In the September 11 episode of Days of our Lives, Chad and Belle followed another clue through Rome and finally arrived at something much more useful than another cryptic word or mysterious bottle of champagne. Their latest breadcrumb led them to a palazzo owned by Dominic Marino, the same reclusive billionaire buying the Kiriakis mansion. Considering someone has already been watching Chad, Belle, and EJ while moving pieces on Stefano’s chessboard, Marino suddenly looks a lot less like a random rich guy with excellent real-estate timing.
Key Takeaways
- Chad and Belle received another clue, apparently planted for them in real time.
- The clue led them to a palazzo in Rome.
- The address matched numbers previously found in the chess-set mystery.
- The palazzo is owned by Dominic Marino, who is also buying the Kiriakis mansion.
- Someone continues to actively steer Chad and Belle through Stefano’s game.
What Happened on DAYS
Someone mysteriously made Chad (Conner Floyd) and Belle (Martha Madison) a restaurant reservation they knew nothing about. What first looked like a phone number instead pointed them toward Villa Milano, and further decoding led them to a green palazzo with stairs.
Then Chad noticed the address, 737, matched the first three digits of the serial number of the money previously discovered inside the chess set. Paul (Christopher Sean) supplied the kicker.
The building had once been a convent of the Holy Trinity, tying back to the Celtic-knot clue, and its current owner is Dominic Marino. Yes, the same Dominic Marino who has already signed paperwork to buy the Kiriakis mansion.
Why It Matters
The biggest change is that these clues no longer feel like dusty instructions Stefano left behind decades ago. Somebody knew where Chad and Belle were, arranged a reservation for them, and supplied information they could decode on the spot. EJ (Dan Feuerriegel, who teased where his character is a year from now) even realized the clues were being fed to them in real time, although he suspected Dr. Rolf (Richard Wharton).
Marino now connects two seemingly separate stories. He owns the Roman palazzo sitting at the end of Chad and Belle’s latest trail, and he is also swooping in to purchase the Kiriakis estate back in Salem. That could still be a coincidence, but Salem has never been particularly generous with coincidences.
The Fallout
The obvious question is whether Marino is the mystery man sitting beside Stefano’s portrait, wearing Stefano’s ring, and watching the trio from afar. We do not know that yet. But if the clues keep leading toward his property, Marino has moved from background name to prime suspect awfully fast.
Then there is Rita (Maggie Carney). EJ told her that someone was somehow feeding Chad and Belle information, and her surprise did not exactly scream authenticity before he clarified that he suspected Rolf.
Rita has already proven she can keep things from EJ, so she remains worth watching closely. If Marino really is running Stefano’s old game, he may already have someone inside the DiMera house helping him move the pieces.
MORE: Here’s what’s coming up on DAYS.
