Page 84 of Fractured
The stipulation of receiving this inheritance is she must be married to a member of the Family Organization before the age of 25.
If no child was born from the union at the time of her death or before she reaches the age of 25. The estate will then revert in its entirety to Robert Gallo, as sole beneficiary.
My hands are shaking so bad, and I can’t read the paper anymore. Sweat has broken out over my forehead and my hands are clammy. Isabella is the sole heir of Angelo Gallows' estate. Robert is the trustee, and in less than a year and a half, this all gets transferred over to Isabella.
I put down Will and glance at Carlos, who is relieved but also looks ashamed.
I let my rage get the best of me. I made my decision based on the information I had at the moment, rather than waiting for all of it. I simply responded, and Carlos couldn't stop me in time. It all makes sense why he wanted her to marry me and get her out of his house that day. If she was under my care, he knew the wedding would go forward as he had planned.
Christopher grabs the will out of my shaking hands and starts to read. Sebastian pushes out of his chair and goes around the table to stand over Christopher’s shoulder and read.
I’m shocked and stunned, and I feel sick. I need a minute to process this. Something isn’t right? I don’t understand. Why are all the accounts in her name? Why is Robert siphoning offthe funds from the Mine and using her to do it? It’s millions and millions of dollars.
The amount of her trust wouldn’t even come close to that amount. So not only is he after our seats and my father’s position, he’s after Isabella as well. The realization of Roberts’ greed hits me square in the chest. He needs her dead in order to inherit, and he plans to take us all with her.
Sebastian rips the will out of Christopher’s hands. Christopher goes to grab it back. “Hey bro, what the fuck?”
“Shut up.” He slaps Christopher’s hand away, concentrating as he walks towards my father and puts the paper down.
“See this.” He points to the paper, and a list of accounts and numbers are scrolled across the bottom. My father slides it closer to look at it.
Sebastian chuckles. “I have to give Robert credit. He does have an incredibly good hacker and has kept me on my toes for the last few weeks, but you see this?” He points to a bunch of banking information on the last few pages.
Sebastian smiles. “This means those eight accounts listed there are the bank account numbers used for Isabella’s trust fund under Angelo’s name. I know those numbers off the back of my hand. I’ve been watching them for weeks. She needs to sign every three months to receive the funds deposited into her account. She’s been doing that for the last 5 years. I never paid close enough attention. It was under Angelos's name, I just assumed they were part of the Trust for Robert.”
My father flips through a few more pages as he quietly says, “Robert took care of Angelo Estate after he passed. I had… other pressing matters to take care of.”
Carlos pipes up finally, saying, “What better way to hide and launder money than through a dead man’s account?”
I put my elbows on the table and sink my hands in my hair. Jesus, this is a nightmare. He used her all along, and I, being the asshole, fell for it. The crafty bastard.
Christopher points to the letter in front of my father. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but don’t you think you should read this?”
No one sees it but me. My father’s fingers lightly shake as he reaches for the envelope and opens it. There’s more to this story than he’s telling us, and hopefully by the end of this letter, he’s going to tell us everything.
To whomever is reading this letter,
If you are holding this letter in your hands, that means that I’m dead.
You found my cousin, and you found the safe deposit box. I can only hope that you will follow my wishes as written below.
If you haven’t read the Will first, please do so before reading on. If you have, you know why I am entrusting you with this information. And you know why I need you to protect the only thing on this earth that means anything to me.
My granddaughter, Isabella Gallo.
She is a sweet and loving girl, unlike her father, who is most likely the cause of my demise. As any father can understand, they don’t want to admit that their son could be this malicious and cruel. But mine is.
Please give this information to Amato Russo and his sons. He is like a brother to me; he is my best friend, and he will protect her. Robert will kill her, be it his daughter or not. His ambition has grown larger than I can contain, and I fear for us both.
But if you’re reading this, it’s too late for me, but not for her. She is only 9 years old right now. I cannot bring myself to warn her. She is too small to understand. He is her father, and like any good parent, I don’t want to tarnish his image in her eyes.
Amato, my brother.
My heart is heavy as I write these words. Both you and Chiara will be here tonight for supper, and I think of all the good times we have had over the years, which makes writing these words even harder. I had hoped we would be old and gray together one day, watching our grandchildren play. And who knows, maybe we will have that. But if I am gone, I will miss you, my brother. I only ask that you look after my Isabella.
Robert is cruel to her and will twist her into a million pieces before she reaches her maturity. Watch him. His ambition knows no bounds, and unfortunately, no limits. Protect her.
Love you, brother.
