Chapter 7 - The Brother Who Never Existed
The house manager survived, but his injuries left him unable to answer questions for several hours.
Dominic ordered the mansion sealed and moved Margaret, Elena, and Lily to a secure property outside the city.
He didn't trust the walls that had hidden his mother.
He didn't trust the people who had worked for his father.
And he no longer trusted the name on his own birth certificate.
At the safe house, Margaret finally explained what she remembered.
After Dominic's birth, Antonio had become obsessed with the possibility that someone inside the family would eventually challenge his authority. He believed an heir was both a legacy and a weakness.
When Catherine's baby became critically ill, Antonio arranged for the child to be transferred to a private residence where a specialist could treat him away from public scrutiny.
Catherine had been told the baby died.
But she never received a death certificate.
“She searched for him for years,” Margaret said. “Antonio told her to stop. He threatened to destroy her if she continued.”
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
“My mother spent the rest of her life believing she had lost her son.”
Dominic looked at the photograph.
“Where is he now?”
Margaret shook her head.
“I don't know.”
That afternoon, the house manager regained consciousness.
His name was Peter Lawson. He had worked for Antonio for thirty years and had remained at the mansion after Dominic inherited it.
Dominic sat beside his hospital bed.
“Tell me what you know about Nicholas Carter.”
Peter swallowed.
“I never met him. But I delivered envelopes to a private school under that name. Your father paid every expense.”
“Where was the school?”
“Connecticut. A boarding school for boys.”
“Is it still open?”
“No. It closed eight years ago.”
Dominic leaned closer.
“Who paid for Nicholas after that?”
Peter looked toward the door.
“Frank Bellini.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because your father made me swear. He said if anyone learned the boy was alive, both sons would be in danger.”
Dominic went still.
“Both sons?”
Peter closed his eyes.
“Your father knew you weren't the only child he had raised.”
The room seemed to shrink around Dominic.
“Are you saying Nicholas was my brother?”
Peter nodded.
“Not just a brother. Your twin.”
Dominic stood abruptly.
“Why would my father separate twins?”
Peter's voice broke.
“Because he believed one of you would inherit his enemies along with his empire. He wanted one son inside the family and the other beyond its reach.”
“Which one did he keep?”
“You.”
“And Nicholas?”
“Your father said the boy would be safer if he never knew who he was.”
Dominic stared at the wall.
His father had built an empire, controlled politicians, and commanded men who killed without hesitation. But he had also taken a newborn from his mother and erased him from the family.
“Where is Frank now?”
Peter gave him an address.
A private office in downtown Boston.
Dominic sent Marcus to confirm it. By evening, the office had been emptied, the computers removed, and the receptionist gone.
But a camera across the street had captured Frank leaving the building with a man whose face was partially hidden beneath a baseball cap.
Dominic recognized the man's posture.
His height.
The way he held his left shoulder slightly higher than his right.
It was the same figure seen outside the mansion on the night of the shooting.
The image was blurry, but the man's profile was visible when he turned toward the camera.
Elena stared at the screen.
“I've seen him before.”
“Where?”
“At the hospital where my daughter was born. He stood across the street for three days after Lily arrived.”
Dominic felt a cold pressure in his chest.
“Why didn't you report it?”
“I thought he was someone from my past. My daughter's father disappeared before she was born. I was afraid he had come back.”
Dominic turned toward her.
“Who is Lily's father?”
Elena hesitated.
“I don't know his real name. He called himself Daniel. We met when I worked at a hotel. He was kind, quiet, and never spoke about his family. One day he vanished.”
“Did he know you were pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“Did he leave anything behind?”
Elena nodded slowly.
“A watch. I kept it because it was the only thing Lily had from him.”
She retrieved the watch from her handbag.
Dominic examined the engraved initials on the back.
N.C.
Nicholas Carter.
Elena covered her mouth.
“No.”
Dominic looked at the photograph again.
His missing twin had lived under a false name.
He had met Elena.
He had fathered Lily.
And someone had spent years ensuring neither of them discovered the truth.
Before Dominic could speak, Marcus called.
“We found Frank's car.”
“Where?”
“Abandoned outside an old warehouse. There's blood inside.”
Dominic grabbed his coat.
Then Marcus added one more detail.
“The driver's seat was empty. But someone left a note on the windshield.”
Dominic listened as Marcus read it aloud.
May you like
YOUR BROTHER IS ALIVE. ASK YOUR FIANCÉE WHAT SHE DID WITH HIM.
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