Chapter 3 - Shadows in the Family
The air in the stone wine cellar beneath the estate was cold and smelled of damp earth and old oak.
Gabriel Moretti sat on a wooden chair under the glare of a single overhead bulb. His tailored suit jacket was off, his tie loosened, and his hands were cuffed behind his back. Two heavy-set guards stood in the dark corners of the room like statues.
When the heavy iron door opened, Dominic walked in alone.
Gabriel looked up, trying to force a confident smirk onto his sweaty face. “Dominic! What the hell is this? Julian’s men dragged me down here like a dog! Is this how you treat your own cousin after someone tried to poison Ethan?”
Dominic walked over slowly, pulling a wooden chair across the concrete floor and sitting down opposite Gabriel. He didn't say a word. He simply stared into Gabriel’s eyes.
The silence grew heavier with every passing second, until Gabriel’s confidence began to crack.
“Dominic, say something!” Gabriel demanded, his voice pitching higher. “I’m family! I’ve run your shipping lines for seven years! I helped build this empire after your father died!”
Dominic reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a velvet-lined box, and set it gently on the table between them.
He opened the lid.
Inside sat a vintage gold Omega watch with a green leather strap. Across the glass face was a distinct spiderweb crack.
Gabriel’s eyes widened in horror. His breathing hitched.
“You left it in your office desk drawer,” Dominic said quietly. “You hid the white powder in the secret compartment behind the casing, didn't you? You took off the watch after the toddler spotted you in the walk-in cooler, thinking you could wipe it clean later.”
“No...” Gabriel stammered, shaking his head frantically. “No, Dominic! That’s a mistake! Someone put that watch in my desk! I lost it hours ago!”
“A three-year-old girl saw you,” Dominic cut in, his tone devoid of any heat. “She didn't know your name. She didn't know you were my cousin. But she remembered the little gold clock with the snake strap and the broken glass.”
Gabriel pressed his back hard against the chair, sweat pouring down his temples.
“Why, Gabriel?” Dominic asked, leaning forward. “Ethan is eight years old. He is your blood. Why would you put poison on his cake?”
Gabriel realized there was no exit. The lie had collapsed. The arrogance returned to his eyes, twisted by years of hidden bitterness.
“Because he’s your son!” Gabriel spat out, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “Everything goes to Ethan! The shipping routes, the Westchester estate, the Manhattan accounts—everything! What do I get? A salary? A seat at the side table?”
“I gave you twenty percent of the Hudson transport network,” Dominic said coldly.
“It wasn't enough!” Gabriel yelled, his chest heaving. “Victor Karras offered me half of New York! He said if Ethan was out of the picture, you’d be destroyed by grief—just like when your wife died. You’d lose your grip on the family, and the commission would vote me in to take over!”
Dominic stood up slowly. The mention of his late wife struck a nerve, but he did not lose control.
Victor Karras was the leader of the rival Brooklyn syndicate—a ruthless man who had been trying to seize the Hudson shipping corridors for over five years.
“Karras promised you my throne,” Dominic observed quietly. “And all he asked for was the life of an eight-year-old boy.”
“He’s going to take it anyway!” Gabriel sneered, blood rushing to his face. “Karras has half your captains in his pocket! You think you’re untouchable in this fortress? The poison was just the beginning, Dominic! If Ethan didn't die today, Karras’s men are moving on the docks tonight!”
Dominic walked to the door. He paused with his hand on the heavy iron latch.
“Julian,” Dominic called out.
Julian stepped out of the shadows.
“Keep my cousin comfortable,” Dominic ordered flatly. “Feed him water. Do not let him sleep. When I finish dealing with Victor Karras tonight, Gabriel and I will have our final conversation.”
Dominic walked out of the cellar, locking the iron door behind him.
Upstairs, the estate was quiet.
Dominic walked down the carpeted hallway of the residential wing and stopped outside Ethan’s bedroom door. The two guards posted outside bowed their heads respectfully as Dominic turned the brass handle and stepped inside.
The scene inside made Dominic pause.
A soft nightlight illuminated the room. Ethan was sitting up in his plush bed, holding a silver music box that had belonged to his mother. Sitting right beside him on the covers was little Lily, holding a stuffed velvet bear, listening intently as the soft lullaby played.
On the armchair nearby, Sophia had fallen asleep, her head resting against her shoulder, exhausted from the terror of the afternoon.
Ethan looked up and saw his father standing in the doorway.
“Dad?” Ethan whispered.
Dominic walked over softly, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He reached out and stroked his son’s hair. “How are you feeling, buddy?”
“Dr. Harris said I’m okay,” Ethan whispered, glancing at Lily, who had fallen asleep leaning against his pillows. “Dad... Lily saved me, didn't she?”
“Yes, she did,” Dominic said, his heart swelling with a strange, unfamiliar warmth. “She’s very brave.”
“Can they stay here with us?” Ethan asked, his brown eyes full of hope. “Lily said she doesn't have a big house. She said they live in the small apartment over the garage.”
Dominic looked over at Sophia, watching her soft, peaceful breathing in the dim light. She had spent six years living in the servant quarters, working silently to keep his world running, never asking for anything extra.
“They aren't going back to the garage apartment, Ethan,” Dominic promised gently. “From now on, this is their home too.”
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Dominic stood up, draped a warm wool blanket over Sophia’s shoulders, and kissed his son’s forehead.
It was time to pay Victor Karras a visit.
