Chapter 10 – THE BROTHER HE NEVER KNEW
I took the letter from Alessandro’s hand, the old paper crinkling under my fingers.
The handwriting was rushed, frantic.
“My dearest Alessandro. If you are reading this, it means you have grown into the man I always prayed you would be. It also means I am gone, and you are finally safe from your father’s reach.”
I swallowed hard, reading the next paragraph aloud.
“You must know the truth about the Vitale fashion house. Your father did not build it. Mary Morgan did. But when Mary tried to leave the company to start her own brand, your father threatened her life. He told her if she tried to compete with him, he would ensure she never worked again.”
I looked up at Alessandro. He was leaning forward, his hands clasped tightly together, listening to the sins of his father.
I continued reading.
“I could not stop him. But I could protect her legacy. Before your father forced Mary to sign over the permanent rights to the designs, I stole the original, notarized partnership agreement from his safe.”
My eyes widened.
“I gave the original document to Mary. It proves that she retains fifty percent ownership of the Vitale brand in perpetuity. The documents your father filed are forged. Mary holds the true deed to the empire.”
I lowered the letter, my hands shaking.
“My mother had the original partnership agreement?” I whispered.
Alessandro stood up, pacing the library. “If she had it, why didn’t she use it? Why did she let your family struggle in Pittsburgh while my father made millions?”
“Because she was terrified,” I reasoned, thinking of my mother’s gentle, anxious nature. “She knew what your father was capable of. She knew he had mafia ties. She chose our safety over the money.”
Alessandro stopped pacing. He looked at me, a profound respect in his eyes.
“She sacrificed an empire to protect you,” Alessandro said softly.
“But where is the document now?” I asked. “When she died, my father sold everything to pay the medical bills. We didn’t keep any old papers.”
Alessandro thought for a moment. Then, his eyes snapped to the door.
“When Thomas was blackmailing your father,” Alessandro said, his voice picking up speed. “Thomas told me he kept your father’s ‘insurance’ in a safety deposit box in Pittsburgh. The box you had the ticket for.”
“Yes,” I nodded. “We emptied it. We got the confession, the photos, and the necklace.”
“What about the bottom of the box?” Alessandro asked. “Did your father check under the lining?”
I grabbed my phone from the desk and immediately dialed my father’s number.
He answered on the second ring. “Claire? Is everything okay, sweetheart?”
“Dad,” I said urgently. “The metal box you took from the bank. Do you still have it?”
“Of course,” he said, sounding confused. “It’s in the hall closet. I was going to throw it out.”
“Can you check the bottom of it? Underneath the metal lining?”
I heard the phone shuffle, followed by footsteps. A minute passed in agonizing silence.
Then, I heard a sharp gasp.
“Claire,” my father’s voice trembled through the speaker. “There’s a false bottom. There’s a thick manila envelope in here.”
“Open it, Dad.”
Paper tore.
“It’s… it’s legal documents,” my father read, his voice thick with emotion. “Signed by Mary and Mr. Vitale. It’s a partnership agreement. Fifty-fifty.”
I closed my eyes, a single tear slipping down my cheek.
My mother hadn’t let him win. She had hidden the truth, waiting for the day it would be safe to bring it into the light.
“Keep it safe, Dad,” I smiled. “We’ll be there tomorrow.”
I hung up the phone and looked at Alessandro.
“She hid it,” I smiled. “She kept it safe all these years.”
Alessandro didn’t smile back immediately. Instead, he walked slowly toward me, stopping just inches away.
“Claire,” he said, his voice incredibly soft. “This means the board of directors, the properties, the international accounts… half of it legally belongs to you. You aren’t just an employee. You are my equal partner.”
I looked up into his deep brown eyes.
“I don’t care about the board of directors, Alessandro,” I whispered. “I care about the people we employ. I care about Patricia. I care about Mia.”
Alessandro reached out, gently brushing a stray curl behind my ear. His touch sent a shiver down my spine.
“You have a heart of absolute gold, Claire Morgan,” Alessandro murmured. “You walked into a house full of vipers, and you brought nothing but light.”
He leaned in closer. I didn’t pull away.
“I want to go to Pittsburgh tomorrow,” Alessandro said, his breath warm against my cheek. “I want to sit down with your father. And I want to ask him for his blessing.”
My heart fluttered wildly. “His blessing for what?”
Alessandro smiled—a genuine, breathtaking smile that reached his eyes.
“To formally merge our families,” he whispered. “Because I don’t just want you as a business partner, Claire. I want you by my side for the rest of my life.”
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