Chapter 10 - The Heir
I left Grace in the care of my trusted medics and sprinted into the dark tunnel.
The underground garage was dead silent, illuminated only by the headlights of the armored van.
The terrified Moretti guard was sitting in the driver's seat, his hand trembling on the explosive trigger.
I walked slowly out into the open, raising my empty hands to show I was unarmed.
I spoke to him calmly, offering him ten million dollars and a safe flight out of the country.
I promised him that Vincenzo was already dead and his loyalty meant absolutely nothing anymore.
The young guard stared at me through the bulletproof glass, tears streaming down his face.
He slowly took his hand off the trigger and unlocked the heavy steel doors of the van.
My men rushed forward, securing the explosives and dragging the sobbing guard away.
I climbed into the back of the transport van, my heart pounding against my ribs.
Sitting perfectly safe in a padded car seat was my beautiful, newborn son.
He was fast asleep, completely unaware of the massive war that had just been fought for his life.
I gently lifted him into my arms, tears finally breaking through my hardened exterior.
I carried my son back into the church and placed him carefully against Grace's chest.
The core conflict of our darkest nightmare was finally resolved.
My mother was locked away in a high-security prison entirely controlled by my loyal judges.
The Moretti syndicate was completely dismantled, their territories absorbed into my own empire.
Grace and I spent the next six months peacefully raising our perfect boy in a beautiful new mansion by the sea.
We were truly happy, surrounded by loyal guards and entirely free from the violent past.
But one sunny morning, a small, unmarked wooden box arrived in the mail without a return address.
I opened the box to find a pristine silver baby rattle, exactly like the one left in the bloody delivery room.
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A handwritten note rested beneath it, signed by a syndicate far more powerful than the Morettis.
The note read: "Your mother was only an employee, and we always collect our property eventually."
