Chapter 3 - THE BROTHER IN THE SHADOWS
Dominic had spent his life learning how to respond to threats.
He knew when to negotiate, when to strike, and when silence was more dangerous than either.
But seeing his own face on another man's body unsettled him more than any gun pointed at his head.
He sent his most trusted investigator, Marco Bellini, to find Daniel Moretti.
Within hours, Marco returned with a disturbing report.
Daniel had been raised under the name Daniel Vale. He had grown up in foster homes, moved between cities, and spent several years working as a mechanic in upstate New York.
He had no criminal record.
He had no known connection to the Moretti organization.
And three weeks earlier, he had begun asking questions about a private hospital that had closed decades ago.
"Someone has been watching him," Marco said. "Two men followed him from his apartment yesterday. We lost them near the highway."
Dominic stared at the photograph.
"Bring him here."
Marco hesitated.
"Sir, he might be a trap."
"Then he'll discover how unpleasant it is to set one for me."
That evening, Daniel arrived at the mansion under heavy security.
The moment he entered the study, he stopped.
Dominic stood behind the desk.
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
They had the same dark hair, the same green eyes, the same sharp cheekbones. Even the small scar near Dominic's left eyebrow appeared on Daniel's face, though Daniel's was on the right.
Daniel broke the silence.
"So you're the brother who got the mansion."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"And you're the brother who sent the message."
"I didn't send the first one. Someone else wants us fighting."
"Who?"
"Your father, probably. Or mine."
Dominic stared at him.
"We have the same father."
"Do we?"
Daniel pulled a chair out and sat without permission.
"My entire life, I was told my mother abandoned me. I had a birth certificate with a different surname and no useful records before I was six months old. When I tried to find her, the records disappeared."
He leaned forward.
"Then I found a retired nurse who remembered the twins."
Dominic's pulse quickened.
"What did she tell you?"
"That one baby left the hospital in a black car with your father's men. The other was placed in a private ambulance. The nurse believed the ambulance was headed to a facility owned by Robert Sterling."
Dominic thought of Eleanor's years of confinement.
"Why would Sterling take you?"
"That's what I'm trying to discover."
Daniel removed a small envelope.
Inside was a photograph of a newborn's wrist bearing a blue identification bracelet. The name printed on it was Daniel Moretti.
Beneath the photograph lay a receipt for a payment made to the hospital.
The recipient was a company controlled by Robert Sterling.
The amount was enormous.
Dominic looked up.
"Your whole life was bought."
"Maybe," Daniel said. "But the question is who paid for it, and what they expected in return."
The study door opened.
Vanessa entered carrying a tray of coffee.
She saw Daniel.
The tray slipped from her hands.
Cups shattered against the floor.
Daniel rose slowly.
"Hello, Vanessa."
She stared at him in terror.
Dominic turned toward her.
"You know him."
"No."
Daniel gave a humorless laugh.
"That's strange. Your father called me by name the night he told me I could never see my mother."
Vanessa backed toward the door.
Dominic moved between her and the exit.
"Explain."
She looked from Dominic to Daniel.
May you like
Then she whispered the words that changed the investigation.
"My father told me Daniel was dead."
