Chapter 1 - The Bloodline
My mother took a ragged breath as the silence in the office stretched into eternity.
She looked at Clara with a mixture of profound sorrow and fierce protection.
“Clara is the daughter of Arthur Reed,” my mother finally whispered.
The name hit me like a physical blow to the chest.
Arthur Reed was my father’s former underboss who allegedly betrayed our syndicate twenty years ago.
My father had ordered his brutal execution to protect our family empire.
According to the strict laws of our mafia family, Clara’s life was forfeit the moment she stepped onto my property.
I instinctively reached into my suit jacket, my fingers brushing against the cold steel of my concealed weapon.
Clara did not flinch or break eye contact with me.
“I didn’t come here for revenge, Mr. Hale,” Clara said with a steady voice.
My mother reached out and firmly grasped my wrist to stop my hand.
“She came because of a blood oath her mother made to me when we were young,” Eleanor explained.
Clara was secretly trained and sent to protect my mother in her final days, knowing the syndicate would never suspect a lowly maid.
I felt my entire worldview shift as I realized the woman scrubbing my floors was actually mafia royalty.
I demanded to know what exactly she was protecting my mother from.
Before Clara could answer, a loud crash echoed from the first floor of the mansion.
The heavy oak doors of my office suddenly splintered inward.
My most trusted bodyguard fell through the frame, a crimson stain spreading rapidly across his white shirt.
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As he gasped his final breath, he pointed a trembling finger directly at Clara.
He managed to whisper that the assassin was already inside the house.
