Chapter 4 - The Betrayal at the Family Table
Victor Castellano arrived for Sunday dinner as if nothing had happened.
That was what frightened Mara most.
He was sixty-four, silver-haired, elegant, and warm in the effortless way powerful men sometimes learned to be.
He kissed Dominic on both cheeks.
He greeted Luca.
He complimented the cook.
Then he noticed Mara arranging glasses.
“New?”
Mara looked toward Dominic.
Dominic gave nothing away.
“Yes,” she said.
Victor smiled.
“Dominic has always had excellent taste in staff.”
Mara resisted the urge to throw a water glass at him.
The plan was simple.
Victor could not know they suspected him.
The memory card contained evidence of financial crimes, but nothing proving he had ordered Isabella’s death.
They needed Samuel.
More importantly, they needed to know what the stolen brass key opened.
During dinner, Dominic played his role perfectly.
He discussed construction contracts.
Real estate.
Politics.
Victor told stories.
Mara moved quietly around the table.
Once, Victor caught her watching him.
“You look familiar.”
Mara’s pulse jumped.
“I have one of those faces.”
“No.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“O’Leary.”
The dining room became dangerously still.
Dominic looked up.
Victor snapped his fingers.
“The bakery.”
Mara forced herself to breathe.
“You knew it?”
“I knew Samuel once had business there.”
The word Samuel seemed to hang in the air.
Dominic placed down his wineglass.
“You know Samuel Price?”
Victor smiled.
“Everyone knows someone they regret.”
Mara almost admired the audacity.
Almost.
After dinner, Victor entered the library with Dominic.
Luca monitored the conversation from the security room.
Mara sat nearby.
“You’re certain?” she whispered.
Luca nodded.
“Victor’s lying.”
“How?”
“He told Dominic he hadn’t spoken to Samuel in ten years. We have records from six months ago.”
Mara stared at the camera feed.
Dominic and Victor stood beside the fireplace.
They looked like family.
Because they were.
That was the tragedy.
Betrayal rarely came wearing the face of a stranger.
Dominic finally asked the question.
“Did you know Thomas O’Leary?”
Victor’s expression flickered.
Half a second.
Enough.
“No.”
Dominic’s voice remained calm.
“That’s interesting.”
“Why?”
“Because he knew you.”
Victor smiled slowly.
“What is this?”
Dominic placed the photograph on the table.
Victor looked down.
The warmth vanished from his face.
For the first time, Mara saw the real man beneath the charm.
“You’ve been digging,” Victor said.
“I’ve been finding.”
“That can be dangerous.”
“For whom?”
Victor looked toward the security camera.
Directly toward it.
Mara felt a chill.
He knew.
A second later, the mansion went dark.
Every monitor died.
“Move!” Luca shouted.
Emergency lights flashed red.
Guards ran through the corridors.
Mara stood.
“What happened?”
“Stay here.”
“No.”
“Mara—”
A gunshot echoed somewhere downstairs.
Bruno began barking.
Mara’s blood turned cold.
Then she saw the side door opening.
Evelyn stumbled inside.
Her face was bruised.
Her clothing torn.
“Mara.”
Mara ran toward her.
“Evelyn!”
Luca raised his weapon.
“Stop.”
Evelyn lifted her hands.
“I’m not armed.”
“Where have you been?”
“With Samuel.”
Mara stared at her.
“You’re helping him.”
Evelyn began crying.
“No.”
“He’s your brother.”
“I know.”
“You hired me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Evelyn looked at Mara.
“Because Samuel ordered me to.”
The confession hit hard.
Mara stepped backward.
“But I didn’t know what he wanted,” Evelyn rushed on. “He told me you had something that belonged to him. He wanted you inside the estate because he believed Dominic would eventually investigate your family.”
Luca’s expression hardened.
“So you were spying.”
“At first.”
Mara felt betrayed.
Evelyn continued.
“Then I realized what Samuel was doing. He was terrified of Thomas O’Leary’s evidence.”
“Why disappear?”
“I tried to leave.”
Her voice broke.
“Samuel found me first.”
Another gunshot echoed.
Luca spoke into his radio.
No response.
“Mara, take Evelyn upstairs.”
“What about Dominic?”
“I’ll handle Dominic.”
Mara looked toward the dark hallway.
She knew she should obey.
Instead, she grabbed Bruno’s collar.
“Come on.”
“Mara!”
But she was already moving.
She found Dominic near the library.
Victor was gone.
One guard was injured but conscious.
Dominic had a cut above his eyebrow.
“You were supposed to stay in the security room.”
“And you were supposed to have an impenetrable mansion.”
“Apparently we’re both disappointed.”
Despite everything, Dominic nearly smiled.
Then Mara saw the open terrace doors.
“Victor escaped?”
“Yes.”
“With help.”
Evelyn appeared behind them.
Dominic’s expression turned icy.
She raised her hands.
“I can lead you to Samuel.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
Evelyn swallowed.
“But Mara should hear this.”
She reached into her pocket.
Luca immediately aimed his weapon.
“Slowly.”
Evelyn removed a folded note.
“Samuel made me memorize a storage address. He planned to move everything tonight.”
She handed it to Dominic.
Mara looked at her.
“Why help us now?”
Evelyn’s eyes filled.
“Because your father tried to help me once.”
“What?”
“Thomas discovered what Samuel was doing. He told me to leave my brother before Samuel destroyed everyone around him.”
Mara stared.
“I ignored him.”
Evelyn’s voice cracked.
“Your father was a better person than I was.”
Two hours later, Dominic’s men surrounded an abandoned warehouse near the river.
Samuel was gone.
But they found what the key had opened.
A safe-deposit case.
Inside were original transaction records.
Photographs.
A voice recorder.
And a letter addressed to Dominic.
Thomas O’Leary had written it.
Dominic opened the letter.
Mr. Castellano, if this reaches you, then I failed to confront Victor myself. I believe your wife’s death was not caused by your enemies. It was caused by someone close to you.
Dominic stopped breathing.
Mara stood beside him.
The letter continued.
Victor had arranged the bombing because Isabella had discovered Victor’s theft.
She planned to tell Dominic.
Victor silenced her.
Dominic lowered the paper.
For nine years he had blamed himself.
For nine years he believed Isabella died because of his life.
She had actually died because she tried to protect him from his own uncle.
Dominic walked outside.
Mara followed.
He stood by the river, staring into darkness.
“You were right,” he said quietly.
“About what?”
“Guilt being greedy.”
Mara stayed beside him.
“I gave it nine years.”
She reached for his hand.
Very slowly.
Dominic looked down.
Mara expected him to pull away.
He didn’t.
His fingers closed around hers.
For one quiet moment, there was no mafia boss.
No housekeeper.
No debt.
No conspiracy.
Only two people carrying too much history.
Then Dominic’s phone rang.
Luca.
Dominic answered.
His expression changed.
“What?”
Mara tightened her grip.
Dominic lowered the phone.
“Samuel has Patrick.”
Mara’s face drained of color.
“What?”
“He took your brother.”
Samuel had finally found a way to force Mara to give him everything.
May you like
And this time, he wasn’t threatening an abandoned bakery.
He was threatening the only family she had left.
