Chapter 2 - The Setup Exposed
Clara lowered her hands, staring at him through tear-blurred eyes. "What do you mean, you weren't there?"
"I was at a sit-down with the Lucchese family in Manhattan," Dominic explained, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low register. "I have the security logs, the wiretaps, a dozen witnesses. Elena must have bribed one of my guards to get into the penthouse. She knew your schedule. She knew exactly what time you would come over to surprise me."
Clara shook her head, trying to process the information. "But why? Why would my own sister do that to me?"
"Because Elena didn't want you," Dominic said coldly. "She wanted the Romano name. She wanted the money, the power, and she was working with my cousin, Vincent. Vincent has been trying to usurp my position in the syndicate for years. If he could break me—if he could take away the only woman who kept me human—he knew I would become reckless."
He walked over to the window, looking out at the rain-slicked street. "And it worked. For five years, I’ve been a ghost. I focused entirely on wiping out my enemies, leaving my flank exposed because I didn't care whether I lived or died. Vincent has been quietly siphoning off my shipping routes while I was distracted looking for you."
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Clara collapsed into a nearby chair, the weight of a five-year-old lie crashing down on her shoulders. "All this time... we were hiding from a phantom."
Upstairs, the floorboards creaked. Noah and Lily were still up there, innocent and completely unaware that the world outside their quiet Maine café was about to catch fire.
