Chapter 5 - Midnight Confessions“Pack a bag for your daughter,” Vittorio said, his voice entirely devoid of its earlier warmth.
Serena’s breath hitched. She stepped back, her protective instincts flaring instantly. “What? No. Lucia is staying with a trusted neighbor in Brooklyn until I get settled here. You said—you promised private living quarters for both of us—”
“I said she could live here,” Vittorio interrupted, cutting her off with a wave of his hand. “I did not say she was safe across the river. If Daniel Vance is your ex-husband, and he has ties to what happened in this house three years ago, your daughter is no longer safe anywhere in New York except behind these gates.”
Serena stared at him, her chest heaving. “You think Daniel would go after Lucia? He’s a greedy, manipulative lawyer, he’s not a monster!”
“You don't know what kind of men your husband associates with,” Vittorio snarled, his composure cracking for a split second to reveal a terrifying depth of rage. He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “Elena didn't die of a natural illness, Ms. Valente. Her brakes failed on the Henry Hudson Parkway three years ago. The police called it an accident. My security team called it murder. And the man who drafted the shell company trust transferring her estate to an unknown offshore account three days before her death... was Daniel Vance.”
The room seemed to spin.
Serena staggered back, catching the edge of the dresser to steady herself. The pieces of the puzzle slammed together with a sickening violence. Daniel hadn't just been a lawyer handling routine civil paperwork; he had been the architect of a multi-million-dollar corporate heist wrapped inside a tragedy. And now, he was trying to use a rigged custody battle to silence Serena before she could uncover his past.
“Bring her here tonight,” Vittorio ordered, his tone absolute, leaving no room for argument. “My driver will pick her up. She will have the suite next to yours. No one touches her here.”
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Serena looked up at the billionaire, seeing past the cold exterior, recognizing the shared desperation of a parent willing to burn the world to protect their child.
“Fine,” Serena whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and cold fury. “Get my daughter.”
