Chapter 4 - the shadow in the foyer
By 8:00 AM the following morning, the sun broke bright and clear over Lake Michigan, casting long golden shapes across the marble floors of the Moretti estate foyer.
Seven-year-old Sophia sat in her pale-pink wheelchair near the grand staircase, holding a cup of warm cocoa that Hannah had prepared for her. She wore a clean pale-blue dress, her light brown hair styled neatly.
Standing beside her was Dr. Clare Benton, who was guiding Sophia through light stretch exercises.
The heavy front doors of the mansion were pushed open by two private security guards.
Stepping into the foyer was Dominic Moretti—Luca’s sixty-five-year-old uncle. Dominic was a sharp, arrogant man with slicked-back gray hair, wearing an expensive charcoal pinstriped suit, holding a gold-headed walking cane. Flanked by three broad-shouldered enforcers, Dominic walked into the house as if he owned the foundation beneath his feet.
"Luca!" Dominic’s harsh voice echoed off the plaster ceilings. "What is the meaning of this security lockdown?! My private drivers were stopped at the main gate!"
From the top of the grand staircase, heavy, deliberate footsteps sounded.
Luca descended the stairs slowly, dressed in a tailored black suit and black shirt, his hands resting casually in his trousers pockets, his towering broad frame radiating a terrifying aura of quiet judgment.
Beside him walked Hannah, dressed in an elegant cream dress that Luca's staff had provided, her posture proud and unshakeable.
Dominic stopped near the marble fountain, his eyes narrowing as he recognized Hannah. "You... what is this hotel waitress doing in my nephew's house?"
Luca reached the foot of the stairs, stopping three feet from his uncle. His dark eyes locked onto Dominic with razor-sharp intensity.
"She's here because three years ago, she saved my daughter from the river you tried to drown her in, uncle," Luca said, his deep voice carrying a thunderous, lethal calm.
Dominic’s face went sheet-white for a fraction of a second before he forced a sneer. "You're listening to the lies of a common hotel servant, Luca?! She’s an extortionist looking for a payday!"
Luca pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed play.
The recorded voice filled the grand foyer, echoing off every wall: Never contact the Moretti family again.
Dominic’s jaw clenched tightly. His hand gripped his gold-headed walking cane until his knuckles turned white.
"You're done, Dominic," Luca growled softly. "Effective at noon today, you are stripped of your seat on the executive council, your security clearance is revoked, and Dr. Harrison has been taken into federal custody."
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Dominic stepped closer, his eyes wild with desperate rage. "You can't strip my seat without a full vote from the High Syndicate Council in New York, Luca! They will never recognize the word of a waitress and a disgraced doctor!"
"We'll see about that at midnight, uncle," Luca whispered coldly. "Leave my house."
