Chapter 2 - The Brother Who Knew Too Much
Sebastian didn't sleep that night.
He sat alone in his study, staring at the three messages Marcus had sent him. Beyond the windows, Chicago glittered beneath the cold October sky. Somewhere in the mansion, his father was finally sleeping in a warm bed, protected by people who had no financial interest in keeping him helpless.
Sebastian should have felt relieved.
Instead, he felt as if someone had reached into his chest and replaced his heart with ice.
Marcus knew about the garage.
He knew Clara had witnessed something.
And he had been the one to initiate the legal proceedings that could strip Antonio of his independence.
Sebastian picked up his phone and called his younger brother.
Marcus answered on the fourth ring.
“It's two in the morning, Seb. Is Dad all right?”
The concern sounded convincing. It had always sounded convincing.
“He's recovering.”
“Thank God. Vanessa told me things had gotten difficult.”
Sebastian stared at the dark window.
“Vanessa told you?”
A pause.
“Yes. She said Dad had become unpredictable. She was worried about him.”
“Worried enough to let him eat dog food?”
Silence.
Then Marcus exhaled.
“Jesus Christ. What?”
“You heard me.”
“Sebastian, that's disgusting. Who would do something like that?”
Sebastian almost laughed.
His brother was good. Very good.
“That's what I'm trying to find out.”
“Then let the police handle it. Don't start making accusations before you know the facts.”
Sebastian leaned forward.
“That's interesting advice from someone whose signature appears on the application to have our father declared mentally incompetent.”
The silence on the other end lasted several seconds.
When Marcus spoke again, his voice had changed.
“Where did you get that?”
There it was.
Not What application?
Not That's impossible.
Just one question.
Sebastian's fingers tightened around the phone.
“So it's real.”
Marcus sighed.
“You're misunderstanding the situation.”
“Then explain it.”
“I was trying to protect Dad.”
“By taking control of his assets?”
“By making sure somebody could manage his affairs if he became incapable.”
“Someone meaning you?”
“Someone meaning the family!”
Marcus's voice rose, then dropped again.
“You're never here, Sebastian. You're always dealing with business, enemies, meetings, and whatever else you tell yourself is important. Someone had to make decisions.”
Sebastian stood.
“You could have called me.”
“I did.”
“When?”
“Months ago.”
“You never mentioned the application.”
“Because you never listen!”
The accusation struck harder than Sebastian expected.
For a moment, he remembered being seventeen, standing in their father's office while Marcus sat on the desk, complaining that Antonio always trusted Sebastian more.
Sebastian had laughed it off then.
He wasn't laughing now.
“What exactly did you want from Dad?” he asked.
Marcus didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, “We need to meet. Face-to-face. There are things you don't understand.”
“Tomorrow. Nine o'clock. My office.”
“Sebastian—”
“Don't bring Vanessa.”
He ended the call.
At eight the next morning, Clara found him in the kitchen, untouched coffee beside a stack of documents.
“You haven't slept,” she observed.
Sebastian looked up.
“Neither have you.”
“Mr. Romano woke up twice. He was frightened when he couldn't see anyone.”
The words made Sebastian put down his cup.
“What did you tell him?”
“That you were downstairs.”
“And?”
“He asked me to check whether you were still there.”
Sebastian looked away.
Clara spoke gently.
“He's afraid you'll disappear.”
“I know.”
“Then perhaps you should tell him yourself.”
Sebastian stared at her.
Most people in his life softened their words around him. They offered sympathy, flattery, or carefully constructed lies designed to keep him pleased.
Clara offered none of those things.
She simply told him what he needed to hear.
“Thank you,” he said.
She nodded toward the documents.
“Is that about Marcus?”
Sebastian's expression hardened.
“Yes.”
“Do you think he did it?”
“I think he knows more than he's telling me.”
Clara hesitated.
“Then be careful.”
He studied her.
“Why?”
“Because people who can hurt someone they love usually have a reason they've convinced themselves is justified.”
For several seconds, Sebastian said nothing.
Then he gathered the documents and stood.
At nine, Marcus arrived wearing a navy suit and the expensive watch their father had given him on his thirtieth birthday.
He looked tired.
He also looked angry.
Sebastian gestured toward the chair opposite his desk.
“Sit.”
Marcus remained standing.
“Before we do this, I want you to understand something. I never wanted Dad hurt.”
“Then why did you help take away his freedom?”
“Because I knew what was coming.”
Sebastian frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Marcus finally sat down.
He opened a leather folder and removed a document Sebastian had never seen before.
It was dated eight months earlier.
And beneath the heading, in Antonio Romano's unmistakable handwriting, were six words:
TO BE OPENED ONLY IF BOTH SONS AGREE.
Marcus pushed it across the desk.
“Your father wrote this before everything started.”
Sebastian looked at the paper.
“What is it?”
Marcus swallowed.
“The document Vanessa was desperate to get her hands on.”
Then he leaned forward.
May you like
“And if you read it, you'll understand why she wasn't the only person willing to destroy our family.”
---
