Chapter 14 - The Prodigal Daughter
Hannah stepped out of the shadows and walked straight through the open glass doors of the grand dining room.
Her sudden appearance was completely silent, but her presence immediately commanded the massive space.
Arthur paused with his wine glass halfway to his mouth, his eyes widening in genuine, unadulterated shock.
He slowly lowered the glass, staring at the bloody, fierce woman who used to be his fragile daughter.
He offered a patronizing smile, attempting to mask his panic by casually praising her for finding him.
Hannah did not smile back; she simply kept her hand resting near the pistol holstered at her hip.
She demanded to know why he had put her through years of agonizing poverty and emotional torture.
Arthur leaned back in his plush chair, completely dropping the facade of a loving father.
He coldly explained that love was a luxury for the weak, and survival in their world required absolute ruthlessness.
He admitted that watching her cry over his hospital bed had been tedious, but it was necessary to secure the Moretti funding.
Hannah’s heart hardened into pure stone, entirely devoid of any remaining affection for the monster sitting before her.
Suddenly, the heavy mahogany doors of the dining room swung open, revealing Vincent Moretti.
He looked significantly older and deeply scarred from his encounter with Dominic, but his eyes were filled with vicious triumph.
He clapped his hands slowly, mocking Hannah for walking directly into their carefully laid trap.
A dozen armed mercenaries filed into the room, raising their laser-sighted rifles directly at Hannah’s chest.
Vincent gloated that the photograph had been a deliberate lure to bring her out of Dominic’s protective fortress in New York.
He stated that with Hannah back in their custody, they could finally extract the marrow needed to cure his dying son.
Arthur stood up, adjusting his expensive suit jacket, and completely agreed with his ruthless partner.
He told Hannah that if she complied immediately, he would generously allow her to live in a comfortable cell.
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But before the mercenaries could take a single step forward, the lights in the villa violently flickered and died.
Total, suffocating darkness consumed the dining room, followed by the terrifying sound of a suppressed gunshot.
