Chapter 1
The silence in the grand ballroom was absolute, heavy with the terrifying weight of Damian Moretti’s unspoken wrath. The shattered mahogany pieces of the delicate antique music box lay scattered across the polished marble floor, surrounded by the absolute wreckage of the towering dessert display. Celeste knelt among the crushed cakes, crystal stands, and silver trays, her extravagant emerald evening gown ruined. Her fair, rosy skin, usually flushed with arrogance, had drained to a ghostly, sickly pale.
Damian stood over her, an immovable mountain in his perfectly tailored midnight-black tuxedo. He held the tiny newborn hospital bracelet in one hand and the aged, folded note in the other. His rugged, deeply masculine face betrayed no panic, only a frightening, ice-cold calculation that made the temperature in the room plummet.
"I asked you a question, Celeste," Damian repeated, his deep American accent vibrating with lethal authority. "Why does this note say my daughter had a twin?"
Celeste swallowed hard, her diamond necklace glittering violently as her chest heaved. "Damian, please listen to me. I only found out yesterday. I was trying to protect you from a scandal!"
"Protect me?" Damian’s voice dropped to a dangerous, terrifying whisper. He did not yell, but the sheer force of his presence pushed her back. He turned his intense gaze toward his men. "Clear the room. Now."
The elite bodyguards in dark suits immediately mobilized, herding the gasping, wealthy guests toward the heavy mahogany doors. The orchestra had long since fled. Within seconds, the massive ballroom was completely empty, save for Damian, Celeste, Lila, and three loyal guards.
May you like
Lila stood near her father’s polished leather shoes, her pale-pink party dress trembling slightly. She looked up with bright, innocent eyes, her satin ribbon askew. "Daddy? Do I have a brother? The paper says a boy."
Damian crouched down slowly, his broad shoulders shielding his daughter from Celeste's venomous glare. "I do not know yet, sweetheart," Damian answered, his voice softening entirely. "But I promise you, I am going to find out."
