Chapter 6 - The Ghost of the Past
Sofia paced the cold concrete floor of the basement cell.
She kept reading the small note, wondering which guard had secretly slipped it to her.
She refused to believe that her entire life was a lie based on a stolen piece of jewelry.
Her memory flashed back to a terrifying night at the orphanage when she was seven years old.
There had been a terrible fire in the dormitory.
Sofia remembered a sickly, terrified girl crying in the corner of the burning room.
The sick girl had begged Sofia to switch bracelets with her so the bad men wouldn't find her.
Sofia had taken the gold bracelet with the name Chiara to protect her friend.
The sick girl had burned in the fire, and Sofia had carried her name ever since.
I am not Chiara.
Sofia whispered the devastating realization into the empty cell.
I am just a decoy who survived by pure accident.
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the foundation of the underground bunker.
The heavy steel door of her cell groaned and blew completely off its hinges.
Thick smoke poured into the corridor, followed by the sound of rapid automatic gunfire.
The guard who had given her the note rushed into the cell, his face covered in soot.
The Falcone family has breached the compound walls.
The guard grabbed her arm and pulled her into the chaotic hallway.
Don Riccardo sent me to get you out of here before Dante executes you.
Sofia was stunned that Riccardo was still trying to protect her despite the fake DNA test.
They sprinted up the narrow service stairs, avoiding the main halls where the battle raged.
They reached the grand foyer just as the front doors were blown apart by a breaching charge.
Dozens of heavily armed Falcone mercenaries flooded the entrance, executing anyone in their path.
A tall, distinguished man in a pristine white suit casually strolled through the carnage.
It was Victor Falcone, the ruthless head of the rival family.
He spotted Sofia and smiled a chilling, predatory smile.
Hello, my beautiful daughter.
May you like
Victor said, spreading his arms wide to welcome her.
I have spent twenty years looking for you.
