Chapter 6 - the empty grave
The midnight fog hung thick over the Moretti family mausoleum in Upstate New York.
Flashlights cut through the darkness as Marco and two loyal enforcers used iron crowbars to break the ancient stone seal of Elena Moretti's marble vault.
Victor stood at the entrance, his broad frame unmoving, his black coat pulled tight against the damp wind.
With a heavy metallic groan, the bronze casket was slid out onto the stone floor. Marco used a crowbar to pop the heavy latches, lifting the lid.
The beam of Victor’s flashlight illuminated the velvet lining inside.
The casket was completely empty.
Resting on the silk pillow where his wife's head should have been was a leather-bound journal and a set of forged medical records from St. Jude’s Hospital.
Victor picked up the journal, flipping to the final entry dated ten years ago:
If Victor finds this vault, he will know the fire was a lie. Celeste took the baby to Chicago under Adrian's orders. I have to go into hiding before they realize I kept the second document.
Victor turned to Marco, his voice low and lethal. "Celeste didn't just try to steal my signet ring today. She’s been running a decade-long blackmail operation against my family."
"What second document, Don Victor?" Marco asked.
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"The original Moretti Bloodline Charter," Victor said. "The document that legally dictates who controls the syndicate's fifty-million-dollar asset trust."
Victor pulled out his phone and dialed his head lawyer. "Freeze every asset tied to Celeste’s accounts. We're launching a full strike on the Cross territory tonight."
