Chapter 10 - Brothers
Marcello stopped in the doorway.
Julian sat behind Alessandro DeLuca’s old mahogany desk.
The blue bag rested between them.
“Close the door,” Julian said.
Marcello did.
“Where did you get that?”
“Camille gave it to me.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s terrified.”
Marcello approached.
“Open it.”
Julian did.
Inside was a folded flesh-colored silicone pregnancy prosthesis.
Marcello stared.
There was no ambiguity now.
No innocent explanation.
No child’s confusion.
Camille was not pregnant.
Julian leaned back.
“There. You got your answer.”
Marcello touched the edge of the bag but not the prosthesis.
“Why do you have it?”
“She begged me to destroy it.”
“And you didn’t?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not Owen.”
Marcello looked at him.
Julian’s face tightened.
“You think I’m part of this.”
“I know you were upstairs.”
“I was.”
“You lied.”
“Yes.”
“You countersigned Aurora contracts.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Northvale existed.”
“Yes.”
Marcello slammed both hands onto the desk.
“Then explain!”
Julian stood too.
“I thought we were stealing from Owen.”
Marcello stared.
Julian laughed bitterly.
“That got your attention.”
“Start talking.”
Julian walked to the window.
“Three years ago I found old Northvale payments. I asked Owen. He told me Dad created off-book reserves for political problems, labor settlements, things he didn’t want traced directly to the company.”
“Did you believe him?”
“At first.”
“And then?”
“I started using the network.”
Marcello felt disgust rise.
“For what?”
“Competitive intelligence. Consultant payments. Things that helped the company.”
“You siphoned foundation money?”
“I didn’t know Camille was using foundation money.”
“You signed the contracts.”
“Owen told me Aurora was part of the network.”
“That is not an excuse.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Julian turned.
“I found out about the fake pregnancy two months ago.”
Marcello became very still.
“And you said nothing.”
“I confronted Camille.”
“What did she say?”
“That Owen had everything under control.”
Marcello stared at his brother.
“You let me plan a wedding.”
Julian looked ashamed for the first time.
“I needed time.”
“For what?”
“To figure out how deep Owen had gone.”
“You watched me believe I was going to be a father.”
“I know.”
Marcello struck him.
One punch.
Hard enough to send Julian against the desk.
Silence followed.
Julian touched his lip.
He did not hit back.
“You deserved worse,” Marcello whispered.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because if I told you without proof, Owen would bury me. And because…”
Julian looked down.
“Because what?”
“Because I hated you.”
The honesty was almost worse.
Julian laughed once, brokenly.
“Dad gave you everything. The company. The trust. The respect. Every room we entered, I was the spare DeLuca.”
“So you let someone destroy me?”
“I told myself I was letting Owen expose himself.”
“You let me love a child who didn’t exist.”
Julian’s eyes filled.
“I know.”
Marcello turned away.
After a long silence, he asked, “What happened upstairs at the gala?”
“Camille removed the prosthesis because the adhesive had started slipping. Owen came to help get it out through the service elevator. I followed them because I wanted proof.”
“Lily saw you.”
“I saw her too.”
Marcello turned sharply.
“You saw a three-year-old child in that hallway and left her there?”
“I thought she belonged to staff.”
“She did belong to someone.”
Julian flinched.
Marcello pointed toward the blue bag.
“Why didn’t you take that then?”
“Owen did.”
“And now Camille had it?”
“Owen returned it to her after the gala. She kept it because she panicked.”
“That makes no sense.”
“No. It means she no longer trusts him.”
“Why not?”
Julian reached into his jacket and removed a flash drive.
“Because Owen changed the plan.”
“What plan?”
“The marriage was supposed to get Camille equity. Owen and I would later use the voting trust to force governance changes.”
“You mean remove me.”
Julian said nothing.
Marcello nodded slowly.
“Continue.”
“But Owen drafted a second set of documents.”
Julian handed him the drive.
“What documents?”
“Ones that would put the transferred shares under permanent trustee control even after Camille’s supposed miscarriage.”
“His control.”
“Yes.”
“And you?”
“Cut out.”
Marcello stared at him.
“You betrayed me and then discovered the man helping you betray me was betraying you.”
Julian swallowed.
“That’s about the size of it.”
Marcello picked up the flash drive.
“Why give me this?”
“Because Owen is moving money today.”
“How much?”
“Maybe thirty million.”
“From where?”
“Company reserves routed through Northvale.”
Marcello’s anger disappeared beneath something more urgent.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Julian looked at the blue bag.
“But Camille does.”
Marcello took out his phone.
Before he could call her, Julian stopped him.
“There’s something else.”
Marcello waited.
Julian’s voice lowered.
“Owen didn’t create Northvale.”
May you like
“Who did?”
“Our father.”
