Chapter 6 - The Costello LegacyLuca kept the discovery from Maya.
He wished someone could keep it from him.
Carlo Costello had been a hard man.
Demanding.
Controlling.
Often cruel.
But Luca had never believed his father capable of deliberately destroying his own son.
Marco was less sentimental.
“Your father had motive.”
Luca turned toward him.
“What motive?”
“You were changing the company.”
Luca knew exactly what Marco meant.
Before his collapse, he had begun pulling Costello money out of illegal operations.
Vittorio opposed him.
Carlo opposed him more.
Luca had intended to convert the family empire into legitimate businesses within five years.
His father considered that betrayal.
“He wanted obedience,” Marco said.
“He wanted continuity.”
Luca’s voice was bitter.
“He wanted control.”
That evening, Vittorio arrived for dinner.
Luca invited him intentionally.
Elena hated the idea.
“You’re sitting across from a man who may have poisoned you.”
“I’ve had dinner with worse.”
“That isn’t reassuring.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
Maya joined them unexpectedly.
Luca nearly sent her away.
Then he realized doing so would alert Vittorio that something had changed.
Dinner began quietly.
Vittorio asked Maya about school.
She answered cautiously.
Then she asked him a question.
“Did you know my grandpa?”
Vittorio’s fork stopped.
Luca looked at her.
Maya shrugged.
“I know he’s my grandpa now.”
Vittorio slowly smiled.
“Carlo was my brother.”
“Was he nice?”
The silence became almost painful.
Vittorio looked toward Luca.
“He was complicated.”
Maya nodded.
“Mom says that’s what adults say when they don’t want to say somebody was mean.”
Elena nearly choked on her water.
Luca hid a smile.
Vittorio did not.
After dinner, Maya left with Elena.
Luca and Vittorio moved into the study.
Luca poured his uncle a drink.
“Do you miss my father?”
Vittorio studied him.
“Sometimes.”
“Did he ever regret what happened to me?”
The glass tightened in Vittorio’s hand.
“What kind of question is that?”
“A simple one.”
Vittorio looked away.
“Your father blamed himself for many things.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Vittorio stood.
“You’re tired.”
“I’m asking whether he knew why I collapsed.”
Vittorio turned slowly.
For several seconds, uncle and nephew stared at each other.
Then Vittorio smiled.
“You’ve been talking to the wrong people.”
Luca felt the warning beneath the words.
“Which people are wrong?”
“People who make frightened men imagine conspiracies.”
“I’m not frightened.”
“No.”
Vittorio glanced toward the wheelchair.
“You never were.”
He walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he stopped.
“Your father loved you.”
Luca said nothing.
Vittorio looked over his shoulder.
“But he loved the Costello name more.”
The door closed.
Marco emerged from the hidden monitoring room.
The entire conversation had been recorded.
“Was that a confession?”
“No.”
Luca stared at the closed door.
“It was permission to keep digging.”
Then Marco’s phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
And went pale.
Police had found Dr. Vale.
Alive.
He had walked into a suburban emergency room suffering from dehydration and exhaustion.
May you like
And he had asked for one person.
Luca Costello.
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