Chapter 7 - WHEN THE EMPIRE BURNEDLucia responded by attacking the Moretti companies.
Accounts were frozen.
Warehouses were raided.
Three shipping contracts disappeared overnight.
Investors panicked.
News channels reported that Vincent Moretti's empire was collapsing.
Vincent didn't care.
For the first time, money was not the thing he was trying to protect.
He was protecting people.
Elena.
Mia.
Marco.
Daniel.
The family he had almost lost without ever realizing it existed.
Vincent moved them to a secure house in the mountains.
There, Mia played in the snow while adults planned war.
Daniel spread documents across the table.
“We expose everything at once.”
Vincent nodded.
“Every name.”
“Elena's hospital records.”
“Yes.”
“Lucia's accounts.”
“Yes.”
“Richard's recordings.”
“Everything.”
Marco, recovering from his wound, frowned.
“You know what that means.”
Vincent looked at him.
“My empire ends.”
“Yes.”
Vincent smiled.
“Good.”
Marco stared.
“Good?”
“I spent five years turning Greystone into a prison.”
Vincent looked outside at Mia.
“I don't want another prison.”
Daniel smiled.
His younger brother had finally changed.
That night, Mia entered Vincent's room.
“Can't sleep?”
She climbed onto the bed.
Vincent smiled.
“Come here.”
She held Bunny.
“Daddy sang this.”
Vincent froze.
“What?”
She hummed the lullaby again.
Daniel heard it from the hallway.
Vincent looked at his brother.
“That's ours.”
Daniel nodded.
“Our mother sang it.”
Mia smiled.
Vincent felt something inside him crack.
Not grief.
Healing.
He pulled Mia closer.
“Your daddy must have loved you very much.”
“He did.”
“Do you miss him?”
“Yes.”
“So do I.”
Mia looked up.
“You know him?”
Vincent smiled through tears.
“Yes.”
“Will he come home?”
Vincent looked at Daniel.
Daniel stood in the doorway.
Mia's eyes widened.
“Daddy!”
She jumped off the bed and ran.
Daniel caught her.
Vincent watched them.
For five years he had believed death took everything.
Tonight, his brother was alive.
His niece had found a home.
And his heart was beginning to feel like his again.
The attack came before sunrise.
Cars surrounded the house.
Gunfire shattered the windows.
Mia screamed.
Elena grabbed her.
Vincent moved toward them.
“Basement.”
“No.”
Elena shook her head.
“We're staying together.”
Vincent stared.
She was terrified.
But she did not run.
Then the front door exploded.
Lucia entered.
Older.
Elegant.
Calm.
She held a gun.
“Vincent.”
He raised his weapon.
“Lucia.”
She smiled.
“Your father would be proud.”
“You killed my daughter.”
“I did not.”
“You ordered the medication change.”
“I ordered the records changed.”
“You knew she might die.”
Lucia's face became cold.
“She was an unfortunate consequence.”
Vincent nearly lost control.
Daniel stepped forward.
“You're finished.”
Lucia looked at him.
“You've always been weak.”
Daniel smiled.
“No.”
He pointed toward the cameras.
“I'm documented.”
Lucia frowned.
“What?”
“You've been talking to live federal investigators for six minutes.”
Her face changed.
The walls were full of hidden cameras.
The entire confrontation had been recorded.
Police sirens approached outside.
Lucia's expression collapsed.
She fired.
Vincent pushed Elena and Mia down.
Marco returned fire.
Lucia's gun flew across the floor.
Federal agents stormed the house.
Richard was arrested outside.
Lucia was taken away in handcuffs.
As she passed Vincent, she whispered,
“You'll lose everything.”
Vincent smiled.
“I already did.”
May you like
Then he looked toward Mia.
“And I got something better.”
