Chapter 6 - The War Inside the Family
Sophia's mother, Maria, was alive.
For twenty-eight years, she'd been hiding.
She had worked with Elena.
She had betrayed Elena.
She had helped hide Emma.
She had helped move Lily.
She knew where Daniel had gone.
But none of us understood her motive.
Maria looked at me.
“You destroyed my daughter's life.”
Sophia shouted,
“You left me!”
Maria didn't flinch.
“I kept you alive.”
“You abandoned me.”
“I protected you.”
“By letting me work as a maid?”
Maria's expression softened.
“You were safer away from me.”
I looked at Maria.
“Why did you betray Elena?”
“I didn't.”
“Then why hide my children?”
“Because your father ordered it.”
“My father is dead.”
“Yes.”
“Then who gave you orders?”
Maria looked toward Grace.
“Her.”
Grace raised her chin.
The story became stranger.
Years ago, my family had two rival factions.
One wanted legitimate businesses.
The other wanted criminal control.
My grandfather built the criminal network.
My father tried to escape it.
Grace had been caught between them.
She had helped my father protect Julian.
She had also helped Elena hide Emma.
But Maria had done something else.
She had created the false evidence that made me blame the Morettis.
“I don't understand.”
Maria explained.
“Elena was planning to leave the city with all four children.”
“Why?”
“Because she believed your family would never be free.”
“She was right.”
Grace interrupted.
“She was wrong.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“Your father was about to destroy the entire criminal organization.”
“Then who stopped him?”
“Julian.”
I stared.
“But Julian was only a child.”
“He was young.”
“He couldn't control everything.”
“He didn't have to.”
Maria looked at me.
“Adults around him did the work.”
Suddenly, Julian's motive made sense.
He had inherited nothing.
He had spent years manipulating people.
He had built alliances.
He had waited.
Then he eliminated everyone who could expose him.
The family wasn't divided by greed.
It was divided by fear.
Grace stepped forward.
“Adrian, your father didn't hide the ledger to protect himself.”
“Then why?”
“To protect you.”
“From Julian?”
“Yes.”
She handed me an old letter.
My father's handwriting.
My son,
One day Julian may come for you.
Do not trust him.
But do not kill him.
There is a reason.
He believes destroying you will make him free.
Only you can show him he was wrong.
I looked at Grace.
“What does that mean?”
“I don't know.”
Then an alarm sounded.
Julian's men had breached the estate.
We moved the children into the underground bunker.
Isabella held Emma's hand.
Lily carried Daniel's bag.
Elena stayed beside them.
I watched them descend the stairs.
A family I'd never known.
A family I'd almost lost.
Then I turned toward the attackers.
This was the final war.
Not for territory.
Not for money.
For truth.
The fighting lasted for hours.
Julian's men were well trained.
But my security team knew the estate better.
One by one, his forces fell back.
Then Julian called.
“Come to the roof.”
I went.
He stood beneath the rain.
“You've always had everything.”
“No.”
“You had your father's name.”
“You wanted it.”
“You had Elena.”
“You took her.”
“You had the children.”
“They were never yours.”
Julian laughed.
“I could have been your brother.”
“You were.”
He looked stunned.
“We shared blood.”
“Then why did you choose hatred?”
“Because I was always the unwanted child.”
I lowered my weapon.
“My father failed you.”
Julian froze.
“What?”
“He did.”
“You don't understand.”
“I understand enough.”
“My mother died alone.”
“I know.”
“He erased me.”
“I know.”
“He chose you.”
“Yes.”
“Then why aren't you angry?”
“I was.”
I stepped closer.
“I spent years becoming exactly what he wanted.”
Julian stared.
“And then Elena saved me.”
“She betrayed you.”
“No.”
“She lied.”
“She lied to save our children.”
“Same thing.”
“No.”
I looked at him.
“Love isn't the same as fear.”
He raised his weapon.
I didn't.
He couldn't fire.
Not because he lacked courage.
Because he hesitated.
That hesitation saved his life.
Marcus tackled him.
Police arrived seconds later.
Julian was arrested.
The family war ended.
But one mystery remained.
Daniel had a scar behind his ear.
A tiny number.
Seven.
Victor examined it.
“This is a tracking mark.”
“Tracking what?”
“DNA.”
I stared.
“Why?”
Victor looked at Elena.
She understood.
“The fourth child wasn't the last experiment.”
I felt cold.
“What?”
She whispered,
“There were seven children.”
I stared.
“Seven?”
Elena nodded.
“All born from women connected to your father's organization.”
“Why?”
“To create heirs.”
I felt sick.
“Where are the others?”
“We don't know.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“I know.”
He reached into his backpack.
He pulled out a book.
A list of names.
Seven.
The first four were ours.
The other three belonged to children he'd met while being held.
“Julian kept records.”
My stomach turned.
This wasn't over.
We had saved our family.
May you like
But three other children were still missing.
And somewhere in the city, someone had already started looking for them.
