Chapter 3 - The Betrayal Within
By sunrise, the temporary peace of the estate shattered. Damian called an emergency strategy session with his inner council, but kept Leah and me hidden in a soundproof surveillance room equipped with one-way glass above the main hall.
Down below, six men gathered around a long marble table. At the head sat Victor Vance, Sophia’s uncle—a sharp-featured man in a tailored grey suit whose eyes moved constantly, calculating every angle.
"Damian," Victor began, leaning forward on his hands. "The streets are flooded with rumors. You shut down Caruso’s last night, deployed armed guards to the perimeter, and pulled Dr. Vance out of his home at gunpoint. The syndicate elders are demanding an explanation. What is going on?"
Damian walked slowly around the table, his hands tucked inside his coat pockets. "I found an anomaly in the Zurich records, Victor. A discrepancy in the blood work from two years ago."
Victor’s posture stiffened slightly, though his face remained a mask of polite concern. "Zurich was a tragic time for all of us. Why dig up old graves now?"
"Because the child sleeping upstairs isn't Sophia's daughter," Damian said softly.
May you like
The air in the room instantly turned to ice. Victor’s hand twitched toward the inner lining of his jacket, but before he could reach his firearm, four of Damian's personal guards stepped out from the shadows, weapons drawn and aimed directly at Victor's head.
Victor realized he was caught. The polite uncle vanished, replaced by a cruel, sneering smile. "You foolish bastard," Victor hissed. "You were never supposed to look into those files! That girl gave you a reason to live after Sophia died. She made you human! And without her blood connection to the Moretti line, your authority over the Zurich accounts is void!"
