Chapter 5 - THE PHANTOM BROTHER
The air inside the jet cabin turned instantly frigid. Even the flight crew seemed to sense the shift in energy, retreating behind the soundproof partition to leave Alessandro and Evelyn alone in the lounge area.
Alessandro walked slowly toward Evelyn, every step deliberate. The casual arrogance he had displayed since the kitchen had vanished, replaced by an intense, deadly seriousness.
"Your brother Julian died in a high-speed car accident off the coast of Amalfi ten years ago," Alessandro said, his voice dropping into a harsh whisper. "It was ruled an accidental brake failure. His body was never recovered from the burning wreckage."
"That’s the official story my parents sold to the media and the police," Evelyn replied, her hand clutching the flash drive tightly. "They told everyone Julian was driving drunk after a party at our villa. They destroyed his reputation to cover up what really happened."
"Why would they cover up the death of their own heir?"
"Because Julian wasn't driving," Evelyn said, looking directly into Alessandro's eyes. "Sloane was. She was seventeen, high on cocaine, and didn't have a license. Julian took the passenger seat to try and pull her over, but she drove off the cliff. My father paid off the Italian police investigators fifty thousand Euros to swap the forensic reports and blame Julian, saving Sloane from a life sentence in an Italian prison."
Alessandro stood motionless, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek. "And how do you have video proof of this?"
"Because our villa in Amalfi had a hidden exterior security camera pointed directly at the driveway," Evelyn explained. "The footage shows Sloane getting into the driver's seat, high and hysterical, while Julian tried to stop her. It shows my father wiping her fingerprints off the steering wheel after the car was pulled from the water, before the fire consumed it."
Alessandro took a deep, shuddering breath. He turned toward the window, looking out into the pitch-black sky as the jet roared toward European airspace.
"Do you know why I was in Amalfi ten years ago, Evelyn?" Alessandro asked softly, his back still turned to her.
Evelyn frowned. "No..."
"Julian wasn't just your brother," Alessandro said, turning back around. His eyes were red-rimmed with a terrifying mix of grief and hatred. "He was my business partner. And the man who was supposed to marry my younger sister, Beatrice. When Julian died, Beatrice went into a severe depression. Six months later... she took her own life."
Evelyn felt the air leave her lungs. The puzzle pieces were suddenly falling into place with sickening precision.
"You didn't come to America to buy my father's company," Evelyn realized, her voice trembling. "You came for revenge."
"I came to destroy Leonard Hartwell bit by bit," Alessandro admitted openly, taking a step toward her. "I spent ten years building a financial trap to bankrupt his empire. I planned to strip him of his wealth, his reputation, and his freedom. But I never knew the truth about the crash. I believed the lies your father published—that Julian was an unstable addict who killed himself and broke my sister's heart."
He reached out and gently took the flash drive from Evelyn's fingers. "If what you say is on this drive... Leonard and Sloane didn't just commit fraud. They murdered two people. Julian... and my sister."
"If you release this footage," Evelyn warned, "it won't just destroy my father and Sloane. It will reopen the international investigation. You will be dragged into a global legal war with the Italian government. Your own company will come under immense scrutiny."
Alessandro looked down at the tiny piece of metal in his palm, then back up at Evelyn. "I don't care about my company, Evelyn. I care about justice."
"Then let's do it right," Evelyn said, stepping closer to him, her eyes burning with an unshakable resolve. "Don't just leak it to the press. Sloane is currently flying to her private estate in Monaco on her private jet using hidden funds my mother stashed away. She thinks she escaped."
"What are you suggesting?"
"We don't go to Geneva," Evelyn said, a cruel, brilliant smile touching her lips. "We divert this plane to Monaco. We meet her at the villa. And we make her confess on live television during the annual Red Cross Gala tomorrow night."
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Alessandro stared at her for a long moment, amazed by the sheer transformation of the woman who, just hours ago, was picking up broken glass in a kitchen apron.
"You really are a dangerous woman, Evelyn Valdieri," Alessandro murmured, a slow, dark grin spreading across his face. He turned to the cabin intercom and pressed the button. "Pilot. Divert our flight plan immediately. Set course for Côte d'Azur Airport, Nice. We have a party to crash in Monaco."
