Chapter 17 – The Truth Written in Blood
The Mediterranean wind howled across the cliff.
The helicopter's rotors thundered overhead.
Julian stood between Adrian Moretti and his family, shielding Elena, Emily, and the newborn with his own body.
Gabriel, bleeding heavily from the gunshot wound, struggled to remain conscious.
Adrian's pistol never wavered.
"I'll ask only once," he said calmly.
"Give me the child."
Julian's answer came without hesitation.
"No."
Adrian sighed.
"Antonio gave me the same answer."
The words ignited something inside Julian.
"My father died protecting his family."
"So will I."
Adrian smiled.
"You still don't understand."
He slowly lowered the pistol.
"I'm not here to kill your son."
Julian frowned.
"Then why hunt him?"
"Because he's the only person alive who can prove who I really am."
The cliff fell silent.
Even Isabella looked stunned.
"What are you talking about?" she whispered.
Adrian turned toward her.
"You never figured it out?"
"I almost admire that."
He reached into the inner pocket of his coat.
Every weapon immediately pointed at him.
Instead of another gun...
He removed a faded birth certificate sealed inside a waterproof sleeve.
He tossed it onto the rocks.
It landed at Julian's feet.
Julian picked it up.
His expression slowly changed.
The document was nearly forty years old.
Child's Name: Adrian Moretti
Mother: Maria Moretti
The line beneath it froze his blood.
Father: Gabriel Rossi
Julian looked up in disbelief.
His grandfather closed his eyes.
"It wasn't supposed to happen this way."
Isabella staggered backward.
"No..."
"My brother..."
Gabriel nodded weakly.
"He isn't your full brother."
"He is my son."
Silence.
The only sound was the crashing waves below.
Julian looked from Gabriel to Adrian.
"So..."
"He's a Rossi."
Gabriel lowered his head.
"My greatest shame."
Adrian laughed bitterly.
"Your greatest shame?"
"You abandoned my mother before I was born."
"You erased us."
Gabriel's voice trembled.
"I thought you both had been killed."
"Lies."
Adrian stepped forward.
"The same people who manipulated Antonio..."
"...manipulated you."
He looked directly at Julian.
"The Blood Agreement wasn't created to preserve families."
"It was created to divide them."
Elena tightened her hold on the baby.
"So none of this..."
"...was about money?"
Adrian shook his head.
"The money was only bait."
He slowly looked toward the newborn.
"Every generation they created enemies."
"Brothers against brothers."
"Parents against children."
"So no one would ever question who truly controlled everything."
Julian frowned.
"Who?"
Adrian smiled sadly.
"I spent thirty years trying to find out."
"I never did."
Suddenly—
The helicopter pilot shouted,
"Incoming!"
Three black helicopters appeared over the sea.
They flew in military formation.
No registration numbers.
No national insignia.
Only matte-black paint.
Luca Ferraro's face hardened.
"They found us."
Marco's voice suddenly crackled through Julian's damaged radio.
"Boss..."
Everyone froze.
Julian grabbed the radio.
"Marco?"
Static.
Then his security chief coughed painfully.
"I'm alive."
Relief flooded Julian's face.
"Where are you?"
"Still underground."
"We found another exit."
Before Julian could answer—
Marco's voice became urgent.
"Listen carefully."
"The Archive wasn't the headquarters."
"It was the storage room."
Julian's heart skipped a beat.
"What?"
"We found another level."
"Much deeper."
"There are people down here."
"Hundreds of files."
"Servers still running."
"And..."
Marco stopped speaking.
"Marco?"
His breathing became uneven.
"Boss..."
"...I found the original founder."
Julian frowned.
"Victor is dead."
"No."
Marco's voice shook.
"Victor worked for someone."
A loud explosion echoed over the radio.
Then one final sentence:
"The real leader..."
"...is still alive."
The transmission died.
The three helicopters circled the cliff.
Ropes dropped from their open doors.
Armed commandos began descending.
Luca ran toward Julian.
"We have less than two minutes!"
Julian looked at Adrian.
"You knew."
Adrian nodded.
"They've finally come."
"For all of us."
He slowly lowered his pistol.
Then, to everyone's astonishment...
He threw it over the edge of the cliff into the sea.
Julian stared at him.
"What are you doing?"
Adrian looked at the newborn.
For the first time...
There was no hatred in his eyes.
Only exhaustion.
"I've spent my whole life chasing revenge."
"And all it brought me..."
"...was more graves."
He looked at Gabriel.
"I don't forgive you."
Gabriel nodded through tears.
"I know."
"But I won't let another child grow up the way I did."
Adrian slowly stepped away from Julian's family.
Toward the approaching commandos.
"They're not here for your son anymore."
Julian frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Adrian smiled faintly.
"They're here for me."
He reached into his jacket.
Pulled out a small encrypted data chip.
And tossed it to Julian.
"It contains every name..."
"...including the one at the top."
Julian caught it instinctively.
"Who?"
Adrian looked toward the descending helicopters.
"You'll know when you read the final file."
Without another word...
He turned.
Walked alone toward the commandos.
The lead officer raised a loudspeaker.
"Adrian Rossi!"
"Drop to your knees!"
Julian froze.
Not Adrian Moretti.
Adrian Rossi.
Before anyone could react—
A sniper's shot echoed across the sea.
Adrian stopped mid-step.
A crimson bloom spread across his chest.
He looked down in surprise.
Then slowly turned back toward Julian.
With his last breath, he whispered:
"They silence..."
"...everyone..."
"...who learns..."
The second sniper round struck him before he could finish.
Adrian collapsed onto the rocky cliff.
Dead.
At that exact moment, the lead helicopter hovered directly above Julian's family.
A woman stepped to the open doorway.
Silver hair.
Black uniform.
Expressionless.
She wasn't looking at Adrian's body.
She was looking at the baby.
She calmly raised a microphone and said:
May you like
"Bring me the child..."
"...or none of you leave this island alive."
