Colli di Como — 8:00 p.m. — Villa Billi — One-Year Memorial for Melinda Billi
Tonight, Villa Billi feels more like a black market than a house of mourning. On the one-year anniversary of his mother Melinda Billi's death, Joshua Billi can barely hide his scorn. The main ballroom where his mother's altar was located was now filled with his grandfather's guests.
Instead of praying for his mother, Joshua knew very well that the guests, ranging from the elite to Milanese officials, who had come tonight had other intentions. They were willing to travel an hour to the hills of Colli di Como not to pray for Melinda Billi, but to curry favor and gain advantages from the Billi family. His grandfather, Dimitri Billi, instead of leading the prayers, was busy with business discussions.
Joshua stood frozen in front of his mother's altar. Around him, whispers about the profits of the Billi Defense Consortium were louder than the prayers. Banking, food, and military contracts—eighty percent of the country's business was under the control of the Billi family.
"Mom, I'm sorry I'm late," Joshua whispered hoarsely. His fingers touched the edge of Melinda's photo frame. His eyes burned, but he forced a bitter smile when his ears caught a whisper from behind him.
"Look at him. He still has the nerve to show his face after destroying the Billi family's honor," whispered a man contemptuously. "The trash who killed his own mother."
Joshua gripped the edge of the altar. The insults made his back burn. Suddenly, the room felt tilted. The image of the slippery deck, the raging storm, and the moment his mother's fingers slipped from his grasp came flooding back to him.
CRACK!
His trembling elbow accidentally knocked the crystal vase next to the photo. The vase shattered into pieces. Joshua gasped, his head feeling as if it were splitting apart by the flashback of Melinda's last scream.
"Damn kid! Get out!"
The harsh shout forced Joshua back to his senses. He looked up to find a giant bodyguard standing next to Dimitri Billi, who was staring at him expressionlessly.
"You think your presence here is an honor?" Dimitri's voice was calm, but his eyes were filled with hatred.
Joshua returned his grandfather's gaze, even though his knees were trembling. "She's my mother. You have no right to forbid me."
Dimitri's face reddened. "Don't call her your mother! You are the reason she suffered. Melinda must regret having a child like you, you killed her!"
"It was an accident!" The veins in Joshua's neck stood out as he forced his voice, which then broke at the end of the sentence.
CRACK!
Dimitri's hand suddenly slapped Joshua's cheek, jerking his head to the side roughly. His glasses flew into the air, ending up in pieces on the marble floor.
"You are a curse," Dimitri hissed sharply. "From this moment on, you are no longer part of Bill's family. Our blood ties are severed! Drag him out!" Dimitri paused for a moment before finally barking harshly, "Make sure he doesn't have the strength to crawl back here!"
Two guards immediately grabbed Joshua's arms. Joshua struggled, but a strong fist landed on his jaw and stomach, causing his vision to darken for a moment. Warm blood began to drip from the corner of his mouth, staining his white shirt as he was dragged past a row of guests who just watched while holding their glasses.
THUD!
The giant teak door slammed shut in front of his face. Joshua lay on the cold marble terrace. His stomach throbbed from the guards' blows.
He got up slowly, dragging his feet towards his late mother's silver sedan parked at the end of the driveway. Joshua got into the cabin, slammed the door shut, and immediately stepped on the gas pedal. He had to get away from this place before he lost his mind.
The car sped off, cutting through the quiet expanse of the Northgrave vineyards. The radio announcer's voice broke the silence, broadcasting a news story that made Joshua's grip on the steering wheel freeze for a moment.
"...a shocking development related to the one-year anniversary of the Superyacht L'Eterno tragedy. Data previously declared permanently damaged by seawater corrosion was successfully recovered by an independent digital forensics team tonight. The audio recording leaked to the public captured the fatal moment when Joshua Billi's lawyer allegedly deliberately let go of his mother's hand in the middle of the storm. Italian authorities have now reopened the case on suspicion of premeditated murder..."
His breath caught in his throat, while his heartbeat seemed to stop. "No... not like that..." he whispered desperately. His career was ruined, his family had abandoned him, and now the world branded him a murderer.
Joshua's thoughts immediately drifted to the cold ICU room, where Selena, his only sister, lay with various tubes supporting her life. Selena's medical expenses were skyrocketing, and so far, only the big name "Billi" had guaranteed that the machines would keep running. Now, after Dimitri had abandoned him and the law was after him, Joshua knew his bank account would be frozen within hours.
"If I'm imprisoned, who will take care of Selena?" The voice in his head screamed. Who would make sure the ventilator kept pumping air into her lungs?
Joshua stared at the abyss at the end of the road with a blank look. His logic left only one conclusion: there was no way back.
For him, this world was a prison created by Dimitri, and Joshua refused to rot in it while watching his sister die slowly because of their poverty.
If he had to be destroyed, he wanted to be destroyed on his own terms—following his mother to a quieter depth. To a place where he could apologize to the hand he failed to hold that night.
"I'm sorry, Selena. My death must look like an accident. At least, the life insurance money will be paid out and can pay for your treatment for the next few years. That's the only useful thing a cowardly brother like me can do," he thought bitterly, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He stared at the small photo of Selena stuck to the dashboard—the girl was smiling before the boat accident took her consciousness. Joshua closed his eyes for a moment, imagining the sound of his sister's heartbeat, which now depended on his decision.
"This is for you, Sel," he whispered hoarsely. Then he pressed the gas pedal hard. The car's engine roared loudly, breaking the silence of the night in the hills of Como. The speedometer climbed rapidly, 120... 130... 140 km/h.
In the darkness of the deserted road, a pair of red lights appeared in front of him. A black sedan was moving very slowly and seemed to be swaying. The car moved like a rudderless boat, occasionally touching the road barrier. Joshua honked his horn repeatedly, but the car in front of him suddenly turned sharply, blocking Joshua's path completely.
"Damn!"
Joshua slammed on the brakes as hard as he could. The tires screeched on the asphalt.
CRASH!
The collision was unavoidable. The airbag deployed, hitting Joshua in the chest and face, knocking all the air out of his lungs. The world spun before finally coming to a stop in an eerie silence.
Joshua gasped for air, his chest tight from the impact of the airbag. He gritted his teeth, forcing his legs, which were pinned under the dashboard, free. Limping, he got out of the car.
He approached the black sedan he had hit. Thin smoke began to creep from under the hood.
To Joshua's eyes, the car looked elegant with a special license plate that indicated the owner was not just anyone. Joshua's hand slowly knocked on the dark window.
"Sir? Are you okay?"
There was no answer. Only silence.
Joshua pulled the front door handle, only to find that it was locked. He moved to the rear door handle, which was unlocked.
He crawled inside, his heart racing faster when his gaze stopped at the driver's seat. There, a man in an expensive suit was leaning stiffly. His eyes were closed, there was a small bullet hole lodged in his temple From there, fresh blood flowed incessantly, staining his white shirt and leather seat.
"Gunshot wound..." Joshua muttered. He checked the man's neck for a pulse, but there was none.
As he was about to pull away, his eyes caught a tattoo on the man's neck, a circle with a thin line dividing the middle. The symbol felt familiar in his throbbing head.
Tick... tick... tick...
The sound came from under the dashboard. As a lawyer who often handled criminal cases, he knew that sound. The thick smoke was not coming from a broken engine, but from a triggered circuit, a bomb.
Joshua gasped. Joshua gasped. His logic told him to run, but his instincts forced him not to let this body burn to ashes. He couldn't bear to imagine the body becoming nameless ashes that couldn't be returned to his family.
Joshua grabbed the man's shoulders. The pain in his ribs screamed in protest as he pushed forward from the back seat, his hands trembling as he reached for the front door handle.
Click.
The door opened. Joshua immediately got out, then spun quickly to the driver's side. He grabbed the man's armpits, pulling the body out from behind the wheel just as smoke began spewing flames from under the dashboard.
Tick... tick... tick...
KABOOM!
Just as Joshua dragged the body one step, the car exploded. The shockwave hit Joshua. Joshua's world turned white. His arm felt like it had been doused in molten metal. The burning heat seared through his shirt. His body was thrown, hitting the asphalt hard before rolling into the bushes.
For a few seconds, Joshua felt only a sharp, torturous ringing. When his vision returned, the car was a ball of fire. Joshua lay on the ground, breathing short and shallow. In the palm of his hand, he realized he was clutching a necklace with a split circle symbol—caught as he dragged the man earlier.
Slowly, the pain piercing his body began to fade, replaced by a cold numbness. Darkness began to swallow his consciousness as the fire in the distance slowly dimmed in his vision.