Chapter 18 - The Press Conference
Adrian hated the idea.
“I spent twelve years staying invisible.”
Dominic adjusted his cuff links.
“And it worked beautifully.”
“You think sarcasm makes this better?”
“No. Hannah thinks sarcasm makes things better.”
“It frequently does,” Hannah said.
They stood backstage at the Grand Marlowe.
It had been Hannah’s idea to hold the press conference there.
Not Moretti Global.
Not a hotel.
The theater.
The place where Dominic’s second life had begun.
Every major network in the region had cameras aimed at the stage.
Agent Pierce stood nearby.
“You understand you’re exposing yourself publicly.”
Adrian nodded.
“Gabriel already knows where I am.”
“Once you speak, several people named in the ledger may also want you dead.”
“Get in line.”
Dominic looked at his brother.
For a moment, they resembled younger versions of themselves.
Same dark eyes.
Same stubborn jaw.
Different scars.
Hannah stepped between them.
“Try not to insult each other until after the cameras turn off.”
“No promises,” Adrian said.
They walked onto the stage.
Noise erupted.
Adrian sat beneath the spotlight.
He stared at the microphones.
Then began.
“My name is Adrian Moretti. Twelve years ago, the world was told I died in a car bombing.”
The room fell silent.
“That was a lie.”
He explained Salvatore’s ledger.
The criminal network.
The threatened evidence against Dominic.
His forced disappearance.
He did not excuse his own choices.
“I abandoned my brother without telling him the truth. I believed I was protecting him. I was wrong.”
Dominic watched from the side.
Hannah saw his eyes glisten.
Adrian continued.
“For twelve years, I watched Dominic become the man our father wanted—feared, isolated, powerful. Then I watched him become something our father never understood.”
He looked toward Hannah.
“Loved.”
Cameras turned toward her.
Hannah swallowed.
Adrian produced digital records.
“These prove someone altered copies of Salvatore Moretti’s ledger to make Dominic appear responsible for transactions he could not have authorized.”
A reporter shouted.
“Who altered them?”
Adrian paused.
“Gabriel Moretti.”
The room exploded.
At that exact moment, every screen in the theater went black.
A video replaced the press feed.
Gabriel appeared.
He was sitting in a luxurious room, drinking wine.
“Adrian,” he said. “Always dramatic.”
Technicians scrambled.
The feed could not be stopped.
Gabriel smiled.
“You forgot one problem.”
The screen changed.
A scanned document appeared.
Adrian’s signature.
A transfer.
Twenty million dollars.
Adrian stared.
“No.”
Gabriel’s voice continued.
“You weren’t simply hiding from Salvatore. You stole from him.”
More documents appeared.
Offshore transactions tied to Adrian.
Reporters shouted.
Dominic looked toward his brother.
“Are they real?”
Adrian said nothing.
“Adrian.”
His silence answered.
Hannah felt the room turn.
Gabriel laughed through the speakers.
“My poor cousin Dominic. Lied to by his father. Lied to by Luca. Lied to by his precious brother.”
The screen returned to Gabriel.
“Ask Adrian what he bought with your father’s money.”
Dominic walked onto the stage.
“Tell me.”
Adrian looked trapped.
“I used the money to build an escape network.”
“For yourself?”
“For witnesses.”
The reporters quieted.
Adrian continued.
“People our father threatened. Accountants. Drivers. Dockworkers. Families.”
Gabriel interrupted.
“How noble.”
Adrian stood.
“I moved them. Gave them new identities. Paid their debts.”
Dominic stared.
“You saved them.”
“I tried.”
A reporter shouted.
“Can anyone verify this?”
Adrian looked toward Agent Pierce.
She had already received a message.
Her expression changed.
“Federal records confirm several protected witnesses from investigations linked to Moretti businesses received anonymous financial support twelve years ago.”
Gabriel’s smile disappeared.
Adrian stepped toward the camera.
“You always misunderstood the ledger, Gabriel.”
The theater went silent.
“You thought it was power.”
Adrian looked directly into the lens.
“It was a list of people our father hurt.”
He leaned closer.
“And every person you threaten creates another witness.”
The video abruptly ended.
For three seconds, nobody moved.
Then every reporter began shouting at once.
Dominic looked at Adrian.
Years of betrayal still stood between them.
But something new stood there too.
Understanding.
Dominic extended his hand.
Adrian stared at it.
Then ignored it and pulled Dominic into a rough embrace.
The cameras went wild.
Hannah smiled through tears.
Behind the curtains, Luca’s phone buzzed.
He looked down.
His expression immediately changed.
Gabriel had sent coordinates.
May you like
And one sentence.
COME ALONE OR CELESTE DIES FOR REAL THIS TIME.
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