The Son Of Another Man

Massimo’s POV

“Tell your sons the truth before I do” Dante's voice filled the darkened room through my mother's phone

“Tell them which one of them is not Alessandro's son” For several seconds, nobody moved Kelvin stood near the door with his gun raised, listening Aria remained beside my bed her fingers wrapped around mine my mother sat frozen in the chair, staring at the phone as if it had become a weapon pointed directly at her heart I had faced armed men without flinching I had watched people die and ordered things I would never speak about in polite company yet nothing had prepared me for those words “Mother,” I said quietly “What is he talking about?”

She ended the call “It's a lie"

“Then look at me and say it again"

Her eyes lifted to mine but she couldn't hold my gaze Kelvin lowered his gun slightly “Which one of us is he talking about?”

“Both of you are my sons”

“That wasn't the question”

“Kelvin please”

“No!” He slammed his palm against the wall “Our father is dead Dante is trying to kill us. Someone inside this family has been feeding him information and now you're telling us there's a possibility one of us isn't Father's son. How much more do you expect us to discover tonight?”

My mother's face crumpled I wanted to defend her the instinct was still there buried beneath the anger and confusion. She had raised us, protected us, and stood beside us through the worst years of our lives but I could no longer tell where her protection ended and her lies began “Answer us” I demanded

She covered her mouth with one hand then she whispered “Kelvin is not Alessandro's biological son”

The room became painfully quiet Kelvin stared at her I stared at her even Aria seemed unable to process the words Finally, Kelvin let out a short, disbelieving laugh “No”

“I'm sorry”

“No you're not going to sit there and tell me that my entire life has been a lie”

“You are still my son”

“Who is my father?”

She began to cry “Who is he?” Kelvin shouted

My mother rose from the chair, but Kelvin stepped away before she could reach him “I loved Alessandro” she said “I never intended for any of this to happen”

“Then you should have told him the truth”

“I was afraid of losing everything”

Kelvin looked at her with an expression I had never seen on his face before “You were afraid of losing your marriage so you allowed me to grow up believing another man was my father?”

“You were his son in every way that mattered”

“Not to Dante apparently”

He turned toward me I had no words to offer him. I was trying to understand how the revelation changed the family I thought I knew Kelvin and I had fought, competed, and disagreed over almost everything but we had always shared one certainty: we were Alessandro's sons. Now even that had been taken from us “Why does Dante know?” I asked

My mother wiped her cheeks “Because he knew your biological father”

Kelvin's expression hardened “You know who he is”

She nodded “Tell me”

Before she could answer, a violent crash sounded in the corridor Kelvin immediately raised his weapon “Stay here” he ordered

He moved toward the door but I caught his wrist “Don't go alone"

“You can barely sit upright”

“And you're not walking into an ambush without backup”

He looked as though he wanted to argue. Then he nodded toward two guards positioned near the window “You two, with me nobody enters this room”

He left with them Aria moved closer to the bed and checked the bandage across my chest “You shouldn't be talking so much” she murmured

“Apparently, my family has decided to reveal every secret before I die I'd hate to miss anything”

She gave me a sharp look “Don't joke about that”

The fear in her voice silenced me I reached for her hand “I'm not going anywhere”

“You can't promise me that”

“No but I can promise I'll fight”

She pressed her forehead briefly against my hand I wished I could give her more than promises. She had been dragged into a war between families, betrayed by her own father, kidnapped, and nearly killed yet she remained beside me while my world fell apart a gunshot rang out in the corridor Aria straightened. Another followed I reached for the pistol on the bedside table, ignoring the pain that tore through my chest “Massimo, you need to stay down”

“Get behind me”

“Your wound”

“Aria”

She moved behind the bed just as the door flew open one of our guards stumbled inside, blood running down his forehead “Boss we've got a problem”

“Where is Kelvin?”

“East corridor he's holding them off, but there are too many”

“Who?”

The guard hesitated “Men wearing our colours”

My blood turned cold only someone with access to our security network could have coordinated an attack like this. The same network that had been compromised at the airport “Seal the estate,” I ordered “Nobody leaves”

The guard hurried away I tried to stand pain forced me back onto the mattress Aria caught my shoulders “You cannot go out there like this”

“Kelvin is outnumbered”

“And if you collapse in the corridor, you'll be no use to him”

I hated that she was right I grabbed the phone beside me and called the estate's security chief. It rang several times before someone answered “Where are you?” I demanded

“Control room, sir”

“Lock down every entrance. I want every camera feed on my screen”

“Understood”

“Do it now”

The line went dead seconds later, the television mounted opposite my bed flickered to life. Camera feeds appeared one after another, showing the main hall, the courtyard, the eastern corridor, and the gate armed men were moving through the estate. They knew exactly where to go then the camera in the eastern corridor showed Kelvin taking cover behind a stone column while two guards returned fire. He was alive, but trapped.

I reached for the phone again “Send reinforcements to the east corridor”

A new voice answered “Of course Don”

I froze I knew that voice.

It belonged to Lorenzo Bellini, the man who had warned us about Dante's threat to Aria “Lorenzo?”

“Yes sir”

“Where are you?”

“In the security room”

“Then send the men”

There was a pause “I'm afraid I can't do that”

Aria looked at me my grip tightened around the phone “What did you say?”

“I said I can't send them”

The camera feeds suddenly went black every single one then the television displayed a single image Kelvin was kneeling on the floor, his hands bound behind his back. A man stood behind him with a gun pressed against his head Lorenzo stepped into view he smiled directly at the camera “I'm sorry, Massimo this was never supposed to involve you”

“You son of a bitch” I growled “If you touch my brother”

“Your brother is the least of your problems”

He leaned down and placed a document on the floor in front of Kelvin “Ask your mother about the night you were born”

My mother's face went white I turned toward her “What does he mean?”

She shook her head frantically “Massimo, please don't listen to him”

Lorenzo lifted the document toward the camera It was an old hospital record, its edges yellowed with age. A signature appeared at the bottom, followed by a name I recognized immediately Alessandro Livoti “This is your father's signature,” Lorenzo said “And this record proves that the child Maria brought home twenty-eight years ago was not the child she gave birth to”

My mouth went dry Kelvin looked up at the camera his expression twisted with disbelief “Massimo” he shouted “Don't believe him!”

Lorenzo pressed his gun harder against Kelvin's head “I'm afraid the truth is much worse than you imagine”

He turned the document over on the reverse side was a photograph of two newborn babies lying side by side in a hospital cot one had a small birthmark near his left shoulder I looked down at my own shoulder. The mark was there my mother began shaking her head “No no, this can't be happening”

Lorenzo smiled “Congratulations, Massimo you've spent your entire life protecting the wrong family”

He raised his gun the screen went black a single gunshot echoed through the estate and my mother screamed my name.