Chapter 167 – Family Divided
Chapter 167 – Family Divided
The unity forged in fire did not erase decades of hatred.
It merely buried it.
And buried things…
Had a way of clawing their way back to the surface.
The Rossi estate had become a sanctuary.
Moretti women cooked beside Rossi chefs.
Children who once inherited stories of hatred now played football together in the gardens, laughing without knowing why their families had ever been enemies.
For the younger generation, peace seemed possible.
For the older one…
It was much harder.
Every shared meal carried suspicion.
Every conversation carried old wounds.
Every smile hid years of grief.
Elena noticed it all.
She knew peace was more fragile than war.
The morning strategy meeting ended with encouraging news.
Refugees were settling safely.
Supply routes were slowly recovering.
Several neutral mafia families had quietly pledged medical aid.
For the first time since Alessandro’s attacks, optimism returned to the room.
Then Lorenzo entered.
His face immediately erased it.
“My Lady…”
He looked directly at Elena.
“Your uncle has arrived.”
The room fell silent.
Damian frowned.
“Which uncle?”
“Luca Moretti.”
Even Salvatore stiffened.
“I thought he was in Sicily.”
“So did we.”
Lorenzo replied.
“But he’s outside the gates.”
“And he refuses to leave.”
Elena remembered him instantly.
Her father’s younger brother.
A stern man who believed the Moretti name mattered more than anything else.
Growing up, Luca had always preached one lesson.
“Blood never forgives.”
Damian looked toward Elena.
“You don’t have to see him.”
She slowly shook her head.
“I do.”
Outside the estate gates, Luca Moretti stood surrounded by a dozen armed escorts.
His silver hair had begun to thin with age, but his sharp blue eyes remained unchanged.
Cold.
Judging.
Unyielding.
When Elena approached, he looked her over carefully.
His gaze settled briefly on the Rossi ring on her finger.
Disappointment flashed across his face.
“You wear it proudly.”
He said.
Elena met his eyes.
“I wear it because I chose it.”
Luca laughed bitterly.
“No.”
“You wear it because Damian Rossi conquered you.”
Damian stepped forward.
“Watch your words.”
Luca ignored him.
His attention never left Elena.
“You’ve forgotten your family.”
“I haven’t.”
She answered calmly.
“Then prove it.”
Silence settled between them.
Luca slowly produced a folded document.
He handed it to Elena.
It contained dozens of signatures.
Moretti captains.
Business owners.
Extended relatives.
Family allies.
“What is this?”
Elena asked.
“A declaration.”
Luca answered.
“We reject any alliance with the Rossis.”
Marco frowned.
“How many signed?”
“Nearly half.”
The words hit the group like a hammer.
Half.
Half of the Moretti family refused peace.
Luca continued.
“They believe Matteo has become weak.”
“They believe grief has blinded him.”
“They believe…”
His eyes settled on Damian.
“…you manipulated Elena into destroying our family.”
Elena’s heart sank.
“They’re wrong.”
“Perhaps.”
Luca admitted.
“But they believe it.”
Belief.
Elena suddenly understood.
That was Alessandro’s greatest weapon.
Not bullets.
Not bombs.
Belief.
The same poison that had fueled the war for generations.
At that moment, another convoy entered the estate.
More black vehicles.
More Moretti soldiers.
The guards immediately raised their weapons.
“It’s Matteo.”
Marco said.
The convoy stopped.
Matteo Moretti stepped out.
He looked exhausted after days in captivity.
Bruises still marked his face.
But his posture remained proud.
The moment he saw Luca…
His expression darkened.
“I ordered you to remain in Sicily.”
Luca bowed respectfully.
“And I refused.”
“You no longer speak for every Moretti.”
The courtyard fell silent.
Matteo stared at his younger brother.
“What did you say?”
Luca stepped forward.
“The family needs strength.”
“Not surrender.”
“We’ve lost businesses.”
“Men.”
“Respect.”
“All because you’ve chosen to trust a Rossi.”
His eyes shifted toward Elena.
“And because you’ve forgotten what it means to be a Moretti.”
Before Matteo could answer, another voice echoed across the courtyard.
“I remember perfectly.”
Everyone turned.
It was Aunt Caterina Moretti.
One of the family’s oldest surviving matriarchs.
She slowly walked between the two brothers.
Despite her age, every step carried authority.
She looked first at Luca.
Then at Matteo.
Finally at Elena.
“Our family has buried children for thirty years.”
She said quietly.
“If peace makes us weak…”
“Then why are our cemeteries full?”
Luca lowered his eyes but said nothing.
Caterina turned toward the gathered Moretti captains.
“Raise your hands.”
“Those who support Matteo.”
Several hands rose.
“Those who support Luca.”
More hands.
Almost the same number.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
The family had truly divided.
Not by blood.
By belief.
Matteo closed his eyes briefly.
When he opened them again…
There was sadness instead of anger.
“So this is what Alessandro wanted.”
“No.”
Luca replied firmly.
“This is what we’ve always been.”
Elena stepped between them.
“No.”
She said.
“This is what we’ve been taught to be.”
Every eye turned toward her.
“I’ve lived as a Moretti.”
“I’ve lived beside a Rossi.”
“I’ve watched both families cry over the same graves.”
“There is no difference between our pain.”
Silence followed.
Even Luca hesitated.
“I won’t choose between my husband and my family.”
Elena continued.
“Because they are becoming the same family.”
Some captains nodded.
Others looked away.
A few remained unconvinced.
Luca sighed deeply.
“Then you’ve already made your choice.”
He turned toward his supporters.
“We’re leaving.”
Nearly half the Moretti delegation followed him.
Engines roared to life.
The convoy disappeared beyond the estate gates.
Watching them leave, Marco spoke quietly.
“This is worse than I feared.”
Salvatore nodded.
“Civil war.”
Matteo slowly shook his head.
“No.”
“Something worse.”
“They’re walking straight into Alessandro’s hands.”
That evening, Damian and Elena stood together overlooking the departing convoy’s fading taillights.
“They’ll fight us.”
Elena whispered.
Damian remained silent.
“They’re my family.”
He finally looked at her.
“And so am I.”
She leaned against him.
“I don’t know how to save both.”
Damian wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Maybe…”
he said softly,
“You were never meant to save everyone.”
Before Elena could answer, Marco hurried onto the balcony.
His face had lost all color.
“We intercepted Luca’s communications.”
Damian turned immediately.
“To who?”
Marco swallowed.
“He isn’t returning to Sicily.”
The silence became suffocating.
“He’s on his way…”
Marco said,
“…to meet Alessandro Vieri.”
Far away, inside a candlelit cathedral abandoned decades earlier, Luca Moretti entered the shadows.
Alessandro Vieri stood waiting beside the altar.
He smiled as Luca approached.
“You came.”
Luca nodded once.
“I came to save my family.”
Alessandro’s smile widened.
“No…”
he said quietly.
“You came to help me destroy it.”