Chapter 6 - A Snake in the House
The name hung in the air like poison.
Lorenzo didn't roar. He didn't smash his glass against the wall. He simply went very, very still.
Marco Moretti was Lorenzo’s younger half-brother—the head of security for the family's shipping terminals and the man who had stood beside Lorenzo at his wife's funeral eighteen months ago.
"Marco," Lorenzo murmured, his voice deadly quiet. "He was the one who insisted on handling the search grid in Central Park. He directed my men away from Midtown."
"He's currently at the Long Island estate, Don," Vance added in a low voice. "He’s calling an emergency council meeting for eight tonight. He claims that since Sophia has been missing for over twenty-four hours without a ransom demand, we must assume the worst and prepare for a leadership transition."
A bitter, cold laugh escaped Lorenzo’s lips. "He wanted her dead. If she died quietly in a dumpster, he could claim a rival family eliminated my heir, driving me into a war or forcing me to step down due to grief."
Elena’s blood ran cold. The cruelty was beyond comprehension. A uncle ready to murder his infant niece just to steal a throne built on blood and shipping contracts.
Lorenzo looked at Sophia, his expression softening for a fraction of a second before hardening into absolute granite. He handed the sleeping baby to Vance.
"Take her to the safe room on floor seventy. Double the guard. No one enters without my personal thumbprint."
"Yes, Don Lorenzo." Vance took the child with delicate care and left the room.
Lorenzo turned back to Elena. "It seems your night is not finished, Miss Vance."
"My night?" Elena stepped back. "I told you, Mr. Moretti, I gave you your daughter. My part in this is over."
"It isn't," Lorenzo said smoothly, stepping toward her. "Marco knows every face in my organization. He knows my guards, my captains, and my informants. But he does not know you."
"No," Elena shook her head, backing toward the exit. "No way. I'm a housekeeper, not a gangster."
"You are the only person who can identify the precise condition my daughter was found in," Lorenzo insisted, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "And more importantly, Marco’s men will be monitoring the estate tonight. If I show up with a full tactical team, he will burn his files and flee before I can secure the evidence of his treason."
Lorenzo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the platinum lion medallion that Arthur had given him. He held it up between them.
"Marco took my daughter, but he was also looking for this," Lorenzo said. "This key accesses the private server located in the master safe at the estate. It contains the master ledgers of every bribe, contract, and illegal shipment Marco executed behind my back. He needs it to finalize his control."
"Then go get it yourself!" Elena cried out.
"He has locked down the estate under the pretense of 'protecting the family' after the kidnapping," Lorenzo explained. "Any armed entry by my loyal guards will trigger an immediate alarm, giving Marco time to destroy the server. But he is expecting a delivery tonight—a catering van from the Briarstone Grand Hotel, carrying supplies for the council dinner."
Lorenzo leaned in, his dark eyes locking onto hers with terrifying intensity.
"You know the hotel's catering staff. You know how to move through a servant's entrance without being questioned. You walk in with Arthur, you retrieve the ledger from the study, and you help me destroy the man who tried to murder my child."
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Elena stared at him. "And why would I risk my life for you?"
Lorenzo stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, intense hum. "Because if Marco realizes Sophia is alive before I break him, he will not stop until she is dead. You saved her life once, Elena. Help me make sure she stays safe forever."
