"I, Francesco Altieri, hereby pledge to appoint Antonio Gerco as Minister, should he succeed in assassinating the rebel Lorenzo De Rossi."
Leonardo stared at the contract, stunned. Shock pulsed through his chest like a lightning strike. Questions flooded his mind, tumbling over one another in a storm of confusion.
Who was Lorenzo? What was his connection to Antonio? How did that mysterious stranger know his father? Was Antonio truly once a poor man who became a noble by murdering this Lorenzo? Was it all really just about power… or was there something deeper?
The thoughts twisted in Leonardo's chest, desperate for an escape.
Downstairs, Antonio and Catherine were already seated at the breakfast table. When Leonardo didn't show up, Catherine said with concer: "I'll go call him."
But before she could leave, Leonardo's voice called from the stairs: "No need, Mother. I'm coming."
Antonio looked up at him: "You're late, Leonardo."
Leonardo felt a heaviness in his chest how could his father be a traitor and deceiver?
"No reason" he replied quickly, and he said: "I just overslept."
Antonio sensed the dishonesty in his tone, but chose not to press the issue. The family quietly ate their breakfast, then went about their day.
Leonardo walked to the shop in a daze. When he arrived, everyone had already started working. He realized he had arrived far too late.
Matteo noticed him and approached: "You're late today. Everything alright?"
Leonardo, lost in thought and not in the mood for conversation, replied flatly: "I'm fine. Just overslept."
Both young men were weighed down by their thoughts.
Matteo couldn't stop thinking about the upcoming meeting he was desperate to learn the truth about his father. Leonardo, on the other hand, was tormented by the truth he had already discovered, and what it meant for the man he had always looked up to.
The next morning, Matteo woke with the sunrise. He dressed, had a quick breakfast, and left for work. But all he could think about was the coming dawn and what he might discover.
As for Leonardo, he was waiting eager and anxious for his daily letter from the mysterious stranger. After his morning routine, he hurried to the garden, reached for the mailbox, and, sure enough, found another envelope waiting for him. This one read:
"Come tomorrow at dawn to the hilltop. Everything will be revealed. All your questions will be answered."
Leonardo had been expecting this. There was no hesitation in his heart he would go.
The sky began to paint itself in shades of morning light. Both Matteo and Leonardo quietly prepared for the mysterious meeting, neither of them aware that the other would be there. Leonardo slipped out of the palace without waking anyone. Soon, he arrived at the hilltop.
There stood a familiar old man waiting patiently (Giovanni).
"I've been expecting you," Giovanni said calmly.
Leonardo approached, his tone steady but demanding: "How do you know my father? And what do you want from me?"
Before Giovanni could answer, a second voice cut through the morning stillness: "Leonardo?!"
Leonardo turned, shocked: "Matteo?! What are you doing here?"
Giovanni raised a hand to quiet them: "I brought you both here for the same reason."
Before they could respond, Giovanni continued: "There's no need for questions yet. I've summoned you to revive a hope that was once buried. You two… will be the ones to bring it back to life."
Leonardo frowned: "What are you talking about?"
Giovanni took a deep breath and began:
"Over fifteen years ago, when oppression began to crush this island, a prominent merchant named Lorenzo De Rossi formed a secret resistance against the rule of the Altieri family. I was with him… and so was Antonio. Together, the three of us founded a group known as FALCO. It stands for (Federazione Armata per la Libertà Contro l'Oppressione)… It means (The Armed Federation for Freedom Against Oppression). At first, everything went well. But jealousy crept into Antonio's heart. The people saw Lorenzo as a beacon of hope, a leader. Antonio resented that. So he betrayed us. He approached Francesco Altieri and offered to eliminate Lorenzo in exchange for a position of power. Francesco agreed. One night, during a meeting in Lorenzo's warehouse, Antonio set the place ablaze. He escaped, leaving Lorenzo and the rest of us to burn. Only two people survived that night… me and my son, Marco who was just six years old at the time. After that, everything changed. Antonio rose among the nobility. Lorenzo died. And with him… FALCO was buried."
Shock washed over both Matteo and Leonardo especially Leonardo, who had just learned the horrific truth about his father.
Giovanni raised a hand, signaling someone in the distance. A young man stepped forward Marco, the same one Matteo had seen at the store before.
"You?!" Matteo exclaimed.
Marco greeted them warmly: "It's an honor to meet you."
Leonardo turned to Matteo: "You know him?"
"Yes," Matteo nodded: "He came to me at the store and asked me to come here a week ago."
Giovanni interrupted again: "This is my son, Marco. He'll be with us moving forward. I've brought you here… so we can rebuild FALCO. Together."
To be continued...