Chapter 10 – The Key in the Sun

My hand flew to my chest, covering the gold sun pendant.

“My necklace?” I asked, my voice trembling.

Dominic walked slowly around the desk.

“Sophie. May I?” he asked, holding out his hand.

I unclasped the necklace and handed it to him.

Dominic took the pendant and walked over to the desk lamp. He held the golden sun directly under the bright bulb.

He pressed his thumb against the center of the sunburst.

There was a tiny, almost inaudible click.

The gold pendant popped open like a locket.

Inside the hollowed-out sun was a tiny, intricately carved microdot key.

“He hid it in the necklace,” Dominic whispered. “He gave it to your mother, Sarah. Because she was the social worker who kept his secret. She was ‘the woman who knows the weight of my sins.'”

Margaret smiled sadly. “Your mother was a brilliant woman, Sophie. She hid the key in plain sight, knowing one day the Romanos would need it.”

I stared at the tiny key in Dominic’s hand.

My mother hadn’t just been a social worker. She had been the keeper of the greatest secret in the Chicago underworld. She had carried the key to Leo’s freedom around her neck every single day until she died.

“This money,” Dominic said, looking at the ledger. “It’s fifty million dollars. Clean. Untraceable.”

He looked at me.

“My father left this for Leo. But he trusted your family to keep it safe.”

Dominic walked over and gently handed the necklace back to me, the tiny key still safely tucked inside.

“Keep it,” Dominic said.

“What?” I asked, shocked. “No, Mr. Romano. This belongs to Leo.”

“Leo is six,” Dominic smiled softly. “He can’t manage a Swiss bank account. And I am still the head of a crime family. If I touch that money, the feds will seize it.”

He looked at me with absolute trust.

“You are the trustee, Sophie. My father trusted your mother. I trust you.”

I looked at Margaret. She nodded in agreement.

“You’re a wealthy woman now, Sophie,” Margaret chuckled. “In trust, of course. But you are the guardian of Leo’s future.”

I clasped the necklace back around my neck. It felt heavier now, but not with a burden. It felt heavy with purpose.

“I’ll protect it,” I promised. “Until he’s ready.”

Dominic smiled. “I know you will.”

Suddenly, the heavy oak doors to the study burst open.

Marco stood in the doorway, chest heaving, his face pale.

“Boss,” Marco panted. “You need to come outside. Right now.”

Dominic’s smile vanished. His mafia instincts kicked in instantly. “What is it, Marco? Are the Rossis retaliating?”

Marco shook his head, looking completely bewildered.

“No, Boss. It’s not the Rossis.”

Marco stepped aside, pointing down the long hallway toward the grand foyer.

“There’s a man at the front gate. He drove straight through the security checkpoint. He’s demanding to see you.”

Dominic drew his weapon from his shoulder holster. “Who the hell is it?”

Marco swallowed hard.

“He says his name is Vincent Romano. And Boss… he looks exactly like your brother.”

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