Chapter 5 - THE TRUE HEIR OF MAPLE STREET"Em?!" Julian shrieked, stumbling backward against the concrete wall. "What is she doing here?! I thought she stayed at the estate!"
"Did you really think I’d let my daughter sit safely while her mother’s home was being desecrated by rats?" Luca said, stepping aside as Emily walked gracefully down the wooden ramp, her head held high with the unmistakable authority of a Moretti.
Emily stopped right in front of the glowing red safe interface. She didn't look scared anymore. The tears were gone, replaced by a cold, steely gaze that looked terrifyingly like her father’s.
"You thought you could steal everything, Uncle Julian," Emily said, her voice echoing clearly in the subterranean room. "You thought Mom’s secrets were dirty laundry to blackmail politicians with."
"Get her out of here! Shoot them!" Julian screamed, gesturing frantically to his four mercenaries standing at the top of the ramp.
Before the guards could even draw their weapons from their holsters, the darkness of the surrounding trees came alive.
Click. Click. Click.
Laser sights—dozens of them—red and green dots painted the chests of Julian’s men. From the shadows of the garden, the perimeter fence, and the neighboring rooftops, Marko’s elite tactical squad had them completely surrounded.
"Drop the iron, boys," Marko’s gruff voice boomed from the darkness. "Unless you want your families to collect your life insurance tomorrow morning."
The mercenaries dropped their weapons instantly, kicking them away across the concrete floor.
Julian’s face drained of all color. He looked at Luca, then at Emily, realizing too late that he had walked straight into a meticulously calculated trap.
"You knew," Julian whispered, his voice trembling. "You knew I was coming all along."
"Since the moment you had Vanessa whisper in my daughter’s ear to empty this house," Luca replied coldly, resting his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "A Moretti doesn't lose his kingdom twice, Julian. You just gave us the excuse we needed to clean house."
Emily stepped forward, placing her palm flat against the biometric scanner embedded in the chrome safe.
A soft, melodious chime replaced the angry red lights.
“BIOMETRIC VERIFICATION CONFIRMED. WELCOME HOME, EMILY MORETTI.”
The heavy steel door of the vault slowly swung open, hissing as decades of pressurized air escaped into the room. Inside sat a single, leather-bound black ledger, alongside a handwritten envelope addressed in elegant cursive:
To my beloved granddaughter, Emily. If you are opening this, it means you have survived the wolves. And your father has kept his promise.
May you like
Emily reached inside, pulling out the letter and the heavy ledger. She didn't open the ledger. She simply turned to Vanessa, who was standing at the top of the ramp, shivering in the rain.
"You wanted to clean house, Vanessa?" Emily asked quietly. "Here’s your chance."
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