Chapter 2 - The Fire in the Estate Records
The name 'Carter' struck Dominic like a physical blow. Six years ago, before he assumed absolute control over the Moretti Syndicate, he had shared a brief, passionate romance with Clara Carter, an independent art restorer hired to rehabilitate the estate’s private chapel.
Their relationship had been ripped apart by a ruthless setup engineered by Dominic's ambitious cousin, Victor, who framed Clara for selling private estate maps to rival syndicates. Devastated and believing she had betrayed him, Dominic had banished Clara from the territory, unaware that she was already carrying his child.
Clara had returned to the city months ago under a false name, taking a low-level housekeeping position in the mansion's service wing just to earn enough to pay for Lily's rising medical treatments for severe childhood asthma.
"Who issued the termination order for Clara Carter?" Dominic barked, turning his lethal gaze toward his chief bodyguard, Marco.
Marco bowed his head nervously, his hand resting on his holster. "It... it came from Mr. Victor's desk yesterday, Boss. He claimed she was caught snooping around your private study."
Dominic’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure ice. He knew Victor was methodically cutting off anyone associated with his past to consolidate power over the family's shipping contracts.
Dominic knelt on one knee in front of Lily, his broad frame casting a protective shadow over her mismatched boots. "Where is your mother right now, Lily?"
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Lily pointed a small finger toward the snowy glass archway. "She's at the gate... the security men won't let her back inside to get her coat."
👉 Read PART 3 to see what happened when Dominic walked down to the estate gate in the snowstorm!
