THE MOMENT THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE CALLED ME “A GREEDY LITTLE MAID,” I SLAMMED HIS MOTHER’S JEWELRY BOX SHUT BEFORE HE COULD GIVE HER THE NECKLACE—AND THIRTY GUESTS WATCHED HIM TURN TOWARD ME. I had never seen Dominic DeLuca look at anyone the way he looked at me that night. His hand was still resting on the little velvet box.

I couldn't breathe.

The room seemed to shrink, the walls pressing in as the rain battered the glass outside.

“Your brother?” I whispered. “That’s impossible. I met him seven years ago. He called himself Michael.”

Dominic stared at the Polaroid, his thumb tracing the edge of the man’s face. “Julian was sixteen when the boat capsized on Lake Michigan. They never found his body. We held a funeral with an empty casket.”

“He didn't drown,” I said, the truth finally clicking into place like a heavy lock. “He ran away. And he changed his name.”

Dominic’s expression hardened into something entirely unreadable. He walked to the window, staring out at the darkness.

For twelve years, Dominic believed he was the only DeLuca heir. He had carried the weight of the family, the violence, the empire, completely alone. Now, he was looking at proof that his brother had abandoned him to carry it all.

And that I had his child.

“Victoria knew,” Dominic said, his voice deadly quiet. “She found out Julian was alive. That’s who she was paying off.”

“But why?” I asked. “Why would Victoria pay your brother with your mother’s jewelry?”

“Because Julian doesn't want money, Hannah. He wants the family ledger.”

Dominic turned back to me.

“The DeLuca ledger contains every bank account, every offshore trust, every politician we own. My father hid it before he died. We never found it. Without it, the family’s assets have been frozen for over a decade. If Julian gets his hands on it, he can claim the entire empire.”

“And you think Victoria was helping him find it?”

“Victoria is in debt,” Dominic said flatly. “She owes millions to the Rossi family in New York. If she couldn't pay them, they were going to kill her. Julian must have promised to pay her debts if she helped him infiltrate this house and find the ledger.”

It all made sense. The fake necklace. The missing engagement ring. She wasn't just pawning them; she was buying time while Julian searched the estate.

“Mr. DeLuca.”

Marco appeared in the doorway. He looked troubled, which was something I had never seen before on the stoic bodyguard's face.

“What is it?” Dominic asked.

“We swept Victoria’s room, sir. We found something hidden in the lining of her suitcase.”

Marco walked forward and placed a heavy object on the coffee table, right next to the envelope of cash.

It was a gold pocket watch.

The glass face was shattered, and the gold casing was heavily dented, singed black at the edges.

Rosa, who had been sitting quietly in her chair, suddenly let out a sharp, guttural cry. She shrank back, pressing her hands against her mouth.

Dominic froze.

He didn't touch the watch. He just stared at it.

“That’s my father’s watch,” Dominic said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. “He was wearing it the night his car crashed.”

“I know,” Marco said softly. “The police said it was destroyed in the fire.”

“How did Victoria get it?” I asked, looking between the two men.

Dominic finally picked up the watch. He turned it over. The back casing was loose. With a flick of his thumb, he popped the back open.

A tiny, folded piece of paper fell out.

Dominic unfolded it. He read it in silence.

When he looked up, the air in the room felt toxic.

“My father didn't hide the ledger,” Dominic said. “He gave it to Julian. The night of the crash.”

“I don't understand,” I said.

“The note is from my father. To Julian.” Dominic handed me the slip of paper.

The handwriting was rushed, frantic.

Julian. The brakes are gone. I can't stop. I'm putting the ledger code in the watch. Tell Dominic I'm sorry. Tell your mother I love her.

“Julian was there,” Dominic whispered, the betrayal fracturing his composure. “My brother was at the crash site. He didn't try to save our father. He just took the watch, took the code, and let him burn.”

Suddenly, my walkie-talkie buzzed. The one I used to communicate with the night staff.

I pulled it from my apron. “Hello?”

Static hissed. Then, a small, terrified voice came through the speaker.

“Mommy?”

My heart stopped. “Leo? Baby, where are you?”

“Mommy, the men outside my door are asleep. And there’s a man in my room. He says he’s my daddy.”