Chapter 4 - THE TRUST GABRIEL HID
Gabriel’s trust was worth eleven million dollars.
Not Bellini empire money.
Personal.
Quiet.
A portfolio of legitimate investments and property Gabriel accumulated separately.
He created it six months before his death.
Beneficiary:
Any biological child born to his then-partner.
Name intentionally omitted.
Trustee:
Dr. Evelyn Mercer until age seventy.
Successor:
Laura Mercer.
Activation condition:
Confirmation of paternity.
And acknowledgment by Gabriel’s nearest surviving sibling if Gabriel died before the child’s birth.
Dominic stared at the clause.
“Why me?”
Grace read.
“To prevent hostile Bellini family members from challenging lineage.”
Dominic laughed bitterly.
Gabriel trusted him just enough to make him gatekeeper.
Not enough to tell him.
Evelyn explained.
“Gabriel believed if the child remained anonymous, he could have a normal childhood.”
“Then why create an acknowledgment requirement?”
“Because he was afraid somebody would claim the trust later.”
Reasonable.
Painful.
Laura continued.
“Ethan’s mother, Claire, planned to tell you after Ethan turned twelve.”
“Why twelve?”
“She thought he’d be old enough to understand.”
Dominic looked at the screen.
“She died?”
“Five years ago.”
“Car accident?”
“Cancer.”
Dominic nodded.
A child lost his mother at five.
Lila lost hers at four.
That hurt unexpectedly.
“What did Ethan know?”
“Almost nothing.”
“About Gabriel?”
“He knew his father died before he was born.”
“My name?”
“No.”
“Until Veronica.”
Laura’s jaw tightened.
“She showed him photographs.”
Dominic felt rage.
“Without permission?”
“Yes.”
“What did she tell him?”
“That you knew about him and rejected him.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
There it was.
Veronica had been hurting both children.
Lila:
You can be replaced.
Ethan:
You were rejected.
Two frightened children made easier to manipulate.
Dominic asked:
“Why did you agree to the test?”
Laura looked ashamed.
“She said you would refuse acknowledgment without it.”
“And the school?”
“She arranged a private collection there.”
“With your consent?”
“Yes.”
Dominic nodded.
Not stolen in Ethan’s case.
Stolen only from Lila.
Grace asked:
“Why test Ethan against Lila instead of Dominic?”
Laura frowned.
“Veronica said Dominic’s legal team required sibling confirmation first.”
Grace stared at Dominic.
“Nonsense.”
He knew.
Veronica avoided using Dominic’s DNA because he would learn immediately.
She needed proof privately first.
Then she could decide how to weaponize it.
Dominic asked:
“Has Ethan received the trust?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“We never completed acknowledgment.”
“Because?”
Laura looked at him.
“Veronica told us you wanted to meet Ethan only after your wedding.”
Dominic laughed softly.
Of course.
The wedding.
Everything waited until marriage.
Why?
Grace answered that later.
Because the Bellini Family Legacy Trust had a spousal governance clause.
If Dominic married and then died or became incapacitated, his spouse could temporarily vote certain family holdings until Lila reached adulthood.
But Gabriel’s acknowledged son would complicate succession.
Not necessarily inherit Dominic’s share.
But his existence could alter family governance.
Veronica needed to know exactly how.
She had obtained both children’s DNA.
Examined Gabriel’s trust.
Studied Dominic’s estate.
Then began telling Lila her bloodline could end.
Grace looked grim.
“She may have been setting up a succession dispute.”
Dominic stared.
“Why?”
“To make herself necessary.”
Michael added:
“Or trustee.”
Dominic looked at both.
Veronica had no child with him.
Marriage alone gave limited temporary power.
But if she could present herself as the person managing conflict between two Bellini children—
Lila and Ethan—
she could expand influence.
Maybe persuade Dominic to restructure.
Maybe pressure him using the hidden son.
The exact plan remained unclear.
Then Laura said something through the video link.
“There’s another problem.”
Dominic looked back.
“Ethan is missing.”
His body went cold.
“What?”
“He left school this morning.”
“Voluntarily?”
“Security footage shows him leaving with a woman.”
Dominic already knew.
“Veronica.”
Laura shook her head.
“No.”
She turned her laptop.
A still image.
Woman in a beige coat.
Dark hair.
Older.
Dominic stared.
He recognized her immediately.
Sofia Bellini.
His mother’s younger sister.
Aunt Teresa.
A woman who had disappeared from the family seventeen years ago after accusing Dominic of destroying Gabriel’s life.
Dominic whispered:
May you like
“Teresa.”
Another old wound had just entered the story.
