Chapter 2

The words hung in the air like smoke after a gunshot.

Dominic froze. The heavy silver money clip in his hand slipped, clattering loudly against the marble floor.

“Leo?” Dominic whispered.

“Yes,” Vanessa spat, her eyes wild. “Leo. We were together for six months before he died. When I found out I was pregnant, he promised he would leave the family business. He promised we would run away.”

I stared at her, horrified. Maisie was Leo Moretti’s daughter? That meant the man standing in front of us, the ruthless head of the Moretti syndicate, was my daughter’s uncle.

“If Leo was the father,” Dominic said, his voice terrifyingly calm, “why didn’t you come to me? Why did you abandon his child at a hospital?”

Vanessa’s hands shook as she grabbed the edge of the dining table. “Because I knew you wouldn’t let me keep her! You would have taken her, raised her in this violent world, and discarded me! I wanted a clean break.”

“So you gave her away,” Dominic summarized. “And then, three years later, you orchestrated a meeting with me at a charity gala. You made me fall in love with you. Why?”

“To get back what I was owed!” Vanessa screamed. “Leo promised me millions, Dominic! When he died, I had nothing! I deserved to be the lady of this house!”

“And what changed?” Dominic stepped closer, his jaw tight. “Why try to frame Claire now?”

Vanessa glared at me. “Because two weeks ago, I saw the little brat waiting in the staff kitchen. I recognized the birthmark on her neck. I realized my maid was the nurse who took her.”

She laughed bitterly. “If you found out Maisie was your niece, you would give her everything. You would give Claire everything for raising her. I couldn’t let a servant take my place.”

Dominic slowly turned his head to look at his security chief. “Marcus. Escort the guests out. All of them.”

Within ninety seconds, the dining room was empty of outsiders. Only the guards, Dominic, Vanessa, Maisie, and I remained.

“You can’t just throw me out, Dominic,” Vanessa sneered, crossing her arms. “I’m the biological mother. I have rights. If you cancel this wedding, I will take her from Claire. I will drag your family name through the courts.”

I pulled Maisie behind me. “You gave up your rights!”

“Foster adoptions can be contested,” Vanessa smiled cruelly. “Especially when the adoptive mother is a minimum-wage maid living in a dangerous neighborhood.”

Dominic walked toward the table, picking up a heavy crystal decanter. He poured himself a glass of amber liquid, his hand perfectly steady.

“You’re right, Vanessa,” Dominic said softly. “A judge might look unfavorably on Claire’s financial situation.”

My stomach dropped. Was he agreeing with her?

“But,” Dominic continued, taking a sip, “they might also look unfavorably on a woman who was at the scene of an arson.”

Vanessa went completely rigid. “What are you talking about?”

Dominic set the glass down. “Leo didn’t have his money clip when he left the house that night. He left it on his dresser. I know, because I saw it.”

He walked slowly toward her.

“The only way you could have gotten that clip, Vanessa… is if you were the one who set the fire.”

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