Chapter 2 - The Shadows of Betrayal
Within an hour, the Moretti estate was locked down tighter than a federal prison. Nobody went in; nobody went out. Armored SUVs lined the driveway, and heavily armed men in black suits patrolled every corridor.
In the private medical wing of the mansion, Alejandro sat on the edge of an examination table while his personal physician, Dr. Vance, finished checking his vitals.
"The toxin was a concentrated protein extract derived from extreme allergens mixed with a synthetic paralytic," Dr. Vance explained quietly. "It induces immediate severe anaphylactic shock. If that child hadn't administered the epinephrine within two minutes, Don Alejandro... your heart would have stopped."
Alejandro didn't answer. He was staring at his desk across the hall, where Bruno was carefully bagging the remnants of the broken glass.
"Where is the girl and her mother?" Alejandro asked.
"In the guest suite on the third floor, boss," Bruno replied, stepping into the room. "I put four of our best men outside their door. They’re safe. But Clara... she's terrified. She knows someone tried to murder you in your own sanctuary."
Alejandro stood up, buttoning his crisp black shirt. "They have every right to be terrified. Fetch them. Bring them to the main living room. They are no longer staff in this house, Bruno. They are under my personal protection."
Moments later, Clara and Emma were brought into the grand living room. Clara clutched her daughter's hand tightly, her eyes wide with anxiety. She knew how dangerous the mafia world was; she had taken this job out of absolute desperation to pay for Emma's rising medical bills and allergy treatments.
"Clara, sit down," Alejandro commanded, his voice surprisingly soft.
"Mr. Moretti, please... if we did something wrong—"
"You did nothing wrong," Alejandro interrupted, sitting on the leather sofa opposite them. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked directly at Emma, who was currently eating a chocolate chip cookie that one of the terrifying guards had meekly offered her earlier.
"Emma," Alejandro said, his dark eyes melting with an unfamiliar tenderness. "You gave me your last magic stick to save my life. Why?"
Emma swallowed her cookie and blinked her big brown eyes. "Because you looked sad. And you couldn't breathe. My mommy says when people can't breathe, we have to help them."
Alejandro closed his eyes for a brief moment, fighting back a wave of emotion. Three years ago, his own daughter, Kiara, had died because help arrived five minutes too late. Destiny had brought this little angel into his house to give him a second chance at life.
"Your daughter has the heart of a lion, Clara," Alejandro said, looking up at the young mother. "And because of her bravery, you both will never have to worry about anything ever again. Your debts, your rent, Emma's medical expenses—it is all taken care of. Forever."
Clara gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. "Mr. Moretti, I... I don't know what to say..."
"Say you'll accept it," Alejandro said firmly. "But first, I must find out who put that poison in my glass. The wine was brought to my study at 4:15 PM. Who handled it?"
Clara’s breath hitched. She swallowed hard, looking around at the shadowy corners of the lavish estate. "I... I saw Marco, your head butler, near the wine cellar around 4:00 PM. But he said he was just doing inventory."
"Marco," Bruno growled, reaching for the holster under his jacket. "He’s been with the Moretti family for fifteen years."
"Fifteen years means nothing when money or power is involved," Alejandro said coldly, his aura turning ice-cold. "Bruno, pull up the security feeds."
"Boss, you ordered the study cameras turned off five years ago for privacy," Bruno reminded him nervously.
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Alejandro smiled, a slow, dangerous, terrifying smile that sent chills down everyone's spine.
"I ordered the official security cameras turned off, Bruno," Alejandro purred, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a sleek black smartphone. "I never said I didn't install my own hidden system."
