The Son Who Wanted the Throne
Chapter 12 - The Son Who Wanted the Throne
Vincent had always believed that Angelo loved Gabriel more. In family photographs Gabriel stood beside their father; Vincent stood slightly apart. Gabriel received praise for doing what was right. Vincent was praised for earning money.
As the criminal and financial inquiries continued, Vincent gave an interview through counsel. He acknowledged approving payments to companies linked to Calder but claimed he believed they provided real security and freight services. He denied ordering violence against Gabriel and denied directing Sofia's detention.
His attorney said Gabriel had misunderstood routine corporate arrangements. Yet documents from the account audit showed that some invoices billed for warehouses that did not exist and vehicles that had never been registered to the purported subcontractors.
When Angelo learned of the discrepancies, he felt less surprise than grief.
For years he had taught his sons that winning mattered. He'd praised ambition and treated doubt as weakness. Gabriel had fought to develop a conscience in spite of that training. Vincent had taken the lessons literally.
One evening Angelo recorded a private message intended for his sons' case files, not for the public.
"I raised them around men who thought fear was respect," he said. "I told myself family came first, but too often I put the organization first. That is my responsibility. It doesn't excuse what anyone else chose to do."
Sofia listened afterward.
"Why record that?" she asked.
"Because I'm tired of acting as though I was only a witness to what this family became."
She did not praise him. She simply sat down beside him.
The next day Matteo asked why Uncle Vincent couldn't visit.
Angelo answered in simple terms. "He made choices that might have hurt people, and adults are finding out what happened. It's our job to keep you safe while they do that."
"Is he bad forever?"
"People can change," Angelo said. "But change means telling the truth and taking responsibility. We don't have to let someone hurt us while we wait."
Matteo thought for a long moment, then returned to building his model airport.
Later, Rafael brought important news. A former Calder employee had provided a statement and records indicating that Gabriel was being watched in the week before the crash. The employee described instructions to track Gabriel's route, but said he had not been told why.
It was another piece of the puzzle, not yet the whole picture.
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Angelo looked at the report and thought of Gabriel's last voicemail: I'll see you Sunday, Dad.
There had never been another Sunday.
