Chapter 5 - THE BLOODLINE|
Silas read the rest of the letter in silence, his chest heaving under his dark coat.
Julian had known he was walking into a trap six years ago. He had known the Genovese family had an insider within the Moretti inner circle. To protect his pregnant wife, he had hidden Rosa in a quiet apartment under a fake identity, swearing her to secrecy until the child was old enough to be safe.
Silas folded the letter carefully and placed it into his breast pocket, directly over his heart.
He looked down at Lily.
The three-year-old was now playing with the hem of her duck socks, completely unaware that she had just rewritten the balance of power in the most dangerous family in New York.
"She is a Moretti," Silas declared, his voice carrying clearly to every corner of the hallway.
Isabella gasped, clutching her chest. "Silas! No! You have three other sons! You cannot legitimize a maid’s bastard!"
Silas stepped up to Isabella, stopping inches from her face.
"She is Julian’s daughter," Silas whispered dangerously. "My eldest son’s only blood. That makes her more of a Moretti than you will ever be."
He turned to his butler, who stood at attention near the dining entrance.
"Vincent," Silas ordered.
"Yes, Don Moretti?"
"Clear out the guest suite on the second floor—the one with the balcony overlooking the gardens. Prepare it for my granddaughter and her mother."
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Isabella looked as if she had been slapped. "You are moving housekeepers into the family wing?!"
"Rosa is no longer a housekeeper," Silas said flatly. "She is the mother of the Moretti heir. Anyone who disobeys her, or speaks to her child with disrespect, will answer to me personally."
