Chapter 5 - The Ledger
The rain fell harder, drumming loudly against the steel roof of the blue shipping container.
Luca stood absolutely still, his weapon locked onto Vanessa's chest.
He struggled to process the revelation that his exiled brother was dead.
“You’ve been manipulating the household accounts to fund this coup,” Luca stated coldly.
Vanessa smiled, a terrifyingly calm expression.
“It wasn't a coup, Luca.”
“It was an eviction notice.”
“Your father destroyed my family when I was a child.”
“He forced my father into servitude to pay off a gambling debt.”
“I spent my entire life smiling while scrubbing the floors of the people who owned us.”
Mrs. Moretti looked up from the wet gravel, tears mingling with the rain on her face.
“Vanessa, please,” the older woman begged.
“We always treated you like family.”
Vanessa scoffed, pressing the barrel of her gun harder against Mrs. Moretti's temple.
“You treated me like a pet you were fond of.”
“Now, Luca is going to open the Blue Door and give me the ledger inside.”
Luca’s jaw clenched.
“The ledger doesn't exist anymore.”
“I burned it when my father died.”
Vanessa laughed out loud.
“You are a terrible liar.”
“If you burned it, you wouldn't have kept this container locked under heavy guard for fifteen years.”
“The ledger contains the account numbers for the syndicate's offshore emergency funds.”
“It’s worth nearly half a billion dollars.”
Sophie stood frozen in the shadows behind Luca, her heart pounding furiously.
She realized Vanessa didn't just want revenge.
She wanted to completely dismantle the Moretti empire and walk away with an unimaginable fortune.
“Open the container, Luca,” Vanessa demanded.
“Or I blow your mother's brains out right here.”
The three armed mercenaries raised their rifles, aiming directly at Luca.
Luca slowly lowered his pistol, placing it carefully on the wet ground.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy brass key.
He walked forward slowly, his hands raised in surrender.
Vanessa stepped back, keeping her weapon trained on Mrs. Moretti.
Luca approached the rusted padlock on the blue container.
He inserted the key and turned it.
The lock clicked open with a heavy metallic clunk.
Luca pulled the lock free and grabbed the iron handle of the massive door.
He threw his weight backward, pulling the heavy steel door open.
The hinges screamed in protest, protesting years of neglect.
The interior of the container was pitch black.
“Turn on the flashlight, Sophie,” Vanessa ordered.
Sophie hesitated, looking at Luca.
He gave her a barely perceptible nod.
Sophie stepped forward and clicked the small silver flashlight on, aiming the beam inside the container.
The light cut through the darkness, illuminating the interior.
There was no hidden safe.
There were no boxes of blackmail material or financial ledgers.
The massive shipping container was completely empty.
Except for one thing.
Sitting in the exact center of the wooden floor was a single, simple wooden chair.
And sitting in that chair was a skeleton.
Vanessa gasped, stepping backward in absolute shock.
“What is this?” she screamed, turning her gun toward Luca.
Luca did not look surprised.
He looked incredibly tired.
“I told you I buried something fifteen years ago, Vanessa.”
“I never said it was a book.”
Luca turned to face the terrified woman.
“That is my brother, Matteo.”
“He didn't die in Las Vegas.”
“My father executed him for treason and locked him in here as a warning.”
May you like
Before Vanessa could process the horrifying truth, the sound of a high-powered sniper rifle echoed from the darkness.
One of Vanessa's mercenaries dropped to the ground, a massive hole blown through his chest.
