Chapter 7: The Other Moretti Heir
For the first time in his life, Dante Moretti was afraid of a name.
Not because someone had threatened to kill him. Not because his father's men had turned against him. Not even because a dead man had somehow returned to control the family from the shadows.
He was afraid because Elena had just told him that someone else might have a claim to Sophie.
And the silver pendant that could have helped explain everything was gone.
"Tell me what you mean," Dante demanded.
Elena stood beside Sophie's bed, holding her daughter so tightly that the little girl's cheek pressed against her shoulder.
"I need you to promise me something first.""
"Elena, someone broke into a secured building and stole that pendant. Your daughter is being threatened. I don't have time for another secret.""
"Then make time.""
Her voice cracked, but she didn't look away.
"Promise me you won't use Sophie to get to your father.""
Dante stared at her.
"She's my priority.""
"That isn't a promise.""
He glanced at Sophie. Her eyes were wide, and she was clutching the stuffed rabbit Renee had given her.
Dante lowered his voice.
"I swear on my life that I won't let anyone use your daughter against you.""
Elena swallowed.
Then she whispered, "When I was pregnant, Thomas told me you weren't the only son he had.""
Dante felt the room grow unnaturally quiet.
"What?""
"He said there was another child. An older son. He told me that boy had been hidden from the family because his existence would destroy everything your father had built.""
Dante shook his head.
"My father had one son.""
"That's what he wanted you to believe.""
"What's his name?""
"I don't know.""
"Did you ever see him?""
"No.""
"Did Thomas tell you why he was telling you this?""
Elena looked at Sophie.
"He said your family had a bloodline problem. Those were his exact words. He said if Sophie was born a girl, she would be valuable. If she was born a boy, she would be dangerous.""
Dante's jaw tightened.
"Valuable to whom?""
"He wouldn't tell me.""
"And you believed him?""
"I believed that he was capable of doing terrible things. I'd seen enough of what your family could do by then.""
Dante turned away, dragging a hand over his face.
His father had taught him to read a room before entering it, to recognize a lie before the liar finished speaking, and to assume that every gift came with a hidden price.
Yet somehow, Thomas Moretti had kept an entire son secret from him.
Or Elena was being manipulated by someone who knew exactly which fears to exploit.
Dante turned back.
"Why didn't you tell me any of this before tonight?""
"Because I thought I had escaped him.""
"Seven years of hiding, and you never once thought I deserved to know?""
Elena's eyes flashed.
"I thought my daughter deserved to live long enough to have a childhood.""
The words silenced him.
From the bed, Sophie stirred.
"Mommy?""
Elena immediately softened.
"I'm here, baby.""
"Is the bad man going to come back?""
Elena pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"No one's going to hurt you.""
Dante crouched beside the bed.
"Your mommy is right. We're going to keep you safe.""
Sophie studied him.
"Do you know the bad man?""
Dante hesitated.
"I know someone who might be behind this.""
"Is he your daddy?""
The question cut through him.
Dante looked at Elena.
She couldn't answer for him.
"I think he might be," Dante said carefully.
"But I need to find out the truth.""
Sophie looked down at her rabbit.
"If he's your daddy, why is he being mean?""
Dante had no answer that a seven-year-old should ever have to hear.
He simply said, "Sometimes grown-ups do terrible things, even when they should know better.""
Sophie nodded solemnly.
"Then you shouldn't do what he does.""
Dante felt something tighten behind his ribs.
"No," he whispered.
"I shouldn't.""
A knock sounded at the bedroom door.
Marcus entered, his face grim.
"Boss, we've recovered the external surveillance feed.""
Dante stood.
"Show me.""
Marcus placed his tablet on the bedside table.
The footage showed Bianca arriving at the safe house. She spoke to the guard for less than a minute, handed him a card, and walked inside.
Then the feed glitched.
When the image returned, Bianca was leaving through the side entrance.
The guard who had admitted her was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is he?"" Dante asked.
"Missing. His phone was found in the driveway.""
"Find him.""
"Already sent two teams.""
Dante watched the footage again.
Bianca hadn't looked frightened. She hadn't looked confused.
She had walked through his security perimeter as though she belonged there.
"Did you question her?""
"She's at the estate. Says she has something important to tell you.""
Dante looked at Elena.
"Stay here with Sophie. Marcus will double the security.""
Elena stepped toward him.
"Don't go alone.""
He paused.
"Thomas specifically asked me to.""
"That's why you shouldn't.""
Dante gave her a tired, almost bitter smile.
"You spent seven years telling me not to go looking for trouble. I've never been very good at listening.""
"This isn't funny.""
"I know.""
He glanced at Sophie one last time.
Then he left.
Bianca was waiting in the estate's private library.
Her crimson gown had been replaced with a cream silk dress. Her diamond necklace lay on the desk, beside an untouched glass of water.
She stood when Dante entered.
"Did they get hurt?""
Dante shut the door.
"Who?""
"Elena and Sophie.""
"You broke into a secured house, Bianca.""
"I didn't hurt them.""
"You brought my father to their door.""
"I brought you the truth.""
Dante moved toward the desk.
"Start talking.""
Bianca took a shaky breath.
"Three weeks ago, a man contacted me. He knew about our wedding. He knew about your father's study. He knew things no stranger should have known.""
"What did he want?""
"He asked me to find Elena.""
Dante's expression became frighteningly still.
"And you agreed?""
"He said he would give me information about your family. Information that could protect our future.""
"Our future?""
Bianca's eyes filled.
"I was going to marry you, Dante. I wanted to understand the people I was joining. I thought I could handle whatever he told me.""
"What did he tell you?""
"That your father was alive.""
Dante stared at her.
"And you believed him.""
"He showed me photographs. Documents. A recording of your father speaking. I thought it was impossible, but then he took me to the cemetery.""
She swallowed.
"Thomas was standing beside his own grave.""
Dante's hands curled into fists.
"What did he want from Elena?""
Bianca looked away.
"He said she had something that belonged to him.""
"The pendant?""
"Yes.""
"And Sophie?""
Bianca's silence lasted too long.
Dante slammed his palm against the desk.
"What does he want with my daughter?""
Bianca flinched.
"He said she was the key to the family.""
Dante stepped closer.
"Explain.""
"I don't know what he meant. I swear to you, I don't.""
He studied her face, searching for the calculated smile, the arrogance, the familiar signs of someone trying to manipulate him.
For once, Bianca looked genuinely terrified.
"Who is the other son?"" he asked.
Her lips parted.
Then she whispered a name.
"Adrian.""
Dante froze.
Adrian Moretti.
His father's nephew.
A man Dante had grown up believing died in a boating accident at the age of nineteen.
A man whose body had never been recovered.
A man whose name his father had forbidden anyone to mention.
Bianca reached for the document on the desk.
"There was a birth certificate in the study. Adrian's name was on it, and Thomas had written something across the bottom.""
Dante took the paper.
The writing was unmistakably his father's.
*The firstborn inherits the empire. The secondborn inherits the debt.*
Dante looked up.
"What debt?""
Bianca shook her head.
"I don't know.""
Before he could question her further, his phone vibrated.
A message from Marcus appeared on the screen.
*Boss, we found the missing guard. He's alive. He says the man who took the pendant left something for you.*
A second message followed.
A photograph.
It showed the silver pendant resting on a table beside an old black-and-white photograph of two newborn babies.
One had a hospital tag marked *DANTE MORETTI*.
The other was marked *ADRIAN MORETTI*.
On the back, someone had written a final sentence.
*ONE OF THEM WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE.*
Dante stared at the photograph.
For the first time, he wondered whether the secret his father had hidden for decades was not about who would inherit the Moretti empire.
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It was about which son had been allowed to live.
And whether Sophie had been born carrying the evidence.
