Chapter 2 - The Name on the Parchment
As Derek and Brittany stepped into the wide, marble-tiled main corridor, the ambient chatter of the floor died down instantly.
Nurses at the central admissions counter froze in place. Two hospital security guards instinctively took a step back against the wall, their posture stiffening with palpable anxiety.
Stepping off the private elevator at the far end of the hallway was Luca Moretti.
At forty-two, Luca was the most feared figure in New York—a powerful logistics magnate and Mafia boss whose command over the city was legendary. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and sharply handsome, with dark swept-back hair, intense eyes, and light stubble outlining a stone-carved jawline. Subtle ink crept up his neck and across the back of his hands. He wore an immaculate fitted black suit, black dress shirt, luxury watch, and polished black shoes.
Walking half a step behind him was Marco Russo, his imposing forty-five-year-old head of security, dressed entirely in black with a discreet earpiece.
Luca walked with a calm, intimidating grace that dominated the room. His piercing eyes swept across the hallway, catching the exact moment Derek pushed past Emma’s open door, leaving the heartbroken mother alone with her baby.
Luca stopped just outside room 402. He looked through the open doorway at Emma, who was softly crying over her swaddled infant.
Without a word to his guards, Luca turned and walked into the room.
Emma looked up, startled by the sudden shadow filling her doorway. She didn't know who he was, but the sheer power radiating from his presence made her breath hitch.
Luca stopped beside her bed. His cold, dangerous expression softened ever so slightly as his eyes fell upon little Lily sleeping peacefully in Emma’s arms.
"He’s a coward," Luca said, his voice a low, controlled rumble that echoed softly in the quiet room.
Emma stared at him in disbelief, her hands trembling around the pink blanket.
Luca’s gaze shifted to the unsigned birth certificate lying on the wooden tray. Without waiting for an invitation, he picked up the clipboard, walked out of the room, and stepped directly up to the central admissions counter.
The young nurse behind the desk swallowed hard, her hands shaking as Luca laid the paper down before her.
Luca uncapped a sleek silver pen from his jacket pocket. He looked back over his shoulder at Emma, who had stepped out into the corridor holding Lily.
May you like
"Write my name beside hers," Luca said quietly.
The entire hallway fell into complete, breathless silence.
