CHAPTER 6 — The Man Behind the War
Gunfire exploded through the stained-glass windows.
Colored shards rained across the church floor.
Leo burst through a side entrance with six armed guards.
"We've got maybe three minutes!"
Dominic didn't move.
Instead, he stared toward the church entrance.
Someone was walking inside.
Alone.
No weapon visible.
An older man in an immaculate charcoal suit.
Silver hair.
Black leather gloves.
He smiled as though attending Sunday service.
Every gun in the church aimed at him.
He ignored them.
His eyes remained fixed on Chloe.
"So..."
His voice was calm.
"...after twenty-four years..."
"We finally meet."
Dominic stepped forward.
"You should be dead."
The man chuckled softly.
"I've heard that before."
Chloe looked between them.
"Who is he?"
Dominic answered without taking his eyes off the stranger.
"The only man I was ever afraid of."
The stranger gave a small, respectful nod.
"I appreciate the compliment."
Then he looked directly at Chloe.
"You've been told you're a waitress."
"You've been told you're an orphan."
"You've been told you're someone's missing daughter."
He smiled.
"Every one of those stories is false."
The church fell silent.
Even the gunfire outside seemed distant.
The man reached into his coat.
Leo instantly cocked his rifle.
The stranger slowly produced...
A faded photograph.
It showed a young Dominic Moretti...
Standing beside a smiling woman holding two infant girls.
Dominic's face lost all color.
"No..."
The stranger placed the photo on the altar.
"You've spent twenty-four years protecting the wrong child."
Chloe stared at Dominic.
His hands...
Were shaking.
For the first time in his life.
The stranger spoke one final sentence before turning toward the church doors.
"Ask him who your real father is."
He walked away without a single bodyguard.
Without firing a shot.
Without fear.
Dominic remained frozen.
Leo looked at him in disbelief.
"You knew?"
Dominic closed his eyes.
His answer came almost as a whisper.
"I prayed..."
May you like
"...that she would never find out."
END OF CHAPTER 6...
To be continued in Chapters 7–9, where Dominic's greatest secret is revealed, Chloe discovers why every criminal syndicate is hunting her, and the true mastermind behind the hospital conspiracy finally steps into the light.
