Chapter 7 – THE GHOST IN THE DOORWAY

“Hello, little brother.”

Nicholas stood frozen in the dark hallway.

A flashlight beam cut through the gloom, illuminating the figure standing in the doorway.

Tall. Broad-shouldered.

It was Domenic.

His older brother.

The man he had mourned for five years.

“Domenic?” Nicholas breathed, lowering his gun slightly.

“Drop the weapon, Nick,” Domenic said, walking into the foyer flanked by armed men.

Maria gripped Nicholas’s arm, pulling Lucy tight against her legs.

Vivienne walked out of the study, smiling triumphantly. She went straight to Domenic’s side.

“You’re alive,” Nicholas said, his mind spinning. “You faked your death?”

“It was the only way to take the empire from you,” Domenic said coldly. “You were too soft, Nicholas. I partnered with Vivienne to remove you. The crash was just a cover to let me operate in the shadows.”

Nicholas stared at the man he had loved.

“You killed Elena. You tried to kill your own niece.”

“Elena was a distraction,” Domenic said. “And the child is a loose end. Hand her over.”

Nicholas felt a cold, terrifying calm wash over him.

He wasn’t a grieving brother anymore. He was a father protecting his child.

“You’ll have to kill me first,” Nicholas said.

“That’s the plan,” Domenic smiled.

He raised his gun.

But before he could pull the trigger, the front doors burst open again.

Red and blue police lights flooded the foyer.

A voice boomed over a megaphone.

“Drop your weapons! This is the FBI!”

Domenic panicked, turning toward the doors.

Nicholas didn’t hesitate. He tackled his brother to the marble floor, knocking the gun from his hand.

“You’re finished, Domenic,” Nicholas growled, pinning him down.

The FBI swarmed the room, arresting Domenic, Vivienne, and their men.

Arthur walked over to Nicholas, holding a sleek black cell phone.

“I took the liberty of contacting the authorities with the ledger you found, sir. As you instructed.”

Nicholas stood up, brushing off his suit.

He looked at Maria and Lucy. They were safe.

But as the police led Vivienne away, she turned and looked at Maria with a twisted smile.

“You think you’re safe, maid? Check your daughter’s suitcase. I left a present.”

TITLE: THE HAPPY ENDING

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