Chapter 2 - The Serpent in the House
The subterranean interrogation room beneath the Romano estate smelled of damp lime and aged copper. Valerio—the head butler who had served the family for over fifteen years—knelt on the cold stone floor, trembling violently under the swaying amber glow of a single overhead bulb.
Alessandro leaned against the opposite wall, his gaze as sharp as a razor slicing through the dark.
"Three months ago, a woman named Elena Vance was hired in the servants' quarters," Alessandro began, his voice dangerously soft. "Who brought her file to your desk, Valerio?"
"I... I don't remember clearly, Don Alessandro!" Valerio begged, clasping his hands together. "Dozens of applications come through every month..."
CRACK.
Alessandro stepped forward and drove the steel-tipped toe of his boot straight into Valerio’s chest, sending the old man sprawling backward with a wet cough.
"Do not lie to me," Alessandro growled, crouching down to grab the butler by his collar and hoisting him up. "Every staff application in the main mansion passes through three levels of security clearance. Either you took a bribe to turn a blind eye, or someone on the Council ordered you to do it."
"It was... it was Don Dominic!" Valerio shrieked, breaking completely under the Don's terrifying aura. "Three months ago, Don Dominic handed me her file personally! He told me to assign her a private room in the rear quarters and strictly instructed me not to register her name in the main estate ledgers!"
The harsh reality struck Alessandro like ice. Dominic Romano—his ruthless uncle, the man who had craved the throne of the New York syndicate for decades.
Footsteps echoed frantically down the corridor. Dr. Ricci burst into the room, his face pale.
"Alessandro! Dominic’s men just arrived at the main wing! They claim you locked down the estate without Council approval and are demanding to search your study!"
Alessandro released Valerio, wiping his fingers on a silk handkerchief. "Then it’s time to face him."
When Alessandro returned to the study, the air in the main hall was taut enough to snap. Dominic Romano—a middle-aged man with a meticulously trimmed mustache and calculating eyes—stood in the center of the room, flanked by five heavily armed bodyguards.
"Alessandro, my nephew," Dominic sneered, his eyes darting briefly toward the bassinet where baby Lily slept. "I hear you’re throwing the whole family into chaos in the middle of the night over a maid’s bastard? Has the grief of losing your sweet Isabella finally driven you mad?"
Alessandro walked calmly to his desk and pulled out the DNA test results along with the toxicology report Dr. Ricci had just prepared.
"Your instincts are terrible, Uncle Dominic," Alessandro said, his voice dropping to an icy register. "This baby is my biological daughter. And the woman poisoning her in the back quarters was protecting my blood for four months."
Dominic’s composure faltered for a fraction of a second before he forced a smirk. "In our world, anyone can fabricate blood tests. What proof do you actually have?"
Alessandro held up the silver necklace. The hand-engraved I & A glinted under the chandelier light.
"I had this custom-made in Milan. Isabella was wearing it when she vanished. You know where she is, don't you?"
Dominic let out a dry, booming laugh. "You're accusing your own blood based on a cheap piece of jewelry? You'll need more than silver trinkets to challenge me, boy!"
Suddenly, little Emma stepped out from behind the heavy velvet drapes. Her small, mud-stained finger pointed directly at Dominic’s face.
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"It’s him! I remember his face!" the seven-year-old sobbed, her voice trembling but clear. "He came to our room three days ago! He gave my mother the brown glass bottle and said he would kill me if she didn't pour it into Lily's milk!"
Silence fell over the room like a heavy shroud.
