What Dominic Marconi Bought
Chapter 12 - What Dominic Marconi Bought
Dominic Marconi arrived at Simone's office wearing a cashmere coat and the smile of a man accustomed to inconvenient questions disappearing after an expensive lunch.
“I came voluntarily,” he said. “Let's keep that in mind.”
Simone offered him a seat. A second attorney sat beside him. No one asked Dante to attend; the meeting concerned documents and potential legal exposure, not his personal anger.
Dominic acknowledged that his company had engaged a records consultant, but denied authorizing a break-in. He said the property payments were related to a proposed investment, and that Rose's ownership interests had been misunderstood.
Then Simone showed him the contested signature.
“Did you know your firm's consultant prepared this?”
Dominic's smile faded. “I don't recognize it.”
“We'll preserve the source files and ask the relevant people to explain.”
When he left, Simone looked at Dante. “He didn't give us a confession. He gave us names and explanations to test.”
Dante nodded, though his jaw hurt from holding it tight.
***
Samuel had a harder conversation with the man he'd called Father all his life. They met in a quiet public garden, away from the Marconi offices.
“Did you know I was Margaret's son?” Samuel asked.
Dominic looked at the gravel path. “I knew you were a child who needed a home.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“I raised you.”
“And I'm grateful for what was kind in that upbringing. But you lied about my mother.”
Dominic said nothing for a long time.
Finally he admitted he'd made arrangements for Samuel's placement through an intermediary and never pursued formal clarification of Margaret's whereabouts. His version left enormous gaps. Samuel knew he would need records and time to understand them.
“You were afraid I'd leave if I knew?” he asked.
Dominic's eyes filled. “Maybe.”
Samuel stepped backward. “You don't get to make my choices because you're afraid.”
May you like
For the first time, he walked away without asking permission.
That evening Evelyn met him for coffee. They didn't discuss trusts or legal papers. They argued cheerfully about which movie to watch and discovered they both hated cilantro. It was the least important fact of their reunion and, for that reason, one of the most precious.
