Chapter 6 - The Traitor's Confession
In the soundproofed basement beneath the eastern wing, Matteo sat tied to a steel chair under the glare of an overhead bulb. Luca walked in silently, taking off his suit jacket and rolling up his linen sleeves. Marco stood by the door, arms crossed.
"Who paid you?" Luca asked, his tone deceptively conversational.
Matteo sneered, spitting onto the floor. "It doesn't matter, De Santis. The Morettis know your security has holes. They know you're getting soft. You let a maid and her bastard child live in your guest house!"
Luca didn't hit him. He simply leaned against the heavy wooden table, looking down at the man with cold detachment. "You thought my house was weak because you saw kindness in it. You mistook peace for vulnerability."
"That dog should have killed that kid!" Matteo shouted, his voice cracking with frustration. "I waited for three weeks for a breach! The only moment the security feed glitched was when she opened the gate. She walked right up to a monster!"
"Nero isn't a monster," Luca said softly. "He just knows the difference between a threat and an innocent. Something you failed to learn."
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Luca turned toward Marco. "Hand him over to the authorities with the encrypted drive evidence. Make sure the Moretti family understands that any further attempt on this household will result in their complete financial liquidation."
As Marco led the guards in to haul Matteo away, Luca stopped at the threshold of the cellar. He looked at the heavy iron doors, the cold stone walls, and the surveillance monitors flickering on the wall. For ten years, he had built a fortress to keep the world out. But watching through the window earlier, he realized that a fortress without warmth was merely a gilded prison.
