Chapter 2 - Dante Took Me Into His Private Room—Then I Showed Him the Evidence That Could Destroy His DaughterDante took me upstairs.

I expected questions.

Instead, he ordered everyone out.

Only his oldest security chief remained.

"Marco."

The man nodded.

"Boss."

"Nobody enters."

Marco closed the door.

Dante placed the photograph on the desk.

His hands were shaking.

I had never seen a powerful man look so vulnerable.

"Tell me everything you remember."

I sat across from him.

"I don't remember much."

"Try."

I closed my eyes.

A bus station.

Rain.

A woman crying.

A black car.

Someone shouting.

Then a red scarf.

I opened my eyes.

"I remember a woman holding me."

Dante leaned forward.

"What woman?"

"I don't know."

"Was she your mother?"

"I don't know."

He closed his eyes.

"Did she say anything?"

I thought.

"She said... 'Run.'"

Dante's face changed.

"Anything else?"

I shook my head.

He looked at Marco.

"Bring Dr. Ellis."

The doctor arrived forty minutes later.

He examined the birthmark.

Then the old photograph.

"There is no question they're identical."

Dante stared at him.

"DNA."

The doctor nodded.

"We need a test."

Dante looked at me.

"Will you allow it?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

But before the test could happen, I remembered something.

I reached inside my purse.

"I have something."

Dante looked at the small silver pendant.

His entire body froze.

He recognized it.

"My wife gave that to Amara."

I stared.

"Your wife?"

"Your mother."

I had spent twenty years believing I had no mother.

Now I was standing in a room with a man who claimed to be my father.

I wanted to believe him.

But I had learned not to trust promises.

So I reached into my bag again.

"I also have this."

I placed a folder on the desk.

Dante opened it.

Inside were bank records.

Thousands of transactions.

Millions of dollars.

Money disappearing from Vale accounts.

"For eight months, I've been investigating something."

His eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"Because I work at Aurelia."

I pointed to the documents.

"I noticed certain invoices didn't match."

Dante studied them.

"Where did you get these?"

"I copied them."

"Why?"

"Because someone is stealing from you."

He looked at me.

"Who?"

I turned the page.

Every transaction eventually led to one account.

A private holding company.

Owned by Vanessa Vale.

Dante's daughter.

The woman who had just humiliated me.

His expression became unreadable.

I whispered:

"Your daughter has been moving millions."

Dante slowly closed the file.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He stared at the documents.

Then at me.

"My daughter stole from me."

"I think so."

He stood.

Marco entered.

"Boss?"

Dante handed him the file.

"Audit every account."

Marco looked through the papers.

His face changed.

"Boss..."

"I know."

Dante turned toward the window.

"Nobody tells Vanessa."

Marco nodded.

Dante looked back at me.

"Until we know the truth, you stay here."

I frowned.

"No."

His eyebrows rose.

"I'm not a prisoner."

"I know."

"Then I want to leave."

He looked at me for several seconds.

Then he said something that surprised me.

"I've already lost you once."

His voice broke.

"I'm not losing you again."

I didn't know what to say.

For twenty years, I had wondered why nobody had ever come looking for me.

Now I was beginning to understand.

May you like

He Came to End Their Marriage—Then Learned Someone Had Been Trying to De...

The Mafia Boss Ordered the Gunmen to Drop Their Weapons

My Mafia Husband Left Me to Freeze Above Aspen

Someone had made sure they couldn't find me.

And that someone was still inside Dante's organization.