CHAPTER TWELVE: THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS DAUGHTER

Alessandro arrived at Victor Salvatore's private office at exactly ten in the morning.

He hadn't brought Isabella, and he hadn't told her where he was going. Marco accompanied him, while two men remained outside the building.

Victor stood beside his desk, holding a glass of whiskey.

"Alessandro Moretti. I wasn't sure you'd accept my invitation."

"Get to the point, Victor. I have other things to do."

Victor smiled faintly.

"Still impatient, I see."

Alessandro took the chair opposite him.

"You said this concerned my wife. I'm listening."

Victor placed his glass down.

"Tell me, how much do you know about your wife's father?"

Alessandro's expression didn't change.

"Roberto Rossi owes me money. He signed an agreement, and his daughter became my wife. I know enough."

"Do you?"

Victor opened a drawer and removed a brown envelope.

"Because Roberto visited me several weeks before your wedding."

Alessandro's eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Money, naturally. Your father-in-law was desperate. He offered to provide information about your business operations in exchange for payment."

Silence settled over the room.

Marco shifted slightly behind Alessandro.

"What information?" Alessandro asked.

"Your shipping schedules. Details about your business partners. Even information about the properties you use for private meetings."

Alessandro leaned back.

"You're telling me Roberto tried to sell you information about my family?"

"I'm telling you he offered. I didn't say I accepted."

Victor pushed the envelope across the desk.

"There's a copy of the message he sent my office. His name and signature are included."

Alessandro opened it.

The letter was brief, but the details were enough to make his jaw tighten. Roberto had offered to arrange a private meeting and claimed he had access to information that could be useful to Victor.

"Why are you telling me this?" Alessandro asked.

Victor gave a small shrug.

"Because I dislike being used. Roberto came to me expecting a deal, then disappeared after you agreed to marry his daughter."

"You could have told me weeks ago."

"I could have. But I wanted to see what kind of man you were marrying into your family."

Alessandro's gaze hardened.

"Choose your next words carefully."

Victor laughed quietly.

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not concerned about your marriage. I'm concerned about the kind of people now connected to your household. A desperate man who sells information for money doesn't suddenly become trustworthy because his daughter marries a Moretti."

Alessandro stood.

"Stay away from my wife."

"I haven't approached her."

"And you won't."

Victor's smile disappeared.

"Perhaps you should ask her whether she knows what her father has been doing."

Alessandro turned towards the door.

"Marco, we're leaving."

As they stepped outside, Marco spoke quietly.

"Do you believe him?"

"I believe Roberto is capable of almost anything when money is involved. But I want proof."

"I'll investigate the letter and check whether Roberto actually visited Victor's office."

"Do it discreetly."

Isabella was in the sitting room when Alessandro returned.

She looked up from her book and smiled.

"You're back early."

He loosened his tie.

"Did you have breakfast?"

"Yes. Maria made pancakes."

"Did you save me any?"

Isabella smiled. "I thought you wouldn't be interested."

"That's a dangerous assumption to make about a hungry man."

She laughed, and for a moment the tension in his shoulders eased.

Then she noticed his expression.

"Something happened?"

Alessandro sat opposite her.

"I met Victor today."

Her smile faded.

"The man from the gathering?"

"Yes."

"Did he threaten you again?"

"No. He told me something about your father."

Isabella slowly closed her book.

"My father?"

"Apparently, Roberto approached Victor before our wedding. He offered to sell him information about my businesses in exchange for money."

Isabella stared at him.

"That's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because my father may be many things, but I never imagined he would do something like that."

Alessandro watched her carefully.

"Did you know he had contacted Victor?"

"No."

"Did he ever mention meeting anyone from the Salvatore family?"

She shook her head.

"Alessandro, I haven't spoken to my father since he brought me here. He didn't even call to ask how I was after the wedding."

Her voice broke slightly.

Alessandro looked away for a moment.

He had expected her to defend Roberto. He hadn't expected the hurt in her eyes.

"Victor gave me a letter. Marco is checking whether it's genuine."

Isabella lowered her gaze.

"First, he gives me away to settle his debt. Now he might have been selling information about your family."

"Don't jump to conclusions. I haven't verified everything."

"But if it's true?"

Alessandro moved closer.

"Then your father's actions are his responsibility, not yours."

She looked at him.

"You don't think I knew?"

"No."

The answer came so quickly that Isabella blinked.

"You don't?"

"I know the difference between a woman's silence and her father's betrayal."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Alessandro reached for her hand. She hesitated before allowing him to take it.

"You're not responsible for everything your family does, Isabella."

She nodded, but the sadness remained.

Later that evening, Marco entered Alessandro's study with a folder.

"Sir, I've confirmed something."

Alessandro looked up.

"Go on."

"Roberto visited Victor's office six weeks before the wedding. We also obtained a record of the message he sent."

"And the letter?"

"Authentic."

Alessandro closed the folder.

"Anything else?"

Marco hesitated.

"Yes. Roberto wasn't just asking for money. He specifically offered information about your shipping operations."

Alessandro's expression darkened.

"Find out what he knows and whether he shared anything."

"Understood."

After Marco left, Alessandro remained seated, staring at the folder.

He had married Isabella because her father had offered her as payment for a debt.

Now he was discovering that the same man might have been trying to sell pieces of his empire.

His phone rang.

The caller's name appeared on the screen.

Roberto Rossi.

Alessandro answered.

"Mr. Rossi."

Roberto's voice sounded nervous.

"Mr. Moretti, I hope I'm not disturbing you. I need to speak with you about Isabella."

Alessandro's eyes narrowed.

"What about my wife?"

There was a pause.

Then Roberto said something that made Alessandro sit upright.

"I need you to keep her away from the truth about what happened before the wedding."