Chapter 10 - The Unseen Heir Three months later, the Vatello empire stretched further than it ever had in its hundred-year history. The internal corruption had been thoroughly purged, the rival syndicates had fallen in line, and the iron gates of the estate were more heavily guarded than a federal penitentiary.
Inside the grand study, Dante sat behind the heavy oak desk, reviewing shipping manifests for the North American trade routes. The door opened softly, and small, quick footsteps padded across the Persian rug.
Leo climbed up onto the heavy leather chair beside Dante’s desk, holding a heavy leather-bound ledger under one arm. He didn't say a word; he simply opened the book to the day's financial summaries, pointing a small finger at a discrepancy in the dock maintenance budget.
"You missed a three-percent markup on the container fees from the docks," Leo said casually, his dark eyes looking up at Dante.
Dante stared at the boy for a long moment, a slow, rare smile breaking across his stern face. He closed the ledger, pulled the boy closer, and handed him a fountain pen.
May you like
"Fix it, then," Dante said softly. "You're running this empire next, after all."
Leo took the pen without hesitation, his steady grip mirroring the man who had built it all from the snow and the asphalt. But neither of them noticed the small, unmarked manila envelope resting on the side table near the window—an envelope that had been delivered anonymously that morning, bearing no return address, containing a single photograph taken twenty-five years ago of a woman Dante had thought long dead, holding an infant with eyes that weren't his at all.
