Chapter 1 - The Hidden Name
I stared at Maria as the sound of my first name hung in the heavy silence of the room. Nobody called me Daniel anymore. Nobody except the ghosts of my past. I looked at the absolute terror in her dark eyes. She stood frozen in the doorway with her hands trembling as she looked at her daughter. Sofia was still standing near my knees, oblivious to the sudden tension in the air. I slowly wiped the tears from my face and sat up straight. "How do you know my name?" I asked, my voice dangerously low. Maria rushed forward and pulled Sofia behind her legs. "My husband was Leo," she whispered, her voice breaking. The name hit me like a physical blow to the chest. Leo had been my most loyal driver and my closest childhood friend. Two years ago, Vincent told me Leo had been stealing from our accounts. Vincent brought me the bank records and the wire transfers as proof. Before I could even question him, Leo was found dead in an alley. I had spent the last two years believing my best friend had betrayed me. "Leo never stole a single dime from you," Maria cried, tears streaming down her face. "He found out Vincent was working for the Moretti family." "Leo tried to warn you, but Vincent intercepted him and killed him." "Vincent forged those bank records to cover his own tracks." I felt the air leave my lungs as the horrifying truth settled in my mind. I had let the man who murdered my best friend eat at my table. I had allowed Leo to die thinking I was the one who ordered the hit. "I came to work here because I needed to know if you were the one who ordered his death," Maria sobbed. "But after seeing you tonight, I know you had no idea." Before I could offer her a single word of apology, the mansion's emergency alarms began to scream. Flashing red lights bathed the living room in a sinister glow. My radio crackled to life on the table. "Boss, we have a massive breach at the front gates," a guard yelled through the static. I grabbed my weapon from under the coffee table and pushed Maria toward the secret hallway. "Get Sofia to the panic room right now," I commanded. The heavy wooden doors of the mansion suddenly splintered inward. Gunfire erupted in the foyer, shattering the expensive crystal chandeliers. I raised my radio to call my head of security. "Marcus, get the backup team to the east wing immediately," I shouted. The radio hummed with dead air for a terrifying second. "I cannot do that, Daniel," Marcus replied smoothly. "Mr. Moretti sends his regards, and he wants you dead tonight."
