Chapter 2 - The Architecture of a Betrayal
Within ten minutes, Bellini’s was empty. The manager, terrified of the Moretti name, had locked the front doors and sent the staff home. Gabriel stood guard at the entrance, while Dominic’s personal security locked down the perimeter.
Dominic sat at a nearby table, watching Elena soothe the children. Sophie was coloring with a crayon, Noah was quietly eating his chicken, but Caleb kept his eyes locked on Dominic, watching his every move.
"They need to sleep soon," Elena said quietly, sitting across from Dominic. "Please, just let me take them home. We can talk tomorrow."
"You aren't leaving my sight, Elena," Dominic said, leaning forward. "Five years ago, my father told me you took a ten-million-dollar settlement to sign the divorce papers and disappear. He showed me the bank transfers. He showed me your signature."
Elena let out a bitter, hollow laugh. Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Your father, Vincent, called me to the estate the day before I vanished. He didn't offer me money, Dominic. He showed me a file. It contained photos of my apartment in Chicago, my mother’s medical facility, and a detailed itinerary of your scheduled hits for the upcoming week."
She swallowed hard, her hand touching her cardigan. "He told me that if I didn't leave, he would ensure your next meeting with the Detroit cartel went... sideways. He said you were getting soft because of me. And then, his men threw me into a basement room for two days until I signed those papers. I didn't get a dime. I left with one suitcase and a positive pregnancy test."
Dominic’s breathing turned ragged. His father, Vincent Moretti, had died of a stroke three years ago. Dominic had inherited the empire, believing his father had protected him from a gold-digging wife.
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"He lied to me," Dominic muttered, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned white. "He manipulated both of us to keep me focused on the family business."
"And it worked, didn't it?" Elena said softly. "You're the billionaire boss now. But my children have grown up without a father, and I've spent five years looking over my shoulder, waiting for the Moretti name to catch up to me."
