Chapter 11 - WHAT THEO REMEMBERED
Theo wanted to speak to the social worker alone. Luciano let him choose.
He waited in the hallway with Sofia and stared at the note from Theo’s sock.
After forty minutes, the social worker emerged.
“Your son says his grandmother never hit him.”
Luciano exhaled.
“But she knew Marcus did.”
His relief disappeared.
“She told Theo not to make trouble. She told him you were under too much pressure and that if he complained, you might send him away permanently.”
Sofia swore under her breath.
Luciano looked through the glass at his son.
Theo sat small and tired beneath a hospital blanket.
“She used me to scare him,” Luciano said.
“Yes.”
The social worker continued. “He also described being locked in the pantry once for several hours.”
Luciano turned away.
“I left him there.”
“You trusted family.”
“I left him there.”
She had no answer for that.
Later, Theo finally let Luciano sit beside him.
Luciano didn’t make excuses.
“I should have seen it.”
Theo picked at the blanket.
“You were working.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“Grandma said grown-ups have important things.”
“You are important.”
Theo looked at him for a long moment. “More than the company?”
Luciano answered immediately.
“Yes.”
“More than Grandpa’s house?”
“Yes.”
“More than Uncle Marcus?”
Luciano’s voice cracked. “A thousand times more.”
Theo leaned against him.
For the first time that day, Luciano breathed normally.
Then Daniel entered with Rachel behind him.
Rachel carried a laptop.
“We found what Marcus was trying to hide.”
Luciano looked up.
“More transfers?”
“Worse.”
She opened an email archive recovered from the company server.
One message was from Marcus to Bernadette.
Subject line:
LUCiANO’S FITNESS EVALUATION - FINAL DRAFT.
Daniel’s expression was grim.
“They weren’t just preparing to take Theo’s trust.”
He looked directly at Luciano.
May you like
“They were preparing to have you declared mentally incompetent.”
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