I Noticed My Maid’s Son Had the Same Birthmark as Me—Then His Hospital Papers Listed Me as His Father.

Claire froze at his words. The room felt suffocatingly small.

Seven years ago, before the blood, the funerals, and the threats, Victor hadn't looked at her like a mob boss. He had been a man weighed down by an empire he never asked to inherit, sitting on the greenhouse floor while she trimmed orchids, talking about escaping to a ranch out west.

"You never said those words back then," Claire whispered.

"I didn't have the right to," Victor answered, his hand slowly dropping back to his side. "The war was at our doorstep. Marco had just been assassinated, and the Moretti family offered an alliance. I thought keeping you at a distance would keep you alive. Instead, I handed you straight to wolves."

A sharp knock broke the tension. Mateo stepped inside, holding a thin leather folder.

"Boss, we have an issue."

Victor straightened instantly, the cold Don slipping back over his features. "What is it?"

"We pulled the phone records from Celeste's confiscated mobile," Mateo said, glancing cautiously at Claire. "She wasn't lying about one thing. She didn't reactivate Marco's keycard."

Victor’s eyes narrowed. "Then who did?"

"The keycard was used from inside the house while Celeste was still at the airport in Milan," Mateo explained, opening the file to reveal security timestamps. "And that's not all. The temp agency that sent Claire here tonight? They didn't receive an anonymous request. The agency received a wire transfer from an offshore bank account in the Cayman Islands."

Victor took the paper, scanning the account number. His breath caught in his throat.

"What is that account?" Claire asked, sensing the sudden shift in his demeanor.

Victor didn't answer right away. He ran his fingers along the printed account code.

"This account belongs to Marco's private estate," Victor said, his voice barely audible. "The trust fund set up to pay out his funeral expenses and settle his debts."

"Marco's lawyer has been managing that fund for eight years," Mateo added quietly. "Old man Sterling."

"Sterling retired to Florida five years ago," Victor said. "Who has been signing the checks?"