Chapter 6 - THE BLOODLINE
I couldn't breathe.
I stared at the faded birth certificate in Luca’s hand, the name Anthony Moretti blurring as tears filled my eyes.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head and backing away from him. “No, that’s a mistake. It’s a lie.”
Luca looked just as shell-shocked as I felt. He stared at the paper, then slowly lifted his eyes to Rosa.
“Ma?” Luca asked, his voice cracking. “Is this true?”
Rosa leaned against the doorframe, weeping softly. She didn't look angry; she looked utterly defeated.
“I didn't know for sure,” Rosa cried. “Anthony swore he ended the affair before you were born, Luca. He swore Richard Carter was Emily’s father.”
“An affair?” I choked out, the word tasting bitter.
Rosa nodded, wiping her face.
“Your mother, Sarah... she was Anthony’s secretary before she married Richard. When Richard found out about the skimming, he also found out about the affair. He was going to expose everything to New York.”
The pieces of the nightmare finally clicked together.
My mother hadn't just been mourning a husband. She had been hiding the child of the man who had sent her husband to his death.
She had hidden me from the mafia. From New York. And from the Moretti family.
“That’s why Anthony hid the money,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “It wasn't blood money for Richard’s death. It was an inheritance for his illegitimate daughter.”
Luca stood up, the birth certificate trembling in his hand.
He looked at me.
For nine months, I had been the invisible housekeeper. The girl who poured his coffee and stayed out of the way.
Now, I was his half-sister.
And the sole heir to a fortune that was currently getting us all killed.
“Dominic didn't find this,” Luca said, gesturing to the hidden compartment. “What did he take from the box?”
“I don't know,” I said, wiping my eyes fiercely. “I never saw what was inside.”
“It had to be the code,” Marco interjected from the doorway. “If Dominic took the mother and the code, he’s heading to the bank right now.”
Luca’s expression hardened. The shock faded, replaced entirely by the ruthless focus of a man preparing for war.
“If Dominic goes to that bank and tries to access an account flagged by my father, it will trigger an alert,” Luca said. “My father wouldn't make it easy.”
He turned to Marco.
“Call the bank manager. The private line. Tell him Dominic Vance is attempting to access Vault 84. Tell him if he lets Dominic near that box, I will personally burn the bank to the ground.”
Marco nodded and pulled out his phone, stepping into the hallway.
Luca turned back to me.
He didn't look at me like a housekeeper anymore. He looked at me like family.
“Emily, I know you are terrified. I know this changes everything you thought you knew about your life.”
He stepped closer and gently placed his hands on my shoulders.
“But right now, Dominic has your mother. And he thinks he has the key to the empire. We have to stop him.”
“How?” I asked, my voice trembling. “He has an army. We have three SUVs.”
“We have something better,” Luca said. “We have the real heir.”
He looked at Rosa.
“Ma, take Sam to the safe house. Marco will stay with you.”
Rosa grabbed Luca’s arm.
“Luca, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to the bank,” Luca said coldly. “I’m going to give Dominic exactly what he wants.”
Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the passenger seat of Luca’s armored SUV, speeding through the rain-slicked streets of downtown Chicago.
Luca drove in silence, his jaw clenched, the bloody bandage on his arm a stark reminder of how quickly this night had unraveled.
“Why did you bring me?” I finally asked, clutching the dashboard as he took a sharp corner.
“Because if Dominic has the code, he still needs the biometric clearance,” Luca explained. “My father was paranoid. A code isn't enough for twenty-two million dollars. The box requires a fingerprint.”
“My fingerprint?”
“Yes. You are the account holder.”
“But Dominic doesn't know that,” I realized.
“Exactly,” Luca said. “Dominic thinks my father set it up for me, or for my mother. When he gets to the vault and the scanner rejects his bypass attempts, he’s going to realize he needs a Moretti.”
He glanced at me.
“He thinks I’m the only one left.”
We pulled up to the massive, imposing stone structure of the First Chicago Private Bank.
It was 2:00 AM. The street was deserted, save for two black sedans idling near the side entrance.
Dominic’s men.
Luca didn't park discreetly. He slammed the SUV onto the curb right behind their sedans, cutting off their exit.
He pulled his gun, checked the magazine, and looked at me.
“Stay behind me, Emily. Whatever happens in there, do exactly what I say.”
I nodded, my heart hammering against my ribs.
We got out of the car.
Luca didn't bother with the front doors. He walked straight to the side security entrance, aimed his weapon at the electronic lock, and fired twice.
The door burst open.
We stepped into the dimly lit, marble-floored corridors of the bank.
The silence was eerie.
We moved quietly down the hall toward the subterranean vaults.
As we reached the heavy steel gates of Vault Level 3, we heard voices.
“Try the bypass again!” a sharp voice echoed off the concrete walls.
Dominic Vance.
Luca signaled for me to stop behind a massive marble pillar.
He peeked around the corner.
Dominic was standing in front of a wall of safe deposit boxes, holding a small electronic device connected to a biometric scanner.
Two heavily armed guards stood behind him.
And kneeling on the floor, her hands tied behind her back, was my mother.
She looked bruised and terrified, but she was alive.
“Mom,” I whispered, tears springing to my eyes.
Luca placed a hand over my mouth, shaking his head.
Wait, he mouthed.
Dominic threw the electronic device against the wall in frustration.
“The override isn't working!” he shouted. “It’s requesting a primary biometric match.”
He turned to my mother and grabbed her by the hair, hauling her to her feet.
“You said Richard Carter set this up! You said he gave you the box key!”
My mother spat in his face.
“I told you he hid it to protect us from people like you!”
Dominic wiped his face, his eyes flashing with fury.
He raised his gun and pointed it directly at her chest.
“Then you are of no use to me anymore.”
I couldn't wait for Luca’s signal.
I didn't care about the guns, the money, or the danger.
I stepped out from behind the marble pillar.
“Stop!” I screamed, my voice echoing through the vault.
Dominic froze, turning toward me.
His guards immediately raised their weapons, aiming them at my chest.
Dominic smiled, a slow, predatory grin.
“Ah. The housekeeper. How brave of you to join us.”
He looked around, expecting Luca to step out.
But Luca remained hidden in the shadows.
“I came for my mother,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady, though my knees were shaking.
Dominic laughed.
“You came to die, Emily. Unless you brought Luca with you.”
“Luca isn't coming,” I lied. “He abandoned us at the estate. He only cares about his own money.”
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
“Is that so?”
“Yes,” I said, taking a slow step forward. “But you don't need Luca.”
I looked at the heavy steel safe deposit box in the wall.
“I know why the scanner isn't working for you, Dominic. You have the key. You have the code you stole from my mother’s box.”
I took a deep breath.
“But you don't have the bloodline.”
Dominic frowned.
“The bloodline?”
“My father didn't open that account, Dominic,” I said, staring him dead in the eyes. “Anthony Moretti did.”
Dominic scoffed.
“I know Anthony opened it. That’s why I need Luca’s fingerprint to bypass the secondary protocol.”
“No, you don't,” I said.
May you like
I raised my right hand, showing him my index finger.
“You need mine.”
