Chương 9 - THE NEW DON
The grand ballroom of the Moretti mansion was packed, but not with wedding guests.
It was filled with the Dons of the Five Families of Chicago. They sat around the massive mahogany table, their faces grim and expectant. Marcus and a dozen heavily armed loyalists stood by the walls.
Vanessa was thrown into a chair at the opposite end of the table. Her wrists were still bound. She looked battered, but her eyes burned with defiant arrogance.
Luca walked into the room. He didn’t look like a broken man anymore. He looked like a king.
He walked to the head of the table. I stood quietly in the shadows near the door, holding Leo’s hand.
“Luca,” an older Don with silver hair spoke up. “You called an emergency council. You broke off an engagement that united our families. Explain yourself, or step down.”
Luca threw the manila envelope onto the center of the table.
“My father, Michael Moretti, broke the code,” Luca announced, his voice ringing through the silent room. “Twelve years ago, he ordered the murder of an innocent woman. He used Daniel Bellini to carry out the hit. And then, he let Daniel take the fall for a botched shipment to cover it up.”
Murmurs erupted around the table.
Vanessa smiled triumphantly. “He admits it! The Moretti legacy is built on lies! His father was a traitor!”
“He was,” Luca agreed coldly.
He pressed play on the micro-cassette. The Dons listened to Daniel Bellini’s confession in stunned silence.
When the tape finished, Luca looked directly at Vanessa.
“My father’s sins belong to him,” Luca said. “But your sins, Vanessa, belong to you.”
Luca signaled to Marcus. Marcus stepped forward and placed a thick file in front of the oldest Don.
“Those are financial records,” Luca stated. “For the past five years, Vanessa has been siphoning money from the Bellini accounts to fund a private mercenary group. She wasn’t trying to unite our families. She was planning to wipe out every Don at this table the moment I signed the syndicate over to her.”
Vanessa’s face went chalk white. “That’s a lie!”
The older Don opened the file. He read the bank transfers. His expression turned murderous as he looked at Vanessa.
“She also kidnapped my heir,” Luca continued softly.
He gestured to the door. I stepped forward, leading Leo into the light.
Gasps rippled through the room. There was no denying the resemblance. Leo had the Moretti jawline, the dark hair, the intense eyes.
“This is Leo Moretti,” Luca said, his voice thick with pride. “My son. The rightful heir to this syndicate.”
The older Don stood up. He looked at Vanessa with absolute disgust. “Treason against the council. Kidnapping of an heir. You are finished, Bellini.”
“No!” Vanessa screamed as two guards grabbed her by the arms, dragging her toward the door. “You owe my father! You owe me!”
Her screams faded down the hallway as she was taken away to face syndicate justice. She would never see the light of day again.
The room fell silent.
The Dons stood up, one by one. They turned toward Luca and bowed their heads in deep respect.
“The Moretti family stands,” the oldest Don declared.
When the room finally cleared, it was just Luca, Leo, and me.
Luca walked over to us. He dropped to one knee in front of Leo. He didn’t say anything at first. He just pulled the little boy into a fierce, desperate hug.
“Dad?” Leo whispered hesitantly, testing the word.
Luca closed his eyes, tears slipping down his face. “Yeah, buddy. It’s me. I’m your dad. And you are never leaving this house again.”
I watched them, my heart swelling with an overwhelming joy. The secret was out. The nightmare was over.
Luca stood up and looked at me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small velvet box that had started this entire chain of events.
He opened it. But he didn’t pull out the silver star medal.
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Instead, he pulled out a delicate silver chain with a small, beautiful diamond pendant.
He held it out to me. “Emma. Stay.”
