Chapter 4 - The hidden ledger
The estate held many secrets, but Julian’s were the most fiercely guarded. Dominic knew his younger brother had kept a private accounting ledger—a book that tracked the legitimate businesses Julian was trying to build to escape the mafia life. If Silas had orchestrated Julian’s death, the motive was undoubtedly tied to those records.
Late that night, while the estate slept, Dominic brought Hannah to the grand library. The room was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight. Dominic moved to a massive portrait of their father hanging on the far wall. He pressed a hidden mechanism behind the heavy gold frame, and the wall clicked open, revealing a small, dust-covered safe.
Hannah stood a few feet away, holding a sleeping Grace against her chest. She watched as Dominic input the code. The safe swung open.
Dominic reached inside and pulled out a small, black leather-bound book. He opened it, his eyes scanning the pages under the dim light of his phone. As he flipped through the ledger, his rugged face tightened into a mask of pure, lethal fury.
“What is it?” Hannah asked softly, stepping closer.
Dominic turned the book toward her. The last twenty pages of the ledger had been violently torn out.
“Silas already found it,” Dominic said, his voice a dangerous, low rumble. “Julian was transferring millions of dollars out of the syndicate’s illegal accounts and moving them into a legitimate trust fund for Grace. Silas found out. If Julian had succeeded, Silas’s criminal enterprises would have gone bankrupt.”
“He killed him for money,” Hannah whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she looked down at her sleeping daughter.
“He killed my brother to steal his empire,” Dominic corrected, closing the ruined ledger with a sharp snap. “And now he knows the true heir is sleeping under this roof. We are running out of time, Hannah. He will try to eliminate both of you.”
The heavy reality of their situation settled over them. Hannah looked at the legendary Mafia Boss. For all his immense power, he looked devastatingly burdened.
“What do we do?” she asked, her voice trembling but resilient.
Dominic stepped closer to her. He reached out, his hand gently brushing the soft brown hair away from her rosy cheek. The touch was incredibly tender for a man forged in violence.
“Tomorrow night, I am hosting the annual syndicate gala here at the estate,” Dominic said quietly. “All the capos will be present. I am going to expose Silas in front of the entire family. But until the trap is sprung, I need you to stay locked in the secure bunker beneath the east wing. Do not open the door for anyone but me.”
Hannah looked up into his deep, intense eyes. She trusted him. Despite the danger and the darkness of his world, Dominic Caruso made her feel safer than she had ever felt in her life.
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“I trust you, Dominic,” Hannah breathed.
Dominic’s gaze dropped to her lips for a fleeting, electrifying second before he pulled away. “I won't let anything happen to you, Hannah. I swear on my life.”
