flash
The number on the back of the plastic band was not a standard hospital identification code. It was a private cipher, an alphanumeric string used exclusively by the Moretti family archives for high-security asset tracking and bloodline verification. / Chapter 16 / 20

Chapter 16 - The Face of Vengeance

Smoke cleared from the breached carriage roof as a young man stepped down through the opening, dressed in a tailored black trench coat that mirrored Rocco Moretti’s signature style. He looked down at Sophia with a twisted, triumphant grin.

"Welcome home, Sophia," Julian said softly.

Sophia looked at him, her dark eyes analyzing his facial structure, the exact shape of his jaw, the hauntingly familiar glint in his eyes. She didn't flinch. "You’re the baby from the kitchen."

Julian’s smile faded slightly, replaced by a flash of genuine anger. "And you’re the interloper who stole my birthright, my father’s love, and my throne. Ten years ago, you threw me into the trash in my own home."

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"I pulled you out of the trash," Sophia corrected instantly, her voice steady and unyielding. "Your mother threw you away. If it wasn't for me, you’d have suffocated in an incinerator before you could learn how to spell your own name."

Julian raised his pistol, pressing the barrel inches from her forehead. "End of the line, Sophia. Let's see if your algorithms can save you now."

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