Chapter 8 - the silver locket
By four in the morning, the storm had finally passed, leaving the night sky clear and studded with brilliant stars over the ocean.
Inside the warm sanctuary of the master suite, Clare sat beside Dominic near the glass fireplace. Ellie was fast asleep in the adjacent bedroom, tucked safely under plush silk blankets.
Dominic sat back against the leather sofa, his long legs stretched out toward the fire. Clare leaned against his side, her head resting comfortably on his broad chest, her hand resting over his heart.
From his pocket, Dominic pulled out a small, tarnished silver locket attached to a delicate chain—an item Vincent had retrieved from Arthur Voss’s private vault during the midnight raid.
"What is that?" Clare asked softly, looking down at the antique silver piece.
"This belonged to my late mother," Dominic explained softly, his thumb gently tracing the intricate floral engraving on the silver cover. "It disappeared from this house twenty years ago, around the time Arthur joined our family."
He pressed the tiny spring latch. The silver locket popped open.
Inside rested two microscopic photographs. On the left was a picture of Dominic’s mother as a young woman. On the right was a photograph of a young woman with soft brown hair and familiar brown eyes.
Clare gasped, sitting up straight on the sofa. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the photograph on the right.
"That's... that's my grandmother," Clare whispered in absolute shock, her voice shaking. "My mother gave me a picture of her just like this before she passed away!"
Dominic looked from the locket straight into Clare’s eyes, a look of profound, breathtaking realization sweeping across his rugged face.
"Your grandmother wasn't just a housekeeper in Chicago, Clare," Dominic revealed softly. "She was my mother's younger sister... who vanished during the syndicate split thirty years ago."
May you like
Clare covered her mouth with both hands, tears of pure emotion glistening in her eyes. "I... I have Vale blood?"
"You are a Vale, Clare," Dominic declared with absolute, unquestionable certainty. He reached out, framing her face in his large, warm hands, pulling her close. "The Vance family didn't just target you for forty million dollars. They were trying to eradicate the last living bloodline of my mother's family... and bring this entire empire to its knees."
