Chapter 1 - The Barefoot Child
Lorenzo Moretti had survived ambushes, betrayals, night raids, and men who smiled while actively planning his funeral.
But absolutely nothing in his thirty-eight years prepared him for the sight of a terrified six-year-old girl sprinting barefoot across the cold marble floor of his own home.
He had come back three hours early. That alone was highly unusual. For the past month, Lorenzo, the head of the city's most powerful crime syndicate, had been buried in corporate meetings. That morning, his beautiful fiancée, Valentina, had complained that she shouldn't have to make an appointment to see her future husband.
Feeling a rare stab of guilt, Lorenzo had left his office early, buying two dozen expensive white roses on the way home. He dismissed his heavy security detail at the front gates, wanting to walk into his house as a normal man for once.
The sprawling Moretti estate was strangely, unnervingly quiet. No staff moving. No music playing.
Then, he heard the frantic, uneven footsteps.
A little girl came racing from the east hallway. One shoe was missing. Her dark braid had nearly come undone, and heavy tears streaked her pale cheeks. Lorenzo recognized her immediately. It was Lena, the daughter of Sophia, a quiet, dependable maid who had worked in the estate for four years. Lena usually hid behind her mother whenever the intimidating boss walked by.
Today, she ran directly at him.
"Mr. Moretti!" Lena cried.
Before Lorenzo could even speak, the six-year-old crashed into him, wrapping both her tiny arms desperately around his tailored suit jacket. The expensive white roses shook in his hand.
"Please save my mama!" Lena sobbed into his chest.
Those five words instantly erased every thought of dinner, flowers, and wedding plans. Lorenzo carefully lowered the roses to his side, his sharp eyes scanning the empty hallway.
"Lena," Lorenzo crouched down so they were exactly eye level, his voice steady and calm. "You're safe. Tell me what happened to your mother."
"The pretty lady hurt Mama," Lena gasped, her breathing coming in short, frightened bursts.
Lorenzo went completely still. "What pretty lady?"
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Lena swallowed hard, pointing a trembling finger toward the east wing. "Miss Valentina."
👉 What did Valentina do to the maid, and what terrifying secret did the little girl overhear?
