65

65
Adriano
Beauty was sobbing hysterically as she called for an ambulance, her hands covered in her son’s blood.
“If my son dies, I will make you pay for this!” she threatened through her tears. “I will kill you myself!”
“Well,” I sneered, now pointing my gun at her terrified face, “only someone who’s still breathing can take revenge. Maybe it’s time for you to join my beloved mother six feet under.”
“NO! Please, I don’t want to die!” Beauty screamed, abandoning her bleeding son to hide behind my father like a coward.
“Don’t worry,” I said with mock reassurance. “I’m not just killing you. Your husband is going to join you, along with your precious son.”
“How dare you point that weapon at your father!” the old man demanded, trying to sound authoritative even though his voice was shaking. “Put it down right now!”
I lowered the gun for just a moment, letting him think he had won, then raised it again with a smile.
“Today, all three of you die,” I announced calmly.
I was about to pull the trigger and end this family reunion permanently when someone knocked on my office door.
“What?” I snapped, annoyed at the interruption. “Who dares to spoil my fun?”
“Sir,” came Matteo’s careful voice as he stepped inside. His eyes went wide when he saw the blood and chaos. “Someone called for an ambulance. They’re here now.”
“Send them away,” I ordered.
“Please!” my father begged, actually falling to his knees. “Don’t do this! Don’t kill us! We’re family!”
“You might consider yourselves family,” I said coldly. “But to me, you’re nothing but pests that need to be exterminated. Today, you all die.”
I turned back to Matteo. “Tell the paramedics it was a false alarm.”
“But sir,” Matteo said nervously, “they came with the police.”
That caught my attention. “Police? Why are they here? Did they come together?”
“No sir,” Matteo replied. “The officers said they need to speak with you about something else entirely.”
I cursed under my breath. Of all the times for the cops to show up, it had to be right when I was about to clean house.
“Fine,” I said, walking back to my chair and placing my gun in its drawer. “Today is your lucky day. Consider yourselves blessed by whatever God you pray to.”
I watched with disappointment as the paramedics carried Alexander out on a stretcher. I really wished they were carrying him out in a body bag instead.
If I had known the police were coming, I would have finished the job first and dealt with the consequences later.
After cleaning off the blood that stained my place, I asked Matteo to change the sofa to a new one before heading out to meet the corps.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Giordani,” said the older of the two detectives when I met them in a conference room down the hall.
“Gentlemen,” I replied smoothly, gesturing for them to sit. “How can I help you today?”
“We’re here regarding the death of Leonardo Caelian,” the detective said, watching my face carefully for any reaction. “Our investigation has led us to you.”
I crossed my legs casually and leaned back in my chair. “And what makes you think I had anything to do with Leo’s unfortunate demise?”
“His fiancée, Miss Bellandi, told us that you were the last person to see Mr. Caelian alive.”
“Ah, Chiara,” I said with a slight smile. “Beautiful woman, but not very bright. And you’re taking the word of a grief-stricken woman as evidence?”
“Our investigation points to you, Mr. Giordani.”
“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do you have the murder weapon? Witnesses? Any actual evidence, or just the desperate accusations of a woman who’s lost her meal ticket?”
The detectives exchanged glances, and I could see they had nothing concrete.
“As you can see, gentlemen, I’m a very busy man,” I said, standing up. “When you have real evidence instead of gossip, you’re welcome to come back. Until then, I have a company to run.”
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Giordani,” the detective said reluctantly.
After Matteo escorted them out, I returned to my office and sat down heavily in my chair. Chiara was becoming a problem. If I hadn’t been trying to impress Azalea with my restraint, that meddling bitch would already be dead.
“Sir,” Matteo called, walking inside.
“Chiara needs to disappear,” I said without looking up. “But don’t kill her. Make her disappear in a way that will discredit anything she might say. Drive her insane, make her look unreliable.”
“Understood, sir.”
“And leak the Caelian family’s corruption scandals to the media. Every dirty deal, every bribe and every tax evasion. Once they’re busy dealing with that shitstorm, they won’t have time to investigate Leo’s death.”
“Consider it done, sir.”
“What about the schools I asked you to research for Amira?”
Matteo handed me a folder. “I found three excellent options: Chapin School, Hewitt School, and Marymount School.”
I reviewed the information carefully. All three were prestigious institutions with excellent security and academic programs. After considering the locations and security measures, I made my choice.
“Hewitt School,” I decided. “It has the best reputation and the most discrete security options. Amira will be safe there, and she’ll get the education she deserves.”
“I’ll handle all the enrollment paperwork immediately, sir.”
After Matteo left, I leaned back in my chair and tried to process everything that had happened today. My shoulder ached from the tension, and I could still smell the lingering scent of gunpowder and blood.
My so-called family had made their intentions clear—they wanted to take everything I had built.
Alexander wanted my company, Beauty wanted my money, and my father wanted to play puppet master with both our lives.
But they had made a critical mistake by coming here today. They had shown me that they were willing to be bold, which meant they were becoming dangerous. And dangerous pests needed to be eliminated permanently.
I pulled out my phone and made a call.
“Sir.”
“I want you to arrange three accidents,” I said when the line connected. “Make them look natural, but make sure they happen soon. I’m tired of playing games.”
As I hung up, I thought about going home to Azalea and Amira. They represented everything good and pure in my life, while my father’s family represented everything evil and corrupt.
The choice between them was easy.
By tomorrow, I would be an orphan and an only child. And I couldn’t wait.