Chapter 13 - The Last Thing Javier Thought He Owned)
Javier did not leave the mansion.
That was his second major mistake of the day.
His first had been touching Dante's children on the lawn.
The third-floor east wing had been closed for renovation.
Plastic sheets covered furniture.
Several rooms were empty.
One staircase led down.
Thomas positioned guards at both ends of the corridor.
Dante stood outside the old music room.
Javier was inside with Mia.
No one could see whether he had a weapon.
Dante pressed his hand against the door.
"Javier."
Silence.
Then Mia cried.
"Daddy."
Dante's entire body tightened.
"I'm here."
Javier spoke.
"Send Sofia upstairs."
"No."
"Then don't waste my time."
Dante forced his voice to remain calm.
"What do you want?"
"The trust documents."
"You can't use them."
"I can destroy them."
"Copies exist."
"Then Sofia signs a refusal."
Dante almost laughed at the madness of it.
"You think after this she'll give you what you want?"
"She will if she wants the little girl to walk out."
Mia sobbed.
Dante closed his eyes for one second.
Then opened them.
"Listen to me, Javier."
"I'm done listening."
"No. You're going to listen because this is the last useful advice anyone in this family may ever give you."
Silence.
Dante continued.
"You still have a choice."
Javier laughed.
"Prison or prison?"
"Your daughter is downstairs."
"Don't call her that."
"Why?"
"Because she isn't my daughter."
The words carried through the door.
And through the open stairwell.
Sofia stood below.
She had followed despite being told to remain in the library.
Her face changed.
Dante saw her.
So did Clara.
Clara walked to Sofia and held her arm.
Javier continued.
"She is my father's revenge."
Sofia whispered.
"No."
Clara turned toward her.
Sofia stepped onto the stairs.
Dante shook his head.
"Stay there."
But she raised her voice.
"Javier."
Silence inside the room.
Sofia did not call him Dad.
That mattered.
"You want my signature?"
Javier answered.
"Yes."
"I'll sign."
Dante looked at her.
"Sofia."
She shook her head slightly.
Trust me.
Dante understood.
Javier opened the music room door a few inches.
Mia stood beside him.
His arm was around her shoulders.
There was no gun.
Only a broken piece of wooden molding in his other hand.
Dante calculated the distance.
Too far.
Javier could hurt Mia before Dante reached them.
Sofia climbed one step.
"I'll refuse the trust."
"Bring the papers."
Margaret appeared behind her.
She held the trust folder.
"Sofia, you don't have to."
"I know."
Javier opened the door wider.
Mia saw Dante.
"Daddy."
"I'm right here."
Sofia reached the landing.
"Let her go first."
Javier laughed.
"You think I'm stupid?"
Sofia looked at him.
"I think you abandoned me when you were eighteen because you were scared."
His expression changed.
"I think you stole from your own family because you were scared your father was right about you."
"Stop."
"I think Elena scared you."
"Shut up."
"And now you're hiding behind a seven-year-old."
Javier's face reddened.
"Shut your mouth."
Sofia took one more step.
"You keep telling everyone you're strong."
"Don't."
"But every person who frightened you was either a woman or a child."
Javier shoved Mia aside and stepped toward Sofia.
That was the mistake Dante needed.
Mia stumbled away from him.
Dante crossed the distance in seconds.
He pulled Mia behind himself.
Thomas and two guards rushed Javier.
Javier swung the broken molding.
Thomas caught his arm.
They forced him against the wall.
Sofia did not move.
Javier stared at her with pure hatred.
"You did that on purpose."
"Yes."
"You think he cares about you?"
Sofia looked at Dante holding Mia.
"I know what a father who cares looks like."
The words struck harder than any fist could have.
Agents arrived seven minutes later.
This time Javier left the Romano mansion without control over the destination.
As he was escorted down the staircase, Leo stood beside Mia.
Dante tried to move them away.
Leo shook his head.
"I want to see him leave."
Dante allowed it.
Javier looked toward the children.
Neither hid.
He looked toward Clara.
She had removed her wedding ring.
Then toward Sofia.
She gave him nothing.
No anger.
No tears.
No final plea.
Only distance.
At the front door Javier turned toward Dante.
"You think this ends with me?"
Dante walked closer.
"It already did."
"You need me."
"For what?"
"The company."
Dante almost smiled.
"Companies recover."
"Our name."
"Names recover too."
Javier's voice became desperate.
"I know things about you."
"So tell them."
"I can ruin you."
Dante looked at Leo and Mia.
"You already tried."
Agents led Javier outside.
The door closed.
No applause followed.
No celebration.
Only silence.
Then Mia tugged Dante's sleeve.
"Daddy."
He knelt.
"Yes?"
"Can we go home?"
Dante looked around the mansion.
"We are home."
She shook her head.
"No."
She pointed toward the breakfast room.
"Home is when we're eating pancakes and Leo steals mine."
Leo protested.
"I do not steal them."
"You steal the chocolate ones."
Dante laughed.
It surprised him.
After everything, laughter still existed.
He lifted Mia into his arms.
"We'll make pancakes."
"It's dinner."
"Then we're making dinner pancakes."
Leo nodded seriously.
"That's different."
Sofia watched them.
For a moment she looked like someone standing outside a window.
Dante noticed.
"You hungry?"
She blinked.
"Me?"
"Unless there's another Sofia in the hallway."
"I should probably go."
"Where?"
"My apartment."
Clara spoke softly.
"Someone abducted you from there this morning."
Sofia sighed.
"Good point."
Mia looked at her.
"Do you like pancakes?"
Sofia smiled.
"Yes."
"Then you have to stay."
Dante added, "Apparently those are the rules."
Sofia looked toward the front door where Javier had disappeared.
Then back at the family he had tried to destroy.
"Okay."
That night, while pancakes burned in the kitchen and Leo accused Mia of using too much syrup, Samuel Price received confirmation that prosecutors had frozen every account connected to Raven Crest.
The money could finally be traced.
But Dante still had one decision to make.
Elena's ledger proved more than Javier's crimes.
It showed exactly how much money had been stolen from people who needed it.
May you like
Twenty-seven million dollars.
And recovering it would not be enough.
