Chapter 14 - THE PRICE OF THE TRUTH
The fight for the Moretti family lasted all night.
The mansion that once hosted elegant dinners became a battlefield.
Security alarms screamed.
Glass shattered.
Footsteps echoed through empty hallways.
But Dominic Moretti had one advantage.
He knew every corner of his home.
Anthony had brought soldiers.
Dominic had loyalty.
One by one, Anthony’s men began falling back.
Because they realized something.
They weren’t fighting a businessman.
They were fighting Dominic Moretti.
The man people whispered about.
The man who never forgot betrayal.
The man who never forgave threats against his family.
But Dominic wasn’t only fighting Anthony.
He was fighting the truth.
Hours later, Anthony was cornered inside the old study.
The same room where Dominic’s father had spent his final days.
Anthony stood near the window.
“You think you won?”
Dominic walked inside.
“It’s over.”
Anthony smiled.
“No.”
He looked at Hannah.
“It’s only beginning.”
Hannah froze.
“What does that mean?”
Anthony laughed.
“Your mother never told you everything.”
Dominic turned.
“Enough.”
But Anthony continued.
“She wasn’t protecting you.”
Hannah’s face changed.
“She was protecting him.”
He pointed at Dominic.
Silence.
Dominic looked at Hannah.
She looked confused.
“What is he talking about?”
Anthony smiled.
“Ask Eleanor.”
Everyone turned.
Because Eleanor stood at the doorway.
And she was crying.
Dominic felt his stomach drop.
“Mother.”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“I wanted to tell you.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Her voice broke.
“Because your father made me promise.”
Dominic stepped closer.
“Promise what?”
Eleanor looked at Hannah.
Then at Dominic.
“The truth.”
A long silence.
“Your mother didn’t disappear because she found evidence against the Moretti family.”
Dominic stared.
“Then why?”
Eleanor whispered:
“Because she found evidence that Dominic was the real target.”
Nobody moved.
Hannah looked at him.
“What?”
Eleanor continued.
“Your father knew someone wanted to destroy Dominic before he inherited the empire.”
Dominic felt the room spinning.
“Why would they want me?”
Eleanor looked at Anthony.
“Because you were the only person who could stop them.”
Anthony’s smile disappeared.
For the first time…
He looked worried.
Dominic understood.
Everything.
The lies.
The disappearances.
The attacks.
Hannah wasn’t brought into his life to expose his family.
She was brought into his life because she was the last person alive who knew how to save him.
Dominic looked at Hannah.
“All these years…”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I thought my mother died because of your family.”
A pause.
“But she died protecting you.”
The words broke something inside both of them.
For years, they had carried the same pain.
Just from different sides.
Anthony suddenly reached for a hidden weapon.
Dominic reacted.
But Hannah moved first.
She stepped between them.
The gun fired.
Everyone froze.
Then Dominic caught her before she fell.
“Hannah!”
She looked up.
Barely conscious.
“Don’t…”
Her voice was weak.
“Don’t let him win.”
Dominic held her tightly.
May you like
And for the first time in years…
The most feared man in Chicago looked terrified.
