitors and opened a hidden weapons locker set into the wall.
He tossed a loaded submachine gun onto the desk and strapped a tactical vest over his tailored suit.
"There is a smuggling tunnel beneath the wine cellar that leads directly to the river," Rocco told her.
"Take the children and run."
Elena shook her head frantically.
"They will hunt us down if you die here," she cried.
"I have no intention of dying in my own home," Rocco stated coldly.
He grabbed two extra magazines and slammed one into his primary weapon.
"I am going to buy you the time you need to escape."
Rocco stepped out of the security room and locked the heavy steel door behind him to protect them.
He moved silently up the grand staircase, stepping over the shattered glass and debris of his ruined mansion.
He reached the second-floor landing and engaged the first group of mercenaries.
His shots were incredibly precise, dropping three men before they even realized they were under attack.
The sudden gunfire drew the attention of the rest of the assault team.
Rocco retreated into the shadows of the expansive library, using the heavy oak bookshelves for cover.
Bullets tore through first-edition novels and showered the room in shredded paper.
"Cease fire!" a loud, familiar voice echoed through the hallway.
The mercenaries immediately stopped shooting, leaving a ringing silence in the smoke-filled air.
Carlo Moretti stepped into the doorway of the library, holding a gold-plated pistol.
"It has been a long time, big brother," Carlo called out casually.
"You look good for a dead man," Rocco replied from the darkness.
Carlo laughed, a sound that brought back a flood of complicated childhood memories.
"Valentina helped me fake the crash," Carlo explained loudly.
"We decided it was time for new management, but we needed your fortune to grow first."
"You did all the hard work, and now I am here to collect the reward."
Rocco stepped out from behind the bookshelf, aiming his weapon directly at his brother's chest.
"You are not leaving this house alive, Carlo," Rocco promised.
Carlo smirked and slowly raised his free hand in the air.
"I think you will change your mind," Carlo said smoothly.
Two mercenaries stepped into the doorway behind Carlo.
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They were aggressively dragging a small, terrified figure by the hair.
It was Sophia.
