Chapter 10 - the voice on the tape
Dominic pulled the cassette from his coat pocket. The plastic was scuffed, the ink on the label worn thin.
Without breaking eye contact with his mother, Dominic walked to the vintage stereo unit beside the bookshelf, popped the tape deck open, and slid the cassette inside.
He pressed play.
A sharp hiss of static filled the room, followed by the clinking of glasses and the low hum of an air conditioner.
Then came the voice.
It was unmistakably Vito Ravello—gravelly, commanding, and weathered by fifty years of smoking.
*"The boy is unpredictable, Miller,"* Vito’s recorded voice said. *"Dominic only understands force. He doesn't see the changing landscape. If the federal indictments come down, let them fall on him. The shipping lines, the trusts, the real estate... I want all of it routed through Julian and Vivienne. Dominic takes the fall, the family survives."*
Then came the smooth, cultured voice of District Attorney Miller. *"And if Dominic resists?"*
A heavy pause hung on the tape.
*"Then put him in a cage where he belongs,"* Vito answered coldly. *"Just keep Eleanor provided for."*
The tape clicked off.
Dominic stood frozen beside the stereo. The words echoed in his skull like venom. His own father—the man he had revered, the man whose code he had bled to uphold—had prepared a federal trap to sacrifice him like a pawn.
Eleanor approached him slowly, tears shining in her eyes. "Dominic... your father was desperate. He was dying. He knew his sins were catching up to him, and he wanted to save the foundation of this home."
"By feeding me to the feds?" Dominic asked, his voice shaking with a terrifying stillness.
"You were the only one strong enough to survive it," Eleanor said, reaching out to touch his arm.
Dominic stepped back, evading her touch. His expression was a stone mask.
Vivienne smoothed down her silk skirt. "Now you know the score, Dominic. The DA task force moves in at dawn. If you hand over the maritime trust deeds tonight, my brother will drop the personal indictments against you. You walk away with fifty million in clean foreign accounts. You leave the city, and the Ravello empire transitions legally into legitimate hands."
Dominic looked at Vivienne. Then he looked at Eleanor.
For the first time in his life, Dominic Ravello felt completely alone in his own house.
"And what happens to Julian's son?" Dominic asked.
Vivienne's eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you talking about?"
Dominic caught the reaction immediately.
Vivienne didn't know about the birth certificate. She genuinely had no idea the child existed.
May you like
Dominic turned back to Eleanor. His mother’s face had gone paper-white.
"You didn't tell her," Dominic said to his mother, realization hitting him like a fresh wave of adrenaline. "You didn't tell Vivienne about the boy at all."
