Chapter 10 – THE FINAL SECRET

I pulled my hand back from Walter’s collar as if the leather had burned me.

My heart did a slow, terrified roll in my chest.

I looked at Teresa. She simply took a sip of her tea, offering me a polite, grandmotherly smile.

Luca hadn’t noticed the exchange. He was looking out the window at the falling autumn leaves, entirely at peace.

“I’ll leave you two to catch up,” Luca said, turning back to us with a warm smile. “Claire, I’ll be in my study if you need me.”

“Okay,” I managed to say, my voice tight.

Luca walked out, pulling the heavy sitting room doors shut behind him.

The moment the click of the latch echoed in the room, the grandmotherly warmth entirely vanished from Teresa’s face.

She set her teacup down with a sharp clink.

“You have good eyes, Claire,” Teresa said softly, her voice dropping into the cold, authoritative tone of a woman who had secretly run a mafia empire for seven years.

I stood up, stepping away from the armchair.

“What is in the collar, Teresa?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

Teresa reached down, unbuckling the new leather collar from Walter’s neck. The old dog didn’t stir; he just sighed happily in his sleep.

She pulled the folded piece of heavy parchment paper from beneath the strap and held it up.

“When your father surrendered to the FBI, he gave them fake ledgers,” Teresa explained calmly. “And when you smashed the micro-SD cards in the garage, you destroyed the real financial records of the Moretti syndicate.”

“I know,” I said defensively. “I did it to save our lives.”

“I’m not angry, sweetheart,” Teresa smiled, a terrifyingly genuine expression. “You did exactly what you had to do. You eliminated the only evidence that could put my son in prison.”

She unfolded the parchment.

“But the Moretti family doesn’t just deal in cash, Claire. We deal in leverage.”

She held the paper out to me.

I hesitated, then stepped forward and took it.

I recognized the paper immediately. It was the same thick parchment used for the guardianship transfer Vanessa had tried to forge weeks ago.

But this wasn’t a transfer of a child.

It was a Last Will and Testament.

Signed by Antonio Moretti. Dated twenty years ago.

I read the first paragraph, and the blood completely drained from my face.

“I, Antonio Moretti, being of sound mind, do hereby declare that in the event of my death, full control of the legitimate Moretti Holdings, including all real estate, shipping ports, and legitimate banking assets, shall not pass to my sons, Luca or Marco.”

I stopped reading, my breath catching in my throat.

“Read the rest, Claire,” Teresa commanded softly.

I swallowed hard and continued.

“Full control and ownership shall pass immediately to my only daughter. Emily Moretti.”

The parchment slipped from my fingers, fluttering onto the expensive Persian rug.

“Emily?” I whispered, the room spinning violently around me.

My twenty-two-year-old sister. The girl I had protected my entire life.

“Emily isn’t your sister, Claire,” Teresa said, her voice entirely devoid of emotion. “Twenty-two years ago, Antonio had an affair with a woman in the city. When she died in childbirth, Antonio couldn’t bring the baby home. I wouldn’t allow a bastard child to inherit my sons’ birthright.”

Teresa looked at me, her eyes hard and uncompromising.

“So, Antonio gave the baby to his most trusted employee. Your father, Thomas Bennett.”

I collapsed onto the sofa, pressing my hands over my mouth to stifle a sob of pure shock.

My father hadn’t just washed money for the mafia. He had raised the boss’s illegitimate daughter as his own, letting me believe she was my blood sister.

“Why?” I choked out. “Why would Antonio leave the legitimate empire to her?”

“Because he knew Luca was too deep in the violence, and Marco was too weak,” Teresa explained. “He wanted the family name to go legitimate eventually. He thought the girl could be the bridge. He hid this will, waiting for the right time to reveal her.”

Teresa leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees.

“But I found it. Seven years ago, right before Antonio faked his death.”

She pointed to the parchment on the floor.

“If that document sees the light of day, Emily becomes a billionaire overnight. And the Commission will hunt her to the ends of the earth to take it from her.”

Teresa looked at me with absolute, terrifying clarity.

“I didn’t hide this to steal from her, Claire. I hid it to keep Luca on the throne. And to keep your sister alive.”

I stared at the matriarch. She had manipulated every single piece on the board for decades, all to protect her son’s empire.

“Does Luca know?” I asked, terrified of the answer.

“Luca knows nothing,” Teresa stated firmly. “And he never will.”

She stood up, picking the parchment off the rug.

She walked over to the roaring fireplace.

“You are a good girl, Claire,” Teresa said softly. “You love Luca. And I know you love Emily.”

She held the document over the open flames.

“If I burn this, Emily remains your sister. She remains safe. Luca remains the boss. And we all live happily ever after.”

Teresa looked back at me, the firelight dancing in her cold, calculating eyes.

“But if you stop me… the war begins again.”

She held the paper an inch above the fire.

“What is your choice, Claire?”