Chapter 7 - fractured trust
The room fell into absolute silence. The only sound was the steady patter of rain against the windowpane.
Victor stared at Hannah, his breath ragged, his mind racing through every memory of the past eight years. The pale-lavender dresses, the quiet laughter, the small hand clutching his suit jacket whenever she was scared.
"You're lying," Victor whispered, his voice dangerously low.
"I'm not lying, Don Victor!" Hannah cried, pulling a faded leather pouch from inside her dress collar. She handed it to Victor with trembling hands. "Clara gave me this before she died. Look inside."
Victor unzipped the pouch. Inside was a hand-written letter in Clara's graceful cursive script, along with two hospital identification bracelets from eight years ago.
One bracelet read: BABY GIRL MORETTI — MOTHER: CLARA MORETTI — 2:12 AM.
The second bracelet read: BABY GIRL MORETTI — MOTHER: ELENA MORETTI (SAL MORETTI) — 2:18 AM.
Victor read Clara’s letter rapidly under the lamp light:
Victor, my love—if you are reading this, I am already gone. Sal Moretti’s wife died in labor six doors down from me at St. Claire's. Sal tried to poison our daughter to ensure his own bloodline would inherit the Commission's combined territory. I traded our baby girl with Sal's motherless infant to keep our real child hidden as a servant's daughter until Sal was destroyed. Forgive me, Victor. Love both of them.
Victor’s hands shook so violently the letter nearly fell from his fingers.
"Boss," Marco whispered, standing at the door with his weapon raised. "What do we do?"
Victor folded the letter carefully and placed it in his pocket. He looked down at Mia, who was watching him with quiet, wide eyes. Then he thought of Ellie, sitting upstairs in the main mansion, waiting for him with her stuffed bear.
"Neither of these girls will ever be hurt," Victor said, his voice turning to steel. "Neither of them."
He turned on his heel and walked out of the cabin, marching back toward the main mansion.
"Marco," Victor said as they crossed the wet lawn. "Where is Celeste right now?"
"We locked her in the main library under guard, Boss," Marco replied.
Victor pulled open the heavy oak doors of the mansion and walked straight to the library. He threw the doors open.
Celeste was sitting on the velvet sofa, holding a glass of scotch, her expression no longer frightened or tearful. She looked up at Victor with a cold, victorious smirk.
"You found out, didn't you?" Celeste said smoothly, taking a sip of her drink. "You know Ellie belongs to Sal."
May you like
Victor took three slow steps into the room, stopping directly in front of her. "You knew all along."
"Of course I knew," Celeste sneered. "Sal is my brother, Victor. And now that the truth is out, the Commission will strip you of your title for raising a rival’s child as your heir."
