Chapter 8 - The Child’s True Heritage
The police sirens wailed in the distance, their crimson and blue lights slicing through the fog hanging over Lake Forest. But before the federal marshals breached the front gates, there was one final truth that needed to be dragged into the light.
Rocco stepped forward, handing me a sealed legal document bearing the official seal of the Cook County Probate Court and a certified DNA sequencing report from Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Julian Vance fell to his knees, sobbing like a child as two Duca enforcers zip-tied his wrists behind his back. Vivien stood frozen, her eyes darting between me, Elena, and the document in my hands.
“What is that?” Vivien whispered, her voice cracking with terror.
“Before my mother passed away,” I said, walking slowly toward Elena and Mia, “she knew that my life would always be hunted by syndicate wolves. She knew that any child bearing the surname Duca would have a target on their back from the day they drew their first breath.”
I stopped beside Elena. I looked down at Mia, whose large, hazel eyes looked up at me with absolute innocence.
“Marco was never Mia’s biological father,” I announced, my voice carrying across the entire room.
Vivien gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “What?”
“Marco was my cousin. My blood brother. When my first love, Elena, became pregnant four years ago during the height of the Chicago syndicate wars, my mother and Marco made a pact. To protect the next heir to the Duca dynasty from the Vance family’s assassins, Elena and Marco staged a marriage. They gave Mia Marco’s surname so your family would never suspect that my true bloodline lived beneath this roof.”
Mia looked up at me, reaching out with both hands. I took her from Elena’s arms, holding my daughter securely against my chest. Her tiny arms wrapped around my neck, her head resting against my shoulder as if she had always known where she truly belonged.
“You spent three months threatening my daughter in my own house, Vivien,” I said, turning to face the trembling socialite with ice in my veins. “You looked into the eyes of the rightful heir to the Duca empire and threatened to make her disappear.”
May you like
Vivien sank to her knees onto the cold parquet floor, her expensive ruby dress pooling around her like fresh blood. “Lorenzo... please... have mercy... I didn't know... I swear on my life I didn't know she was your daughter!”
“Mercy?” I murmured, holding Mia close and kissing the crown of her head. “The only mercy you receive tonight is that I am letting the federal authorities take you alive.”
