The Name That Changed Everything
1267 Words
Silence.
Utter, complete silence.
The person responsible for your mother's death… wasn't a Moretti.
It was a DeLuca.
Izzy felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
She turned toward Adrian.
He had gone completely still.
His face was unreadable.
Which somehow made it worse.
"No," she whispered.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
"Adrian?"
Her voice cracked.
He looked at her.
Pain flashed in his dark eyes.
And suddenly…
She knew.
He knew something.
"Oh my God."
"Izzy—"
"You knew."
"No."
"Don't."
A tear slid down her cheek.
"Don't lie to me."
Vincent watched the entire exchange quietly.
Almost sadly.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"I didn't know until years later."
The words hit her like a slap.
A broken laugh escaped her.
"You did know."
Silence.
"You knew."
"I didn't know when it happened."
"But you know now."
No answer.
Because there wasn't one.
Tears filled her eyes.
"Tell me."
His face darkened.
"Izzy—"
"Tell me."
Silence.
Then—
"My father."
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
"My father ordered it."
The words echoed through the loading dock.
Rosa gasped.
Thomas closed his eyes.
Gabriel looked horrified.
Luca whispered a curse.
Marco stared at the floor.
Because apparently…
Everyone except her already knew.
A fresh wave of betrayal crashed into her.
"You all knew?"
No one answered.
That was answer enough.
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Everyone knew."
"Izzy—"
"No."
She backed away.
"Don't."
Adrian took a step toward her.
She took one back.
The look on his face nearly broke her.
"I was going to tell you."
"When?"
Silence.
"Tomorrow?"
Another step backward.
"Next week?"
"I didn't know how."
A laugh escaped her.
It sounded broken.
"That's funny."
No one spoke.
"Everyone always says that."
She looked at him.
"My father didn't know how."
A tear slid down her cheek.
"My mother didn't know how."
Another.
"And apparently you didn't know how either."
The pain in his eyes was almost unbearable.
But she couldn't stop.
Not now.
"Do you know what it feels like?"
Her voice cracked.
"To find out that every person you've trusted has been keeping something from you?"
Silence.
Then quietly—
"Yes."
The single word stopped her.
She blinked.
"What?"
He looked at her.
Really looked at her.
"My father lied to me too."
Silence.
"I didn't know what he did until after he died."
Nobody moved.
"He told me Eleanor died in an accident."
A long pause.
"I believed him."
She stared.
"He lied to me for years."
Pain flickered across his face.
"When I learned the truth…"
His voice lowered.
"I hated him."
Silence.
"I still do."
For the first time…
She saw it.
The guilt.
The anger.
The grief.
He had been carrying this for years.
Alone.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
The sincerity in his voice made her chest ache.
"I should've told you."
A long silence followed.
Then—
"Why did he do it?"
The question hung in the air.
Adrian swallowed.
"My father believed Eleanor stole something."
"The ledger."
He nodded.
"He thought she planned to destroy the Morettis."
Silence.
"He ordered someone to scare her."
The room went still.
"Scare her?"
A shadow crossed his face.
"It wasn't supposed to end the way it did."
The words made her blood run cold.
"What happened?"
Silence.
Then—
"The brakes on her car were cut."
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
"And she crashed."
A sob escaped Rosa.
Thomas looked shattered.
Gabriel covered his mouth.
Izzy couldn't breathe.
It wasn't an accident.
It wasn't even meant to be an accident.
Someone had done it.
Someone had chosen it.
And her mother had died because of it.
Tears streamed down her face.
"She was murdered."
The words sounded unreal.
Adrian looked heartbroken.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then—
"I killed him."
Everyone looked at Adrian.
His expression remained calm.
Cold.
"I found out years later."
No one moved.
No one even breathed.
"And I killed my father for it."
The loading dock fell completely silent.
Even Vincent looked surprised.
"You never told me that," he said softly.
"No."
A long pause.
"He deserved it."
Nobody argued.
Because there wasn't anything to say.
A tear slid down Izzy's cheek.
He had carried this alone.
For years.
The truth.
The guilt.
The shame.
And somehow…
He had still protected her.
A man whose father had destroyed her family.
A man who had every reason to stay away.
Yet he stayed.
Always.
A voice broke the silence.
"I believe you."
Everyone looked at Vincent.
He sighed.
"His father was a terrible man."
Adrian looked unimpressed.
"Thank you."
"It's true."
Vincent looked at Izzy.
"Eleanor wasn't killed because she was a Moretti."
A pause.
"She was killed because she was brave."
Tears filled her eyes again.
He smiled sadly.
"She wanted to expose all of us."
Silence.
"Both families."
Everyone froze.
"What?"
Vincent looked at the ledger.
"There's a reason everyone wants that book."
A chill ran down her spine.
"Why?"
His expression darkened.
"Because it doesn't just destroy the Morettis."
Silence.
"It destroys the DeLucas too."
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
"What?" Luca whispered.
Vincent looked at Adrian.
"Your father and my uncle worked together."
The world seemed to stop.
"No."
"Yes."
"They hated each other."
"No."
A sad smile appeared.
"They pretended to."
Silence.
"They built an empire together."
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
"And if that ledger becomes public…"
He looked at both of them.
"...both families fall."
The air seemed to leave the room.
Everything.
Everything had been a lie.
The feud.
The rivalry.
The hatred.
All of it.
Thomas looked horrified.
"Eleanor knew."
Vincent nodded.
"Yes."
"And she wanted to expose them."
"Yes."
Silence.
Then—
"That's why they killed her."
Vincent looked heartbroken.
"Yes."
A tear rolled down Izzy's cheek.
Her mother had died trying to do the right thing.
Trying to protect people.
Trying to tell the truth.
The realization made her chest ache.
Then another thought hit her.
She looked at Vincent.
"If you know all this…"
He nodded.
"I do."
"Then why are you here?"
A long silence followed.
Then—
"Because I promised her."
The words stunned everyone.
"Eleanor made me promise."
Silence.
"If anything ever happened to her…"
His voice broke.
"...I was supposed to protect her children."
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
"I failed her once."
He looked at Izzy.
"I'm not failing her again."
Tears filled her eyes.
Another protector.
Another person carrying guilt.
Another person trying to keep a promise.
Her life was full of them.
Suddenly—
A loud engine roared outside.
Then another.
Then another.
Everyone turned.
More vehicles.
A lot more.
Marco looked through the loading dock door.
His face lost all color.
"Oh."
Nobody liked that.
"Oh what?" Luca asked.
"There are more cars."
"How many?"
A pause.
"Too many."
Silence.
Then—
"They're not Morettis."
Everyone frowned.
"Then who are they?" Adrian asked.
Marco looked stunned.
He turned back slowly.
"You should probably see this."
Adrian stepped outside.
Then froze.
Izzy followed.
And stopped cold.
Black SUVs lined the street.
At least twenty of them.
Men in dark suits climbed out.
All wearing the same symbol.
A silver crest.
Vincent looked horrified.
"No."
A chill swept through everyone.
"What?" Izzy whispered.
He looked pale.
"They're here."
"Who?"
The answer came from behind them.
A deep voice.
Calm.
Cold.
And entirely unfamiliar.
"They're my family."
Everyone turned.
A man stood near the front SUV.
Tall.
Dark-haired.
Sharp blue eyes.
And somehow…
He looked familiar.
Very familiar.
He smiled slightly.
Then looked directly at Izzy.
"Hello, little sister."
The world stopped.
Because apparently…
She had another brother.
- Writer
