Chapter 7 - The Bloodline Confirmed
The sun rose over the Hudson River, casting a cold, gray light through the tall windows of the Moretti estate.
Down in the subterranean levels of the mansion—where sound could not penetrate the thick foundation stone—the screams had finally stopped.
Alessandro walked up the spiral stone stairs, wiping his hands on a clean white towel. He threw the towel into an incinerator chute, adjusting the cuffs of his pristine white dress shirt.
Marco followed closely behind, holding a leather folder filled with intercepted documents and transcripts.
“The assassin sang like a canary, boss,” Marco reported, his voice low and serious. “Romano didn't just plan to threaten you at the gala tonight. He had a coordinated strike planned across New York. His men were ordered to abduct Lily and Rosa, using them as leverage to force you to surrender your shipping ports. Once the contracts were signed… he ordered both of them executed.”
Alessandro stopped in the middle of the hallway. He didn't speak, but the vein pulsing at his temple betrayed the fury boiling beneath his skin.
“And Isabella?” Alessandro asked.
“She was the one who gave them the estate’s security blueprints,” Marco replied, handing him a printed satellite map with handwritten notes in Isabella’s elegant script. “She marked the blind spots along the river bluffs before she was escorted out yesterday. She knew about the hit, boss. She orchestrated it.”
Alessandro’s eyes hardened into black diamonds. “Treacherous snake.”
“Boss,” Marco hesitated, glancing nervously at the folder in his hands. “There’s one more thing. The private laboratory you sent the DNA samples to yesterday morning… the courier just arrived with the expedited results.”
Alessandro paused. He turned, his gaze dropping to the sealed white envelope Marco was extending toward him.
Even though he knew in his heart of hearts that Lily was his—even though every look, every gesture, and every glance of those dark eyes echoed his own blood—a profound, terrifying weight settled onto his chest. For a man who had never feared death, opening that envelope felt like standing before the gates of judgment.
With steady fingers, Alessandro tore the envelope open.
He pulled out the document, his eyes skipping past the clinical jargon, the scientific percentages, straight to the conclusion at the bottom of the page:
*Probability of Paternity: 99.99%. Alessandro Moretti is confirmed as the biological father of Lily Mendes.*
A strange, quiet warmth bloomed in Alessandro’s chest—a feeling so foreign to his violent world that it nearly took his breath away. He wasn't just a boss defending territory anymore. He wasn't just a warrior seeking revenge.
He was a father.
He folded the document carefully, sliding it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket right against his heart.
“Marco,” Alessandro commanded, his voice ringing with renewed authority.
“Yes, boss?”
“Mobilize every crew from Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey,” Alessandro ordered. “I want Romano’s front businesses in Manhattan raided by five o’clock. Seize their warehouses, freeze their accounts through our contacts in the port authority, and cut off their supply lines to the Midwest. Leave Vincent Romano completely blind and isolated before he even steps foot inside the Plaza Hotel.”
“Consider it done, Don Alessandro.”
“And Marco?”
“Boss?”
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“Tell the dressmakers on the third floor that they have three hours,” Alessandro said softly. “Tonight, the Donna of New York will be introduced to the world.”
***
