Chapter 3 - The Lies That Bind
Domenico didn't answer his mother. He turned on his heel and walked straight out of the grand hall, carrying Lily up the winding marble staircase to his private wing—the only secure sector of the estate where his parents' guards were forbidden to step.
He laid Lily down on the oversized king bed, gently unwrapping his coat from her shoulders. His trusted personal bodyguard and childhood friend, Marco, locked the heavy reinforced door behind them and stood guard with his hand resting on his sidearm.
"Get Dr. Vance up here now," Domenico ordered without looking back. "And get a bucket of warm water, clean towels, and milk."
"Already called Vance, boss. He's on his way," Marco said, his face grim. "Domenico... it’s worse than just today. While you were in Chicago negotiating the territory trade with the Moretti family, your father called a closed-door meeting with the inner council."
Domenico knelt beside the bed, wetting a cloth to gently wipe the dirt from Lily’s smudged face. Lily blinked up at him, her dark brown eyes swimming with confusion.
"Daddy," she whimpered, her voice barely above a breath. "Was I bad? Grandma said I'm bad blood."
A sharp pang of agony pierced Domenico’s chest. He kissed her forehead, pressing his face against her hair. "You are perfect, Lily. You are my whole heart. You did nothing wrong."
"What did Richard tell the council, Marco?" Domenico asked, his tone turning into pure ice.
Marco stepped closer, lowering his voice. "He produced forged medical records and a altered blood panel. Helen told the capos that Lily isn't your biological daughter—that your late wife betrayed you with an operative from the Valetti syndicate before she died. They told the family that Lily is enemy blood, a threat to the family line, and that you wanted her kept hidden and humbled until a formal disownment could be arranged at the Annual Summit."
Domenico stood up slowly, his jaw set so tight his teeth ground together. "And Ethan?"
"Helen is pushing Ethan as your sole legitimate heir. She’s claiming your deceased brother’s son is the only pure line left. She’s been handing out envelopes of cash to Vincent and Bruno to secure their votes before Saturday."
"They are trying to execute a silent coup," Domenico murmured, looking down at his daughter, who had finally closed her exhaustion-heavy eyes, clinging tightly to his thumb. "They humiliate Lily to test my authority. If I let it slide, I look weak. If I react with violence without proof, they declare me emotionally unstable and strip my title."
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"What are your orders, Don Domenico?" Marco asked, bowing his head in absolute loyalty.
"Call our private lab in New York," Domenico commanded. "I want a fresh, indisputable DNA test drawn right in front of three neutral syndicate witnesses tonight. And Marco... tell my men in the armory to double their posts. The house is officially at war."
