Chapter 1 - The Rusted Gates
The black town car idled outside the concrete courtyard of St. Cecilia Children's Home.
Dominic Moretti stepped out into the crisp afternoon wind.
Marco Bellini stood right behind him with a deeply annoyed expression.
"You are wasting your valuable time here, Dominic," Marco muttered.
Dominic ignored his oldest friend and walked through the heavy wooden doors.
Sister Teresa was waiting in the hallway with a nervous, respectful nod.
She led the powerful billionaire toward the smudged window overlooking the playground.
Dominic's eyes instantly locked onto the small girl sitting under the oak tree.
His breath caught painfully in his throat when he saw the dark curls framing her face.
She looked exactly like the woman he had loved and lost six years ago.
Sister Teresa quietly explained that Mia had been waiting for someone to claim her for five long years.
She gently coaxed the little girl to approach the glass and show the visitor her treasured photograph.
Mia walked over silently and pressed the wrinkled paper against the window.
Dominic felt his entire world collapse as he stared at the image.
It was a picture of him and Elena laughing on a sunlit beach.
But it was the background of the photograph that made his blood run completely cold.
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Reflected in the glass of the beach house behind them was a man holding a silenced pistol.
The man aiming the gun at Elena's back was Marco.
