Chapter 8 - THE HEIR IN THE FIRE
Lorenzo refused to let Nora leave the mansion.
She refused to remain behind.
“You can't keep making decisions about my child without asking me,” she said.
“Matteo wants your baby.”
“And he wants your father. If I stay here, he'll keep using Giovanni to control you.”
Lorenzo stared at her.
She was frightened, but she wasn't backing down.
Finally, he agreed to bring her to Connecticut under heavy protection.
The estate was still smoking when they arrived. Firefighters had extinguished the flames, but one wing had collapsed.
Marcus found a basement entrance hidden behind a fallen bookshelf.
Inside, they discovered a medical room containing blood samples, old hospital records, and photographs of the twins.
A monitor flickered in the corner.
On it was a live image of Giovanni, tied to a chair.
Matteo appeared beside him.
“You came,” he said through the speakers.
“Release my father.”
“Bring me the pendant.”
Lorenzo held it up.
“Let him go first.”
Matteo smiled.
“You always were your father's son.”
The screen went black.
A door slammed somewhere behind them.
Nora turned and saw a young woman standing in the corridor.
She had dark hair, pale skin, and a silver bracelet on her wrist.
The letter C was engraved into it.
“Clara?” Nora whispered.
The woman stared at her.
For a long moment, neither moved.
Then Clara said, “You're the sister they told me was dead.”
Nora's eyes filled with tears.
“I never knew you existed.”
Clara looked toward Lorenzo.
“He's lying to you.”
“Who?”
“Matteo. He told me your baby was going to die unless I gave him my blood.”
Lorenzo stepped forward.
“Did he take you here against your will?”
Clara nodded.
“He said my family abandoned me. He said the Romanos were monsters.”
“He wasn't entirely wrong,” she replied bitterly.
A distant explosion shook the building.
Marcus shouted that the east corridor was blocked.
Lorenzo ordered everyone toward the exit, but Clara grabbed Nora's arm.
“Wait. There's something you need to know.”
She pulled a folded medical report from her pocket.
The report showed that Clara had a rare inherited blood disorder. A compatible donor could potentially save her life.
But the donor's name had been redacted.
Nora stared at the document.
“Why did Matteo want my baby?”
“Because the doctor told him the baby might be a compatible donor.”
Lorenzo's face hardened.
“No one is touching that child.”
Clara shook her head.
“You don't understand. Matteo isn't trying to save me.”
She pointed toward the basement's far wall.
Behind a steel door stood dozens of sealed medical files, each bearing the name of a Romano family member.
“He's looking for someone else,” Clara whispered.
“Someone who can unlock an account containing the evidence that would destroy his entire criminal empire.”
Lorenzo looked at the pendant.
For the first time, he noticed a tiny symbol engraved beneath the photograph.
A key.
He opened the pendant's back panel.
A miniature memory card slipped into his palm.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.
Marcus collapsed against the wall, clutching his shoulder.
Matteo stepped through the smoke, his weapon aimed at Nora.
“Give me the card,” he ordered.
Lorenzo raised his hands.
“Take it. Leave her alone.”
Matteo laughed.
“You still think this is about money?”
He aimed at Nora's stomach.
“This is about the child Giovanni promised to protect before either of you was born.”
Then he revealed the truth that shattered Lorenzo's understanding of the family.
“The baby isn't merely an heir, Lorenzo.”
He smiled coldly.
May you like
“Your father believes that child is the only person alive who can prove who really killed your mother.”
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