Chapter 9 - THE MAN WHO BETRAYED THE MORETTI NAME
Dominic Moretti had spent his life surrounded by powerful people.
But power had taught him one thing.
The person closest to you was often the most dangerous.
The next morning, Dominic gathered everyone he trusted.
Marco.
Walter.
His private security team.
And Hannah.
Nobody else.
Because he no longer knew who was loyal.
The old Dominic would have searched for the enemy outside.
The new Dominic understood something worse.
The enemy had already been invited inside.
Marco placed documents on the table.
“We traced the hidden accounts.”
Dominic opened the file.
Numbers.
Transactions.
Names.
His eyes stopped.
One name appeared repeatedly.
Richard Whitmore.
Vanessa’s father.
Dominic looked up.
“So it was him.”
Marco nodded.
“But there’s more.”
“What?”
“He wasn’t working alone.”
Dominic stared.
“Who else?”
Marco hesitated.
Then placed another document down.
Dominic looked at it.
And felt his entire world stop.
The signature at the bottom belonged to someone he knew.
Someone who had attended every family event.
Someone who had watched him grow up.
Someone who had called him son.
His uncle.
Anthony Moretti.
Dominic said nothing.
Because sometimes betrayal was too large for words.
Hannah watched his face.
“I’m sorry.”
Dominic looked at her.
“For what?”
“For bringing this into your life.”
A strange expression crossed his face.
“You think this started when you arrived?”
She looked confused.
Dominic picked up the documents.
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
“This started before you were born.”
For the first time, Hannah saw something different in Dominic.
Not anger.
Not revenge.
Pain.
Because the truth was no longer about business.
It was about family.
That evening, Vanessa came to see him.
She looked different.
No perfect smile.
No confidence.
Only fear.
“Dominic.”
He didn’t invite her inside.
“What do you want?”
She swallowed.
“I need to tell you something.”
“About Hannah?”
“Yes.”
He waited.
Vanessa looked down.
“My father knew she survived.”
Dominic’s eyes darkened.
“Explain.”
“When the fire happened, everyone thought Emily Carter died.”
“She didn’t.”
“No.”
Vanessa’s voice shook.
“My father found out she escaped.”
Dominic stared.
“And he hid it.”
Vanessa nodded.
“Because she had evidence.”
“What evidence?”
Vanessa looked at him.
“Evidence that could destroy your entire family.”
A long silence followed.
Then Dominic asked:
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Vanessa’s eyes filled with guilt.
“Because I was scared.”
“Of your father?”
She shook her head.
“Of mine.”
Dominic looked away.
For years, he had believed Vanessa was cruel.
Maybe she was.
But now he wondered if cruelty had been mixed with fear.
A dangerous combination.
Before he could say anything, his phone rang.
Marco.
Dominic answered.
“Boss.”
“What?”
A pause.
Then Marco’s voice became serious.
“We found the original files from eight years ago.”
Dominic tightened his grip.
“Where?”
“Inside your father’s old private vault.”
Dominic looked at Hannah.
“What’s inside?”
Marco took a breath.
“The truth about why her mother died.”
A silence.
Then:
“And the truth about who ordered it.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
Because he already knew.
The answer was waiting.
May you like
And when he opened that vault…
There would be no going back.
