He stills.
I have never spoken to him like this. Certainly not with Giovanni, Antonio, and Roberto in the room, but I do not stop.
It’s now or never.
“I have spent the last few weeks looking at this from the business side. From the casino side. Everyone else was looking at shooters, routes, physical access, and direct threats. Which was necessary, obviously. But it was not enough.”
I click on the first slide.
A web of companies appears on the screen.
Boxes filled with dates, names, and addresses, connected by arrows.
Antonio’s eyes narrow immediately.
“That’s a hell of a structure,” he says.
“Yes,” I say. “And that is the simplified version.”
Roberto leans forward. “Where did you get these?”
“Public filings, vendor records, insurance inquiries, gaming commission correspondence, internal casino documents, old property transfers, and a few databases I’m going to keep to myself.”
Roberto opens his mouth.
I point at him. “Uh-uh.”
His mouth closes.
Giovanni’s lips twitch.
Papà says nothing.
I switch to the next page.
“The attacks had two purposes every time. One obvious. One hidden.”
I point to the first column.
“The note to Teresa’s office. Obvious purpose: frighten the family, make Papà think about legacy, children, bloodline. Hidden purpose: direct attention toward Teresa’s old work and away from the casino.”
Next page.
“Erica and Emma’s route change. Obvious purpose: make the threat to the children real. Hidden purpose: test how much access they had to family movement and whether security could be diverted through a false routine disruption.”
Next.
“The casino floor attack. Obvious purpose: kill me or grab me or whatever else they planned before Adrian interrupted it. Hidden purpose: make The Regent Club look unstable. Trigger board panic, press scrutiny, regulatory concern, insurance pressure, and investor hesitation.”
I look at Papà.
“Someone has been studying the seams,” I say. “Not just the family. Not just the criminal side or the legitimate side. The places where all of it comes together.”
Papà’s eyes do not leave mine.
For once, he does not interrupt.
“Now, the shell companies.”
