CHAPTER 4 — THE FIRST PAGE OF THE JOURNAL
CHAPTER 4 — THE FIRST PAGE OF THE JOURNAL
Marco reached Claire just as another wave of bullets shattered the windows.
He pulled her behind the overturned kitchen table.
"You all right?"
She nodded, trembling.
"The journal..."
"Keep it."
"What?"
"Don't let anyone else touch it."
Julian heard him.
His smile widened.
"So you still don't understand."
Marco ignored him.
Instead he looked at Claire.
"Open it."
She hesitated.
"Now."
With shaking fingers, Claire opened the ancient leather journal.
The first pages contained faded handwriting.
Dates.
Names.
Financial records.
Nothing unusual.
Then she reached the middle.
Something slipped out.
A folded photograph.
She unfolded it.
Her breath caught.
A young woman smiled into the camera.
Dark hair.
Gentle eyes.
Standing beside an older man wearing the Castellano family crest.
Marco froze.
"Elena..."
Claire looked closer.
The resemblance was unmistakable.
The woman looked almost exactly like...
Her own mother.
"No..."
Claire whispered.
"That's impossible."
Marco stared at her.
"What did you say?"
"My mother..."
Her hands began shaking uncontrollably.
"...looked exactly like her."
Silence.
Julian slowly lowered his weapon.
For the first time since entering the house...
He looked genuinely afraid.
Marco noticed.
"Why are you scared?"
Julian answered quietly.
"Because she finally said it."
Marco frowned.
"Said what?"
Julian looked directly at Claire.
"Tell me your birthday."
Claire blinked.
"What?"
"Your birthday."
"I..."
She swallowed.
"...October eighteenth."
Julian closed his eyes.
A long silence followed.
Marco's voice became deadly calm.
"Explain."
Julian laughed bitterly.
"You really never knew."
"Knew what?"
Julian pointed toward Claire.
"She's not here because she was kidnapped."
Claire stared at him.
"What are you talking about?"
"You were never the hostage."
His smile slowly disappeared.
"You were the evidence."
Marco felt the blood drain from his face.
Julian continued.
"The woman you call your mother..."
"...wasn't your mother."
Claire couldn't breathe.
"No..."
"She adopted you."
Marco stepped closer.
"And Elena?"
Julian looked at his brother.
"The DNA results are inside that journal."
Claire slowly opened another folded envelope hidden between the pages.
Inside lay several laboratory reports.
Across the top of the first page were the words:
PATERNITY CONFIDENTIAL
She looked down.
Then stopped breathing.
Her own name appeared beside another.
Mother: Elena Castellano
The room became completely silent.
Claire's hands went numb.
The journal slipped from her fingers.
Marco caught it before it hit the floor.
He read the report.
Again.
Then a third time.
Finally he looked at Claire.
Not as a stranger.
Not as a victim.
But as family.
Outside...
More engines pulled into the driveway.
This time they weren't Julian's.
A convoy of black armored SUVs surrounded the house.
One bodyguard looked through the broken window.
His face turned pale.
"Boss..."
Marco never looked away from Claire.
"What is it?"
"The Council is here."
Every gangster in the room froze.
Even Julian stopped smiling.
May you like
Because there was only one reason the secret ruling council of the Castellano empire ever appeared in person.
Someone had just been identified as the rightful heir.
