Chapter 6 Gabriella
GAbrIELLA
I slam the ledger shut.
The numbers don't lie, but somehow, Dad can't, or won't, see what's right in front of him.
Marco's fingerprints are all over our business operations now, subtle but unmistakable to anyone paying attention.
"Everything looks good, Ms. Monti," our accountant says, clearly uncomfortable with my intense scrutiny.
Is he a part of this? Is Marco paying him extra to not notice these issues?
I want to challenge him, but now isn’t the time.
I need to gather more facts, more evidence.
I need enough to prove to my father without a doubt that Marco is planning a takeover.
I gather my things, keeping my voice level. "Thank you for your time."
Walking through our warehouse, I nod at workers who've known me since childhood.
They respect me, yet even they follow Dad's lead in welcoming Marco's "assistance". It makes my blood boil.
Dad trusts Marco like a son.
That's the problem.
Marco played him perfectly, the orphaned second son who needed guidance, whom Dad took under his wing.
Now he's positioned himself to take over.
It's the perfect long con.
If only my father could see through Marco's act.
The charming smile that never reaches his eyes.
The calculating gaze when Dad isn't looking.
Even my brother, Luca, is nonchalant about it all, not willing to come home and see what I’m seeing.
But I won't let Marco take what's ours. Even if I have to fight alone.
My vigilance has become routine.
Monday the construction firm. Tuesday the shipping company, Wednesday the warehouses, Thursday the restaurants.
Each visit brings the same story, Marco's people lurking where they don't belong.
At our flagship restaurant, it's one of Marco’s men who now "consults" on our wine imports.
He claims to help streamline operations, but I've caught him reviewing our supplier contracts, making notes on margins.
The shipping company has one of Marco's captains stopping by weekly to assess and assist in security.
And of course, Roman makes appearances at all locations.
I document everything in a notebook I keep locked in my bedroom. Names, dates, conversations overheard.
My evidence builds day by day, a case file against Marco.
I can't help wondering if the other Dons are in on it too.
Dominic Vitale and Leo Ferraza have been part of La Corona alongside my dad and Marco for years.
Are they conspirators or just blind to what's happening?
The stakes are enormous. La Corona collectively controls everything from construction to shipping, casinos to real estate across three states.
If Marco manages to absorb Dad's territory, the power balance shifts dramatically.
He'd become the dominant force.
But I won’t let that happen. When Marco makes his move, I'll be ready.
I leave the construction company and head to a small bistro for lunch and a much needed espresso-laden coffee.
Maybe the peppermint mocha, since it’s Christmas.
Just because I’m on a one-woman crusade to save my family business doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the holidays.
I’m sipping the hot brew and checking my notes when a shadow falls across my table.
Looking up, I meet the gaze of a tall man in a dark suit with a snow white shirt that screams federal agent.
"Ms. Monti? I'm Special Agent Victor Blackwood, FBI." He shows his badge before sliding it in his coat pocket. "May I join you?"
My pulse quickens as I scan the restaurant.
Two businessmen near the window, a mother wiping her child’s face, waitstaff moving efficiently.
No obvious backup for him, no one watching us.
"That depends on what you want, Agent Blackwood." I keep my voice neutral while calculating my options.
Speaking with the FBI is dangerous, potentially fatal in my world.
What does he want with me?
He sits without waiting for further permission. "I believe we share a common concern. Marco Calabresi."
I maintain my composure, taking a sip of my mocha to give me a moment to consider how I should play this. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't you?" His smile is the epitome of a Cheshire cat. "We've been monitoring his systematic infiltration of your family's operations for months. Your father's judgment… is impaired."
My fingers tighten around my mug. He knows too much.
"Marco's planning to absorb the Monti territory completely. We have evidence, Ms. Monti. Financial trails. Witness statements."
"And you're sharing this with me, why? You must know I have little to no power?"
I can’t decide how I feel that he’s the only other person in the world who believes Marco is staging a takeover.
I have to remember the FBI would be just as willing to bring my father down as Marco.
"I'm offering protection. For you and your father. In exchange for information that helps us build our case against Calabresi."
I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t have a moment imagining Marco in an orange jumpsuit rotting behind bars.
But working with the FBI would make me a rat, the worst thing possible in our world.
Still, if Blackwood is telling the truth about Marco…
"What kind of information?" I decide to test the waters.
"Access to meetings. Documentation of illegal activities. Names. Dates. The kind of evidence that puts him away for good."
I study Blackwood's face, searching for deception. He seems confident, prepared.
"Why do you need me if you already have evidence?”
He shrugs in an “ah, shucks” sort of way. “You know how it is. Marco is a smart man. We’ll need everything we can get to put him away.”
“Why him? He’s not the only businessman—”
He laughs. “Businessman, right. The Calabresi family is my case.”
“I see.” It makes me wonder if someone is handling my father. Does the FBI have someone on every member of La Corona? Probably.
“I can make it so that your family is safe. Your father won’t go to jail… or your brother, should he return.”
The idea of getting my family immunity is appealing. “What evidence do you have on the Calabresi family?”
Blackwood slides a manila folder across the table. Inside are photos.
Marco's men at our warehouse, documents with timestamps, transcripts of conversations.
Nothing I haven't already documented myself. And nothing that would lead a judge to sign an arrest warrant.
"This is it? This proves nothing beyond business associates meeting." I close the folder, pushing it back toward him. "You approached a Don's daughter in public to show me this?” I wonder if I’m being set up.
His confidence doesn't waver. "We have more sensitive materials, but at this point, I can’t afford to share them. Not unless I have your cooperation.”
“Like what?”
He gives me that smarmy smile again. “Ah, I’d like to tell you, show you even, but that’s not possible unless we come to an agreement.”
"And you expect me to what… wear a wire? Steal documents? Betray not just Marco but potentially my own father?" I lean forward. "You understand how dangerous that is, don’t you, Agent Blackwood?"
"Your father built an empire that Calabresi intends to steal while Don Monti’s mind fails him. You're the only one who sees it happening."
How does he know all this?
Is there someone in the family already talking to the Feds?
Is a phone or room bugged?
There’s something about all this that feels off.
His evidence is thin, his approach reckless.
"I appreciate your concern for my family business," I say carefully, "but I think you've misunderstood the situation."
"Have I?" His eyes narrow slightly. "Think about it, Ms. Monti. Calabresi has insinuated himself into your father's business. When the time comes, who will La Corona believe? The respected Don or the daughter? As you said, women have little to no power or respect."
I think of Luca and before I can mention him, Agent Blackwood says, “And your brother. Well, by the time he returns, it would be too late. Chances are Calabresi would have to kill him. Or…” He lets the alternative hang.
“Or what?”
He watches my reaction carefully. "Convenient how Luca stays in Italy while all this unfolds. Have you considered that he might have his own arrangement with Calabresi?"
My hackles rise. "My brother would never—"
"Wouldn't he? Surely, you’ve expressed to him your concerns. Has he planned to come home to help?”
I hate that his words make me doubt my own brother.
Maybe that’s the point.
"We can offer full immunity," Blackwood says, sliding a business card toward me. "For you and your father. A new life, if necessary. Before Marco makes his move."
The card sits between us like a bomb.
Taking it means I'm considering betrayal of everything my family stands for.
The FBI has destroyed families like mine for generations.
But if Marco truly plans to take everything…
I think of Isabella Ferraza, now Ginetti, and how last year she was caught between loyalty to her family and what she believed was justice for her mother by talking to the FBI.
She was forced into marriage with Roman Ginetti as punishment for her suspected betrayal.
Lucky for her, Roman is the type of man who knows love.
The reluctant bride now glows with happiness with her husband, his daughter, and now a new baby.
A fairy tale ending no one predicted.
My situation couldn't be more different.
If I'm caught talking with the FBI, there will be no convenient marriage to solve the problem.
No happy ending waiting to transform my fear into love.
Marco isn't Roman.
He's colder, more calculating.
And I'm not Isabella, innocent and manipulated.
I know exactly what I'm doing.
If I move against Marco and fail, there will be no convenient arrangement to save me.
I stand, dropping cash for my barely-touched meal. "I need to go."
"Take my card. When you realize I'm right, call me.”
I take the card reflexively, tucking it into my purse.
Not because I intend to use it but because I may need a contingency plan.
If I fail in my effort, I can get all I’ve learned to Agent Blackwood, who can finish what I’ve started… the total destruction of Marco Calabresi.