Chapter 4 - THE DOCTOR'S RECKONING
The storm outside Dr. Julian Vance’s luxury high-rise penthouse raged with violent thunder.
Inside the penthouse, suitcase zippers dragged across the marble floor as Dr. Vance frantically packed stacks of bearer bonds, passport files, and gold bullion into leather duffel bags.
Suddenly, the penthouse front door didn't just open—it exploded off its hinges with a deafening crash.
Four armed Marchetti enforcers poured into the foyer, securing the perimeter in seconds. Behind them walked Damian Marchetti, his hands casually resting in his coat pockets, flanked by Maya.
Dr. Vance stumbled backward, dropping a stack of bonds onto the floor. His face turned ash-grey.
"D-Damian..." Vance stuttered, sweating profusely. "What... what is the meaning of this? This is a private residence!"
Damian stepped forward, his heavy dress shoes stepping onto the scattered bonds. He didn't raise his voice; he didn't need to.
"Fourteen months ago," Damian said, his voice smooth and terrifyingly quiet, "a young woman delivered triplets at St. Jude Memorial. You signed three false death certificates while she lay unconscious."
Vance’s eyes darted frantically toward the window, then landed on Maya. Recognition hit him like a physical blow.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about!" Vance shrieked, backing against his desk. "I am a respected surgeon! Don Falcone ordered—"
Vance cut himself off, realizing too late what he had just admitted.
Maya walked past Damian, stepping directly up to the trembling doctor. The fear she had lived with for fourteen months was entirely gone, replaced by a cold, righteous fury.
"You told me my babies died," Maya said, her voice shaking with restrained emotion. "You handed me blank death certificates and told me to move on with my life while you handed my children over to a monster."
"They were going to kill me!" Vance cried out, sinking to his knees, clutching his hands together in pathetic desperation. "Don Falcone threatened my family! He paid me two million dollars! I had no choice!"
"You had a choice," Maya said, her tone cutting through his excuses like a blade. "You chose money over three innocent lives."
Damian stepped beside Maya, placing a hand gently on her shoulder before looking down at Vance.
"Marco," Damian commanded. "Transfer all of Vance's frozen domestic and offshore assets into a secure trust fund under Maya Linwood's name. Then hand him over to the federal prosecutor's office alongside the forged birth certificates."
Vance gasped in shock. "Federal prosecutors? Falcone will kill me in prison!"
"Then you had better start talking fast to the FBI," Damian replied coldly, turning his back on the doctor. "Because if Falcone doesn't get to you first, my men will."
As the enforcers dragged the screaming doctor out of the penthouse, Maya looked at Damian.
May you like
"Thank you," she whispered.
Damian looked down at her, his eyes warm despite the violence of the night. "This is only the beginning, Maya. Falcone knows the babies are missing from the diner. The real fight starts now."
