"I am so sorry Maria I think I should have told you this sooner but your father was Raphael's younger brother."

Antonio's words rang in head.

"W-w-what?" That was it, the water was above the limit now.

"That's not possible. Dad can't lie to me. How could that be possible?" My heart started pounding. It was like I was dreaming. I shook my head.

I took his hand and squeezed.

"Please Antonio tell me it's just a jock."I looked at him hoping that it was some kind of joke but he looked at me with pained expression. He took my small and cold hands in his big and warm ones.

"I am serious Maria." he said.

How can this be possible? I mean How? Why?

All this information was spinning around my head and was making me dizzy and woozy.

All my life had been a lie. My father lied to me. I can't handle this right and I don't wanna cry in front of everyone. But I couldn't help it.

I looked at Antonio, like seriously stared into eyes, trying to convey a message that I couldn't handle it anymore. He looked in front of him and nodded, I bowed my head and my hair slid forward, covering my face like a curtain. I heard some shuffling and then we both were alone in the conference room.

I sniffled. He squeezed my hand. I did a feeble attempt to compose myself but a few tears left my eyes, I swiftly dashed them away with my fingers. He just sat there lending me strength with his hand and I took a deep breath with my mouth and let it out through my nose.

"Is that it or there's more?" I asked with my eyes turning cold with the contrast of my raspy voice. He was taken aback by that. But composed himself. He nodded.

"You really want to know?" he asked.

"Yes." I said with determination in my voice.

"Raphael had killed my sister."He dropped the first bomb.

He had a sister?

"And Alessandro is her son but Raphael killed her and her husband." He said with a clenched jaw. I gasped and one of my hands went to my mouth.

"I am so sorry." I whispered. Alessandro was so small, he didn't even know his real parents.

"You know why he killed them?" he said his nostrils flared with anger as he continued.

I shook my head, a little hesitating.

"Because he wanted to show us what he can do. I and your father were finding the proofs against him to send him behind the bars. I don't know from where he found out and he killed them to warn us. To bloody warn us." he shouted, making me jump.

I looked at him and was shell shocked. My heart was breaking for him. As more and more information was laid down, my shoulders were feeling heavy with some imaginary weight. It felt like I would get buried under this weight someday.

"I didn't know your father was still working on that and he succeeded. But you saw. What he did right?" He said softly.

"That damn bastard got his own brother killed...fottuto bastardo!" he said a little louder than before.

Goosebumps covered my skin by the time he was finished. This was too much, I wasn't sure if I would survive like this. There was danger and mystery at every step of this life. Death was like a usual thing here.

My mouth was dry as I gulped and clenched my shaking hands.

"But why is he after me?" I whispered.

"He wants that chip and there's something else we haven't figured out yet." I wasn't very assured by that.

................................