Chapter 7 - THE KEY THAT OPENED A DEADLY TRUTH
The small key sat on Dominic Moretti’s desk like a weapon.
It was tiny.
Almost meaningless.
But Dominic had learned something during his years in power.
The most dangerous things rarely looked dangerous.
A smile.
A handshake.
A promise.
A secret.
All of them could destroy a person faster than a bullet.
He stared at the engraved symbol on the key.
The old Moretti family seal.
A symbol that had belonged to his father.
A man Dominic had spent years trying to understand.
A man who had left behind more questions than answers.
“Hannah.”
Her eyes lifted.
“Where did you get this?”
She hesitated.
And Dominic noticed.
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
Hannah looked at the key.
“My mother gave it to me before she disappeared.”
The room became colder.
“Your mother knew my father?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Hannah swallowed.
“She worked for him.”
Dominic’s expression changed.
His father had always been described as a brilliant businessman.
A strict man.
A difficult man.
But never a criminal.
At least, that was the story Dominic had been told.
“What was her job?”
Hannah looked away.
“She wasn’t just an assistant.”
Dominic waited.
“She handled private records.”
The words landed heavily.
Private records.
Accounts.
Names.
Deals.
Secrets.
Everything powerful people spent their lives hiding.
“Why would she give you a key?”
“Because she knew someone would come after her.”
Dominic stepped closer.
“Who?”
Hannah’s voice became quieter.
“She didn’t know.”
A pause.
“She only knew they were inside the Moretti organization.”
Dominic looked toward the window.
For the first time in years, he questioned everything.
The people around him.
The people who had raised him.
The people who claimed loyalty.
His phone suddenly rang.
Marco.
Dominic answered.
“What?”
“Boss, we found something.”
“What?”
“A hidden account connected to your father.”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s impossible.”
“I thought so too.”
Marco lowered his voice.
“But the account was opened eight years ago.”
Dominic looked at Hannah.
The same year she disappeared.
“Where?”
“Under a fake name.”
A pause.
“The account holder is listed as Eleanor Moretti.”
Dominic froze.
His mother.
The woman who had just admitted protecting Hannah.
The woman who had known more than she revealed.
His own family.
Dominic ended the call slowly.
Hannah watched him.
“You understand now.”
He looked at her.
“What?”
“Secrets don’t disappear.”
She lowered her eyes.
“They wait.”
Dominic grabbed his coat.
“Where are you going?”
“To get answers.”
Hannah stood.
“Then you’re going to get hurt.”
Dominic stopped.
“Are you warning me?”
“No.”
Her voice trembled.
“I’m telling you.”
A long silence.
“Everyone who searched for the truth before me died.”
Dominic looked at her.
“And you?”
Hannah looked back.
“I survived.”
That was when Dominic realized something terrifying.
May you like
Hannah Reed wasn’t afraid of dying.
She was afraid of what would happen if she stayed alive long enough to reveal everything.
