Chapter 9 - ENDGAME
The failed ambush on Clara was the final straw. Julian Moretti had broken the unwritten code of the underworld by targeting a civilian caretaker.
That night, Vincent did not wait for another attack. He unleashed the full, terrifying force of the Rossi empire. Within six hours, every Moretti safehouse along the coast was raided, their financial networks crippled, and Julian Moretti himself was captured fleeing toward the border.
By dawn, the war was over. The Moretti syndicate was completely dismantled, eliminated permanently from the landscape.
When Vincent returned to the estate at 8:00 AM, the sun was shining brightly over the ocean. The rain had cleared, leaving the sky a crisp, brilliant blue.
Vincent walked down the hallway toward the west wing. He didn't check the monitors. He didn't look at the security feeds. He walked straight to his son’s room and opened the door.
Matteo was sitting in his wheelchair near the window. Clara was kneeling beside him, a small white bandage neatly covering the cut on her forehead. She was teaching Matteo how to use a set of light hand weights to rebuild his upper body strength.
When Vincent walked in, Clara stood up, looking at him nervously.
“Is it... over?” she asked quietly.
“It’s over,” Vincent said. He walked over to her, pulling a thick envelope from his inner coat pocket and placing it on the table.
Clara looked down at the envelope. “What’s this?”
“That is a complete discharge of all debts associated with your daughter’s medical care,” Vincent said, his tone dead serious. “I bought out the entire debt portfolio from the hospital network this morning. You owe nothing. To anyone. Ever again.”
Clara stared at the document, her hands beginning to shake. “Vincent... I can't accept this. This is hundreds of thousands of dollars—”
“It’s nothing,” Vincent interrupted, stepping closer to her, his dark eyes softening completely. “It’s paper. You gave me my son back. You gave him his life, his voice, and his father. There is no amount of money in existence that can repay that.”
He turned to Matteo, who was watching them with a bright smile.
“In fact,” Vincent continued, looking back at Clara, “I don't want you working here as a hired caretaker anymore.”
May you like
Clara’s heart sank slightly. “You’re firing me?”
“No,” Vincent smiled—a real, genuine smile that transformed his ruthless face into something warm and striking. “I’m asking you to stay. Permanently. As the Director of a new Pediatric Rehabilitation Center I am funding in your daughter’s name. And... as a part of this family, if you’ll have us.”
