Chapter 2 - sealed files
Victor did not look back at Celeste. He gestured sharply with his hand, and Marco, his head of security, stepped out from the shadow of the hedge.
"Lock her in the west wing quarters," Victor commanded quietly. "No phones. No visitors. Put two men on the door."
"Victor, you can't lock me away!" Celeste shrieked as two burly security guards grabbed her by the arms. "The Commission knows! Sal Moretti knows!"
Victor ignored her screams as the guards dragged her away across the manicured lawn. He knelt on one knee in front of Ellie, gently brushing a strand of brown hair behind her ear.
"Are you hurt, sweetheart?" Victor asked, his deep voice softening.
Ellie shook her head, clutching her small silver charm necklace. "No, Daddy. But... Stepmom told a man on the phone yesterday that I wasn't a real Moretti. She said I was taken from a hospital in Chicago."
Victor’s jaw tightened. "She lied to you, Ellie. You are my daughter. Nothing will ever change that."
He stood up and looked at Marco. "Get the car. We're going to the city archives."
"Boss," Marco said, leaning in close. "The archives at St. Claire’s Hospital were closed six years ago after the fire. Everything was digitized onto private servers held by the Commission."
"Then we go to the Commission's vault," Victor said, his eyes dangerous.
Twenty minutes later, Victor’s black armored sedan pulled up outside the subterranean entrance of the Commission’s private legal building in Lower Manhattan. Victor walked through the heavy reinforced doors, his polished shoes echoing off the polished granite floor.
An elderly clerk in a black suit sat behind a bulletproof glass counter. When he recognized Victor, his face turned pale.
"Don Victor," the clerk stammered. "What can I do for you?"
"I want the original physical paper file for record number 8804," Victor said, setting his heavy palm on the marble counter. "The birth record for Ellie Moretti, June 14th, eight years ago."
The clerk typed rapidly into his terminal. His screen flashed red, displaying a high-security lock icon.
"I... I can't access it, Don Victor," the clerk whispered, cold sweat dripping down his temple. "This file was sealed under an executive order seven years ago. By order of Chief Obstetrician Dr. Robert Vance."
Victor leaned closer to the glass. "Where is Vance now?"
"He retired six years ago," the clerk gulped. "He lives in an isolated estate in Long Island. But Don Victor... someone accessed that file thirty minutes ago from an external terminal."
Victor narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
"The authorization code belonged to your brother, Julian," the clerk said.
Victor’s chest tightened. Julian Moretti had been banished from New York five years ago after an attempted coup against the family.
May you like
Victor pulled his phone out and dialed Marco. "Track Julian’s old communication frequencies. He’s back in New York."
"Boss!" Marco’s voice came through the speaker, tight with urgency. "We just got a signal ping from Dr. Vance's estate in Long Island. A fire broke out three minutes ago!"
