Chapter 6: The Secret His Father Buried
The letter was dated fifteen years earlier.
Lucas read it twice.
Then a third time.
His father's handwriting was unmistakable.
Sharp, precise, and cold.
*Lucas,*
*You have made a mistake by allowing a woman to become more important than your responsibilities. Anna Carter is not suitable for this family. Her pregnancy is an inconvenience that must be handled before it becomes a scandal.*
Lucas stopped reading.
His jaw tightened.
He had spent years believing his father was a ruthless man who understood power better than anyone.
But this was different.
This was a man who had looked at an unborn child and called her an inconvenience.
Lucas continued.
*Vincent has been instructed to resolve the matter. You will be told that Anna has chosen to leave. Do not investigate further. Your future depends on your ability to forget her.*
The letter ended with a signature.
Anthony Moretti.
Lucas slowly placed it on the desk.
Marco watched him.
“Boss?””
Lucas stared at the paper.
“My father knew.””
“Yes.””
“He knew Anna was pregnant.””
“Yes.””
“And he ordered Vincent to separate us.””
Marco nodded.
Lucas stood and walked toward the window.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he turned.
“Find every person who worked for my father during that period.””
Marco frowned.
“That's a lot of people.””
“Then start with Vincent's closest associates.””
“Some of them are dead.””
“Find the ones who are alive.””
Marco nodded.
Lucas looked down at the letter again.
“There's something missing.””
“What?””
“My father's reason.””
Marco glanced at the document.
“He wanted to protect the family.””
Lucas shook his head.
“No. He wanted something else.””
He opened the folder and found another page.
It was a list of names.
Three had been crossed out.
One remained circled.
*GABRIEL MORETTI.*
Lucas stared.
His older half-brother.
The man who had supposedly died in a boating accident seventeen years earlier.
Lucas had been told Gabriel was reckless, unstable, and a danger to the family.
He had never questioned the official story.
Now his father's letter suggested something else.
Lucas looked at Marco.
“Is Gabriel's death certificate in the archive?””
Marco searched the folder.
A moment later, he found it.
Lucas took the document.
The date was wrong.
The accident had supposedly occurred in August.
But the certificate had been issued in November.
Three months later.
Lucas's expression hardened.
“My brother might still be alive.””
Marco looked stunned.
“Boss, that's impossible.””
“Apparently, so was having a daughter.””
He picked up the phone.
“Find Gabriel.””
Anna sat on the edge of her bed, staring at Lily's empty pillow.
The apartment was quiet.
Too quiet.
She had left the hallway light on.
Lily always slept better when there was a little light beneath the door.
Her daughter's favorite stuffed rabbit rested against the pillow.
Anna picked it up.
It still smelled faintly of strawberry shampoo.
She pressed it against her chest.
Then her phone rang.
Lucas.
She answered immediately.
“Have you found her?””
“Not yet.””
Anna closed her eyes.
“Lucas…”
“I need you to tell me everything you remember about the night Lily was born.””
There was a pause.
“Why?””
“I found something in my father's files.””
Anna sat up.
“What did you find?””
“A letter proving he knew about the pregnancy.””
Anna went completely still.
“What?””
“He instructed Vincent to separate us.””
Anna covered her mouth.
For years, she had wondered whether she had imagined the threats.
Whether she had misunderstood the people who had told her to disappear.
Now she knew.
Lucas's family had deliberately erased her.
“Your father knew where I lived?”” she whispered.
“Yes.””
“He knew Lily existed?””
“Yes.””
Anna began crying.
“Then why did he let us go?””
Lucas was quiet.
“I don't think he did.””
Anna looked toward the window.
“What does that mean?””
“I'm looking into it.””
Then she remembered something.
“Lucas?””
“I'm listening.””
“Before Lily was born, I received a phone call from a woman.””
Lucas waited.
“She said she worked for your father. She told me that if I wanted my baby to live, I had to disappear before the delivery.””
Lucas's expression hardened.
“Did she give you a name?””
“No. But she knew everything about the hospital. She knew my doctor's name. She knew the date I was scheduled to deliver.””
“Did you ever see her?””
“Yes.””
Anna hesitated.
“At the hospital.””
Lucas gripped the phone.
“What did she look like?””
“Dark hair. Maybe forty years old. She wore a silver bracelet with a little cross.””
Lucas looked toward Marco.
“Did she say anything else?””
Anna swallowed.
“She said something strange.””
“What?””
“She said the Moretti family had already lost one child. They wouldn't allow another.””
Lucas stared at the wall.
His brother.
Gabriel.
“Anna, I need you to stay inside. Lock the doors. Don't answer anyone you don't know.””
“Lucas, I'm scared.””
“I know.””
“Bring my daughter home.””
“I will.””
He ended the call.
Marco was already searching through the old family photographs on his tablet.
“Boss, I found something.””
Lucas approached.
Marco enlarged a photograph.
It showed Anthony Moretti standing outside a private hospital.
Beside him was a woman wearing a silver bracelet.
Lucas recognized her immediately.
“Who is she?””
“Margaret Vale. Your father's personal secretary.””
Lucas stared.
“She's dead.””
“Officially, yes. She died in a car accident twelve years ago.””
“Find her.””
Marco nodded.
Then he looked at the screen again.
“There's something else. Margaret Vale was Gabriel's nurse before the boating accident.””
Lucas went completely still.
The pieces were beginning to form a picture.
But he didn't like what he was seeing.
At the safe house, Lily sat on the edge of the mattress.
Victor had left her alone for nearly an hour.
She had stopped crying.
Instead, she was concentrating on the small turquoise inhaler in her hands.
She remembered the first time her mother had shown her how to use it.
“Always keep it close,” Anna had said.
“And if someone has trouble breathing, get a grown-up.””
Lily looked at the inhaler.
Then at the door.
She knew Victor was dangerous.
But she also knew something else.
He didn't like it when she asked questions.
And he always checked the hallway before entering.
So Lily began counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
She waited until the footsteps disappeared.
Then she climbed onto the chair beneath the small ventilation window.
It was too high.
She stretched.
Her fingers touched the metal frame.
She couldn't reach the latch.
She looked around.
There was a folded blanket.
A small wooden stool.
And a plastic water bottle.
She dragged the stool beneath the window and climbed onto it.
The latch moved slightly.
Then the door opened.
“What are you doing?””
Lily froze.
Victor stood in the doorway.
His eyes moved from the stool to the window.
Then to the little girl.
He walked inside and pulled the stool away.
“Didn't I tell you to stay where you are?””
Lily lowered her head.
“I'm sorry.””
Victor placed the stool against the wall.
“You're not going anywhere.””
Lily looked up.
“Why are you mad at my daddy?””
Victor stared at her.
“Because your father took something from me.””
“What?””
“My life.””
Lily frowned.
“But you have a life.””
Victor's face tightened.
“You don't understand.””
Lily hugged her inhaler.
“My mommy says people who are angry should talk about it.””
Victor laughed bitterly.
“Your mother should have taught you to stay out of other people's business.””
He turned to leave.
Then Lily spoke.
“Did you know my daddy before he was my daddy?””
Victor stopped.
He slowly looked back.
“What?””
“Before he met me. Did you know him?””
Victor stared at the child.
Then he walked back toward her.
“Yes.””
“Were you friends?””
Victor's expression darkened.
“We were.””
“Then why did you hurt him?””
He didn't answer.
Lily looked down.
“My daddy helped me when I was scared.””
Victor's jaw tightened.
“He helped you because he needs you.””
“No.””
Lily shook her head.
“He looked sad when I cried.””
Victor stared at her for several seconds.
Then he walked out.
But he left the door slightly open.
Lily watched the gap.
And for the first time, she noticed something strange.
There was a security camera above the corridor.
Its red light was blinking.
She remembered what her mother had once said about cameras.
Sometimes, they were watching people.
Sometimes, they were watching for people.
Lily climbed down from the mattress.
Then she stood beneath the camera and lifted her face.
“Daddy,” she whispered.
“Please find me.””
At the mansion, Lucas was preparing to leave when Dr. Harris entered the study.
“I need to speak with you.””
Lucas looked at him.
“Make it quick.””
“It's about Lily.””
Lucas immediately stopped.
“What?””
“I reviewed the information Anna provided about her medical history. I also examined the medication she left with us.””
“And?””
Dr. Harris placed a medical report on the desk.
“She has a history of severe respiratory episodes. Her medication needs to be monitored carefully.””
Lucas looked at the report.
“Can she be in danger right now?””
“Stress can make breathing difficulties worse. I would prefer to examine her as soon as we find her.””
Lucas picked up the turquoise inhaler.
“She saved my life with this.””
Dr. Harris nodded.
“I know.””
Lucas stared at the little device.
Then he said something quietly.
“She shouldn't have needed to save anyone.””
Dr. Harris looked at him.
“What do you mean?””
Lucas's expression hardened.
“She should have been at home. Sleeping in her own bed. Worrying about school and cartoons. Not kneeling on a marble floor trying to keep a stranger alive.””
He slipped the inhaler into his jacket.
“Find the best pediatric specialist in the city. I want everything ready.””
Dr. Harris nodded.
“Lucas?””
“What?””
“Whatever happens tonight, remember that she's a child. She doesn't need a mafia boss. She needs a father.””
Lucas looked at him.
For once, he didn't argue.
At 2:38 a.m., Marco returned to the study.
“Boss, we found Margaret Vale.””
Lucas stood.
“Where?””
“She's alive.””
The room fell silent.
Marco continued.
“She has been living under another name in Connecticut. We found an address connected to her old bank account.””
Lucas grabbed his coat.
“Get the car.””
Marco hesitated.
“There's something you should see first.””
He placed a photograph on the desk.
It showed an older woman leaving a pharmacy.
On her wrist was a silver bracelet.
A tiny cross.
Lucas stared.
“That's her.””
Marco nodded.
“And she wasn't alone.””
He placed a second photograph beside it.
A tall man was walking a few steps behind Margaret.
His face was partially hidden by a baseball cap.
But Lucas recognized the posture.
The scar near the jaw.
The way he held his left shoulder.
His brother.
Gabriel.
Lucas stepped closer.
“That's impossible.””
Marco lowered his voice.
“There's one more thing, boss.””
“What?””
“Margaret made a phone call to Victor less than an hour ago.””
Lucas looked at him.
“Did you trace it?””
“Yes.””
Marco placed a final document on the desk.
The location was an old private estate outside Greenwich, Connecticut.
Lucas looked at the address.
Then he looked at the photograph again.
His supposedly dead brother was alive.
His father's secretary was alive.
And both were connected to the man holding his daughter.
Lucas picked up his gun.
“Marco.””
“Yes, boss?””
“Get everyone ready.””
“Where are we going?””
Lucas stared at Gabriel's photograph.
“To meet the ghost my father buried.””
His phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A video message.
Lucas opened it.
Lily appeared on the screen.
She was sitting on a bed, holding her turquoise inhaler.
Her eyes were red.
But she was trying very hard not to cry.
“Daddy?””
Lucas leaned closer.
“I'm here, sweetheart.””
Lily looked toward someone outside the frame.
Then she whispered:
“Daddy, there's another man here.””
Lucas's heart stopped.
“Who?””
The camera shifted.
A man stepped into view.
Older.
Dark-haired.
A familiar scar running along his jaw.
He looked directly into the camera.
Then he smiled.
“Hello, little brother.””
Lucas couldn't move.
Gabriel Moretti was alive.
May you like
And he was standing beside Lucas's daughter.
*To be continued.*
