Chapter 1 - The Silver Pendant in the Storm
Lightning illuminated the rain-soaked arched windows of the grand executive study inside the Moretti estate. Outside, thunder shook the heavy wood paneling. Suddenly, the double oak doors burst open, and seven-year-old Emma stumbled across the polished wooden floor, her brown hair plastered to her cheeks, mud clinging to her bare calves, clutching a four-month-old infant wrapped in a wet beige wool blanket against her chest.
Alessandro Moretti—a late-thirties Mafia boss with slicked dark hair, sharp jawline, and light stubble, dressed in an elegant charcoal suit and black tie—stood up abruptly from his mahogany desk. "Where are the servants? How did you bypass security?" he demanded in a low, sharp tone.
Emma stood her ground, tears mixing with raindrops on her face. "Please save my baby sister, sir! She’s freezing! Mama fell down the stairs... she won’t wake up. She told me to run to you."
Alessandro stepped forward and dropped to one knee, taking the crying baby into his strong arms. As he pulled back the wet wool blanket, a thin silver chain slipped into view, bearing a small silver pendant engraved with the initials "I.A."
Alessandro froze in absolute shock. His finger touched the cool metal of the exact heirloom he had placed around the neck of his lost love, Isabella, five years ago before she vanished without a trace.
"Isabella's pendant..." Alessandro gasped, his voice cracking in a choked whisper. "This is my daughter."
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He stood up, clutching baby Lily close to his chest while wrapping his warm suit jacket around Emma’s shivering shoulders, turning to his security team at the door. "Send my medical team to the servant quarters. If anyone harmed Isabella, burn this city down."
👉 Read PART 2 to discover what Alessandro’s medical team found in the servant quarters!
