Chapter 4 - THE HOUSE CLEANING
The cleanup of the Castellano empire was swift, surgical, and absolute.
Within two hours, Aldo Manfredi and his co-conspirators were loaded into the back of unmarked transport vans, bound for a federal holding facility where extradition papers and rock-solid financial evidence—pulled straight from Aldo’s private laptop by my forensic team—guaranteed they would never see the light of day again.
The corrupt doctors who had falsified my medical reports were rounded up before they could catch flights out of the country. And the poison in my system was rapidly flushed out under the direct supervision of Dr. Moretti, who confirmed what I already knew: within a week of clean blood and proper nutrition, the tremors would vanish entirely.
Back in the grand study, the heavy mahogany desk was clear of Aldo’s fraudulent succession papers.
A bright fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm, golden glow across the Persian rugs.
Elena Marchetti stood near the bookshelves, wringing her hands nervously, while little Giulia sat on the edge of a deep leather armchair, happily swinging her legs and coloring in a sketchpad with a brand-new box of crayons I had had Vance fetch from the finest toy store in the city.
I sat behind the desk, watching them for a long moment.
“Elena,” I said softly.
She flinched slightly, looking up with wide, apprehensive eyes. “Mr. Castellano... I’m so sorry. I shouldn't have brought Giulia here. I know the rules were—”
“The rules are changing, Elena,” I interrupted, holding up a hand to stop her apologies. I slid a heavy, cream-colored document across the mahogany desk toward her.
She walked over slowly, picking it up. Her eyes scanned the text, and her breath caught.
It was a deed of ownership for a fully paid, three-bedroom townhouse in the quiet historic district near the harbor, along with a permanent, secure trust fund designated for Giulia’s education through any university of her choosing.
“I can’t accept this,” Elena whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s too much. We were just—we were just working here.”
“You didn't just work here, Elena,” I said, my voice warming as I looked over at the little girl who was currently drawing a picture of a very fierce-looking lion wearing a crown. “You stayed when everyone else fled. And your daughter walked through a door that grown men were terrified to approach, and she brought me back to life.”
Elena wiped a tear from her cheek, a watery smile breaking across her face. “She has a habit of not listening to instructions.”
“Thank God for that,” I murmured, standing up from the desk. My legs felt stronger than they had in months. The poison was leaving my veins, and the fog in my mind had entirely cleared.
I walked over to the armchair, kneeling down beside little Giulia.
May you like
She looked up, holding out her green crayon. “Is the bad man gone forever, Mr. Lion?”
I took the crayon from her small hand, smiling gently. “He’s gone forever, little one. And no one will ever haunt this house again.”
