Chapter 6 - THE CHAPEL OF BROKEN PROMISES
Dominic wanted to tear the city apart until he found Emily's kidnappers.
Instead, he forced himself to think.
Victor had always understood the value of leverage. A threat against Emily was designed to provoke Dominic into acting recklessly, leaving the evidence behind and giving his enemies the opportunity to destroy whatever remained.
Dominic refused to give them that satisfaction.
He called the hospital.
Emily was safe, surrounded by two trusted guards. But when the nurse checked the security system, she discovered that someone had attempted to access the maternity floor using a forged identification badge.
The intruder had fled before reaching Emily's room.
Dominic ordered her transferred to a secure location and contacted Margaret to arrange independent legal protection for her and the baby.
Then he prepared for the chapel.
The old chapel stood on a wooded property once used by the Moretti family for private ceremonies. Dominic and Isabella had visited it on their first anniversary. She had loved the stained-glass windows and the quiet garden behind the building.
He arrived shortly before midnight.
Snow covered the steps.
Inside, candles burned along the aisle.
Victor stood near the altar.
He looked older than Dominic remembered, his silver hair thinner, his face lined by years of secrecy. Yet his eyes remained sharp and calculating.
“You came alone,” Victor said.
“Where's Marco?”
“Alive. For now.”
Dominic stopped several feet away.
“Why did you fake your death?”
Victor smiled without warmth.
“Your uncle and I had enemies. Disappearing gave us freedom to rebuild the business without interference.”
“You mean freedom to steal from it.”
“Money is never stolen from a family that belongs to you.”
“Isabella disagreed.”
At the mention of her name, Victor's expression hardened.
“Your wife was intelligent, but she was sentimental. She believed money could be separated from power. She thought a charity and a few signatures could change the rules.”
“She was trying to stop you from exploiting people.”
“She was trying to take control away from me.”
“You were dead, Father. What control did you need?”
Victor stepped closer.
“Your uncle and I had built something enormous. You inherited it without understanding what held it together. Isabella wanted to turn you into a man who apologized for everything.”
Dominic's voice dropped.
“She made me a better man.”
“She made you weak.”
“No. You taught me to confuse cruelty with strength.”
For the first time, Victor looked genuinely angry.
He demanded the original medical records.
Dominic held up a folder.
“Tell me what happened to Isabella.”
Victor's gaze settled on the folder.
“Give it to me.”
“Tell me.”
Victor sighed.
“Her condition was deteriorating. Vanessa agreed to help us manage the situation. The surgery was necessary.”
“Dr. Reynolds disagreed.”
“Doctors disagree all the time.”
“Then why was his access revoked? Why were the results altered? Why did Isabella record a conversation about taking control of the trust?”
Victor's jaw tightened.
“You have no idea what you're asking.”
“Then explain it.”
Victor looked toward the altar.
“Your wife discovered that the trust contained evidence of financial crimes committed before you inherited the company. She intended to hand everything to investigators. She would have destroyed your father's legacy and dragged you down with it.”
“So you decided she had to die?”
“I never gave a direct order to kill her.”
Dominic stared at him.
“That's the defense you're choosing?”
Victor's face remained still.
“I wanted her stopped. I wanted the records secured. Vanessa assured me the medical situation would resolve itself.”
Dominic felt his hands curl into fists.
“You let my wife die because she knew the truth.”
Victor looked away.
“I made a decision for the family.”
“No. You made a decision for yourself.”
A noise came from behind the chapel.
Dominic turned.
Salvatore emerged from a side doorway, holding Marco by the arm. Marco's face was bruised, but he was standing.
“Enough family therapy,” Salvatore said. “Give us the folder.”
Dominic looked at his uncle.
“Where's Vanessa?”
“She's safe.”
“Safe from what?”
Salvatore smiled.
“From the consequences of her own choices.”
Dominic understood then. Vanessa wasn't simply Victor's partner. She was also a liability.
Before he could move, the chapel lights went out.
A gunshot echoed.
Someone shouted.
When the lights returned, Victor had vanished.
Salvatore was on the floor, bleeding from a wound in his shoulder.
Marco was free.
And the folder Dominic had brought was gone.
Dominic rushed toward the back door.
Outside, a car sped away through the snow.
In the distance, a woman screamed.
It was Vanessa.
May you like
And the man driving the car was not Victor.
It was Dominic's own cousin, Anthony Moretti.
