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EVERY SERVANT WAS TOO TERRIFIED TO STOP THE MAFIA BOSS'S FIANCÉE FROM TORTURING HIS MAID—UNTIL LUCA WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR, CUT THE ROPES, AND ASKED ONE QUESTION THAT MADE HIS FIANCÉE TREMBLE... / Chapter 4 / 10

Chapter 5 - The Hidden Box

The underground corridor leading to the Moretti private chapel and crypt smelled of damp limestone, melting candle wax, and ancient dust. Luca walked briskly, his tactical coat unbuttoned, his hand resting on the grip of the custom semi-automatic holstered at his hip. Behind him, Emma followed closely, holding a battery-powered lantern that cast long, flickering shadows against the vaulted stone ceiling.

"Stay behind me, Emma," Luca instructed quietly as they reached the heavy iron grate that separated the chapel from the subterranean tombs. "If anyone is waiting down here, you drop to the floor immediately."

"I know the layout, Mr. Moretti," Emma answered softly. "Your mother brought me down here twice while she was sick. She showed me the mechanism herself."

Luca unlocked the iron grate with a master key. The tomb was silent, bathed in the somber glow of perpetual votive candles burning before marble statues of saints. In the center of the vault stood the massive black granite sarcophagus of Don Antonio Moretti, Luca’s father. Beside it lay the newly carved white marble tomb of Donna Isabella.

Emma stepped toward the foot of Isabella’s tomb. Below the sculpted relief of the Madonna was a small bronze decorative rose that looked entirely ornamental. Kneeling on the cold floor, Emma inserted the tiny brass key into the center of the petals and turned it twice to the left until a distinct mechanical click echoed through the crypt.

A section of the marble plinth slid backward, revealing a hidden compartment lined with velvet. Inside rested a lacquered ebony lockbox, completely sealed with a wax seal displaying the Moretti signet ring.

Luca knelt beside her, his breath catching in his chest. His mother’s scent—a faint trace of lavender and dried rose petals—seemed to drift from the dark wood. With steady fingers, he broke the seal and lifted the lid.

Inside lay three distinct items: a leather-bound ledger containing bank transfer routing numbers linked to offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, a vial of preserved tea leaves accompanied by a signed toxicological report from an independent Swiss laboratory, and a handwritten legal document drafted on official parchment, bearing Donna Isabella’s unmistakable, elegant handwriting.

Luca unfurled the parchment under the lantern light. His eyes traced the words:

*To my beloved son, Luca. If you are reading this, the serpent has struck, and I am no longer beside you. Know that my death was not an act of God, but the treachery of those who sit at our dinner table. Salvatore Moretti has sold our honor to the Romano syndicate. They intend to use Bianca to claim legitimacy, only to eliminate you the moment your wedding vows are sealed.*

*I hereby revoke all previous testaments. I leave the sovereign authority of the Moretti family exclusively to Luca. Furthermore, I bestow thirty percent of the private Moretti estate and shipping dividends to Emma Carter, whose unyielding loyalty is the only reason my son will live to claim his rightful throne.*

Luca turned his head toward Emma. She was staring at the parchment in stunned silence, her eyes wide with shock.

"She... she left that to me?" Emma whispered, trembling. "Mr. Moretti, I never asked for anything. I only wanted to protect her."

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Before Luca could answer, a sharp blast of automatic gunfire echoed from the mansion above, followed by the blaring wail of the estate’s tactical alarm.

***

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Chapter 6 - The Betrayal Within
Chapter 7 - The Estate Under Siege
Chapter 8 - Blood and Loyalty
Chapter 9 - The Truth Laid Bare
Chapter 10 - Justice and Legacy
Chapter 11 - A New Dawn

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