A mafia's obsession

CHAPTER 33: THE SURVIVOR

The library at Lawson Manor was so quiet that the ticking of the grandfather clock echoed through the room.

No one spoke.

Kelvin's eyes remained fixed on the elderly woman standing before him.

"You said they were betrayed by family."

She nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"My name is Margaret Hale."

"I worked as a housekeeper for the Romano family for nearly twenty years."

Damien quietly pulled out a chair for her.

"Please... have a seat."

She smiled gratefully before lowering herself into the chair.

"I've carried this burden for a very long time."

---

Kelvin sat opposite her.

"I need the truth."

Margaret looked at him with gentle eyes.

"The truth isn't as simple as you think."

She glanced at the old photograph lying on the table.

"Your father, Alexander Lawson, and Edward Romano weren't just business partners."

"They grew up together."

"They were like brothers."

Mackenzie exchanged a surprised glance with Kelvin.

"Brothers?" she asked softly.

Margaret nodded.

"They built their companies side by side."

"They trusted each other with everything."

Kelvin frowned.

"Then why does no one remember Edward Romano?"

Margaret's smile faded.

"Because someone wanted the Romano name erased."

---

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Twenty-two years ago, both families attended a private gathering at the Lawson estate."

"It was meant to celebrate a new business expansion."

"But before the night ended..."

"...the estate caught fire."

Kelvin's hands tightened into fists.

"I was told it was an accident."

"So was everyone else."

Margaret looked down sadly.

"But I saw things that night that didn't make sense."

"What things?" Damien asked.

"The fire started in three different places."

"It wasn't an accident."

"It was planned."

---

Silence filled the room.

Mackenzie reached for Kelvin's hand beneath the table.

He looked at her briefly.

Her reassuring smile gave him the strength to keep listening.

Margaret continued.

"When the fire broke out, everyone panicked."

"I managed to escape through the servants' entrance."

"So did a few others."

"But Alexander..."

"...went back inside."

Kelvin swallowed hard.

"He was trying to save someone."

"Who?"

Margaret's eyes filled with tears.

"I don't know."

"I only remember hearing him shout..."

"'Find the child!'"

The room fell silent once more.

---

"The child again," Mackenzie whispered.

Margaret nodded.

"Yes."

"I've never forgotten those words."

Kelvin leaned forward.

"Do you know who the child was?"

She slowly shook her head.

"No."

"Only three people knew."

"Alexander Lawson."

"Edward Romano."

"And..."

She paused.

"The person who betrayed them."

---

At that moment, Damien's phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen.

"Boss."

"What is it?"

"Our investigators have identified the owner of the abandoned church."

Kelvin immediately stood.

"Who?"

Damien looked at the report.

"The property was purchased twenty-three years ago..."

"...under a false identity."

Kelvin's expression hardened.

"Can you trace it?"

Damien nodded.

"It took some digging."

"The payments were linked to an old company called..."

He looked up.

"Romano Trading."

Margaret gasped softly.

"It still exists?"

"So it would seem," Damien replied.

---

Across the city...

Ricardo DeLuca stood inside his office as one of his men rushed in.

"Boss."

"The old woman has spoken to Kelvin."

Ricardo remained calm.

"I expected she would."

"Should we stop her?"

Ricardo walked toward the window.

"No."

"There are some truths I want Kelvin to hear."

Vincent looked puzzled.

"You do?"

Ricardo smiled faintly.

"The more he learns..."

"...the closer he'll come to making the same mistake his father made."

---

Later that evening...

Margaret prepared to leave Lawson Manor.

Before she stepped into the waiting car, she turned back to Kelvin.

"There is one more thing."

Kelvin waited patiently.

She reached into her handbag and removed a small brass key.

Its surface was worn with age.

"I've protected this for twenty-two years."

She placed it gently in Kelvin's hand.

"It belongs to the wooden chest beneath the abandoned church."

Kelvin stared at the key.

"Why didn't you give it to me sooner?"

Margaret smiled sadly.

"Because your father asked me to wait."

"'Only give it to my son when he has someone he truly trusts by his side.'"

Her eyes shifted toward Mackenzie.

"I believe that time has finally come."

Kelvin looked at Mackenzie.

She smiled softly.

Without saying a word, she slipped her hand into his.

For the first time...

He didn't feel like he was carrying the weight of the past alone.

As Margaret's car disappeared through the manor gates, Kelvin looked down at the old brass key resting in his palm.

Tomorrow...

He would finally unlock the chest that had remained hidden for more than two decades.

And whatever waited inside...

Would change everything.