Chapter 4: The Man Who Wanted Me Dead
For three seconds, nobody moved.
The basement was silent except for the soft hum of the old furnace in the corner.
Then Lorenzo smiled.
Not the surprised smile of a man who had been caught.
The confident smile of a man who had been waiting.
“Come on, Vincent,” he said.
“You were never good at hiding.””
My hand tightened around the door handle.
I stepped inside.
Vanessa’s face drained of color.
“Vincent…”
I ignored her.
My eyes stayed on my uncle.
Lorenzo Moretti.
The man who taught me how to negotiate.
The man who stood beside my father for twenty years.
The man who hugged me at my wedding and called me his son.
“Tell me something,” I said.
My voice was calm.
Too calm.
“How long have you been trying to kill me?””
Vanessa looked at Lorenzo.
Lorenzo looked amused.
“That’s the first question you ask?””
I walked closer.
“No. The first question is why.””
He laughed quietly.
“Still your father’s son.””
That sentence hit harder than any insult.
My father had spent his entire life building our family. Not just an empire, but a legacy.
And Lorenzo had been there every step of the way.
Until the night my father died.
“I watched you bury him,” I said.
Lorenzo’s smile faded slightly.
“Yes.””
“You cried.””
“I did.””
“Were those real tears?””
The room became colder.
Lorenzo looked at the old documents on the table.
“You were always emotional, Vincent. That was your weakness.””
I almost laughed.
“My weakness?””
I pointed toward Vanessa.
“You married a woman to poison me.””
Then I looked at him.
“You used my daughter as a threat.””
Lorenzo’s expression hardened.
“Don’t pretend you care about weakness now. You built your entire life on fear.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“I built it on loyalty.””
Vanessa finally spoke.
“Vincent, please listen to me.””
I turned toward her.
The woman I had slept beside.
The woman I had trusted with my daughter.
“Don’t.””
One word.
She stopped.
“I don’t want excuses.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.””
I stared at her.
“You put something in my drink every morning.””
“I was scared.””
“You slapped my daughter.””
“I didn’t—”
“You did.””
My voice shook the room.
Vanessa looked down.
For the first time, she had no answer.
Lorenzo walked toward the table and picked up a folder.
“You want the truth?””
I looked at him.
“Yes.””
He threw the folder onto the table.
Inside were old financial records.
Property documents.
Bank transfers.
And one photo.
My father.
Lorenzo.
And another man.
A man I recognized.
My father’s former business partner.
“This is what you never knew,” Lorenzo said.
I picked up the photo.
“What am I looking at?””
“Your father didn’t trust me.””
I looked up.
“He trusted nobody.””
Lorenzo nodded.
“Exactly.””
He walked around the table.
“Before he died, your father moved assets. Millions of dollars. He created a backup plan.””
“Against you?””
“Against everyone.””
My fingers tightened around the photo.
“Where is the money?””
Lorenzo smiled.
“There’s the Vincent I know.””
I stepped forward.
“You tried to kill me for money?””
“No.””
His answer was immediate.
And that scared me more.
“I tried to kill you because your father chose you.””
The words hung in the air.
“He spent his entire life preparing you to lead. He never saw me as his successor.””
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened.
“I was his brother. I was there before you were born. I protected this family before you could even walk.””
“And you think that gives you the right to murder me?””
“I think it gives me the right to take what should have been mine.””
A sound came from behind me.
A small gasp.
I turned.
Sophia stood at the basement entrance.
My heart dropped.
“Why is she here?””
Vanessa looked terrified.
“I didn’t bring her.””
Sophia stared at Lorenzo.
Then she whispered:
“I know him.””
Everyone froze.
I walked toward her.
“What do you mean?””
Sophia’s little hand shook.
“He came to my room before.””
My blood ran cold.
“When?””
“Before Mommy got angry.””
Lorenzo looked confused.
“What?””
Sophia pointed at him.
“He told Vanessa that Daddy had to go away forever.””
The basement went silent.
I looked at Lorenzo.
For the first time, his confidence disappeared.
May you like
Because my daughter had just revealed something he never expected.
She had heard everything.
