Chapter 6 - The Blood Betrayal
The name John eventually gave them was Anthony Moretti.
Dante's uncle.
Alessandro's younger brother.
A man Dante had trusted since childhood.
Anthony had been the one who taught him to drive.
The one who stood beside him at Alessandro's funeral.
The one who had promised, Your father is gone, but you still have me.
According to John, Anthony had secretly partnered with Victor Hale to divert millions from Moretti businesses.
Alessandro discovered the theft.
He intended to remove Anthony from the family companies.
Two days later, Alessandro died.
John had seen Victor near the garage that morning.
Later, while recovering from his stroke, John overheard Anthony and Victor arguing about the sabotage.
John attempted to warn Dante.
Before he could, his medication changed.
His speech disappeared.
His mobility worsened.
Everyone assumed the stroke had progressed.
Anthony arranged physicians.
Victor arranged payments.
Mrs. Gable made sure John remained quiet.
Dante listened without moving.
When John finished, Dante walked outside.
Nora found him on the terrace despite the snow.
“You're going to freeze.”
“I've been colder.”
She stood beside him.
“My father trusted him.”
“I know.”
“I trusted him.”
“That doesn't make what Anthony did your fault.”
Dante looked at her.
“You say that easily.”
“No. I say it because I've spent seven months blaming myself for trusting Brody.”
That silenced him.
Nora stared across the frozen lake.
“Being fooled by someone you loved isn't the same as helping them fool you.”
Dante studied her profile.
“When did you get wise?”
“Approximately three bad decisions ago.”
He laughed.
It surprised both of them.
For the first time, Nora saw the man underneath the reputation.
Tired.
Lonely.
Still grieving.
And Dante saw something in her too.
Not weakness.
Strength without cruelty.
The distinction mattered.
Their closeness grew quietly.
He reduced her workload despite her protests.
She continued caring for John, now assisted by professional nurses.
Dante began joining them for dinner.
John delighted in forcing them together.
One evening, Nora caught him pretending he could not reach his water until Dante came to help.
“You can reach that,” she accused.
John smiled.
“Old.”
“You are manipulative.”
“Old... and manipulative.”
Dante almost choked on his coffee.
But their peace lasted four days.
Then Nora received a photograph.
It showed her asleep in her employee room.
Taken from inside the room.
Beneath it was a message.
COME ALONE OR YOUR DAUGHTER NEVER GETS BORN.
Nora's hands began shaking.
She showed Dante.
His reaction was immediate.
“No.”
“He wants me.”
“He wants leverage.”
“Then I'm already leverage.”
Dante stepped closer.
“You're not going anywhere.”
“You can't lock me inside this house.”
“I can protect you.”
“That's not the same thing.”
“No.”
His voice softened.
“It isn't.”
Nora looked up at him.
Their faces were inches apart.
For one dangerous second, neither moved.
Then John cleared his throat loudly from across the room.
They separated.
John rolled his eyes.
“Cowards.”
Nora stared.
“Your vocabulary is improving suspiciously fast.”
John smiled.
But later that evening, the estate lost power.
Backup generators failed.
Security cameras went dark.
Marco shouted through his radio.
Then glass shattered downstairs.
Dante reached Nora's room seconds too late.
The window stood open.
Snow blew across the carpet.
Nora was gone.
On her pillow lay a single photograph.
Dante picked it up.
It showed Nora entering John's room eleven weeks earlier.
Someone had been watching her from the very beginning.
May you like
On the back were four words.
SHE WAS NEVER RANDOM.
