Chapter 10 - THE BROTHER I ALMOST MARRIED
“No.”
I said it first.
Then louder.
“No.”
Vincent stared at Sofia.
“You’re saying Gabriel was my father?”
“Yes.”
My stomach turned.
That would make Vincent my—
“Half brother,” Tess whispered.
I nearly fainted.
Vincent actually looked ill.
The viral proposal suddenly became less funny.
The fake engagement ring burned on my finger.
I ripped it off.
“Absolutely not.”
Vincent said:
“Agreed.”
“Good.”
“Very agreed.”
“Excellent.”
Grandma sat down.
“I need stronger coffee.”
Sofia held up both hands.
“Wait.”
“No.”
I pointed at her.
“There had better be a second sentence.”
“There is.”
“Say it quickly.”
“Gabriel was believed to be Vincent’s father.”
I froze.
“Believed?”
“Yes.”
“The DNA test?”
“Was never completed.”
Vincent stared.
“Why?”
“Gabriel died before samples could be compared.”
“So nobody knows?”
Sofia shook her head.
“Dominic knew I had been with Gabriel before our marriage.”
“How long before?”
“Months.”
“Then Vincent could still be Dominic’s.”
“Yes.”
Tess whispered:
“This is the worst romantic comedy ever.”
I agreed.
Vincent looked at me.
“We are not discussing romance until testing.”
“Strongly agreed.”
Sofia continued.
“Anthony stored Gabriel’s blood sample.”
“Where?”
“St. Vincent Medical Archive.”
Of course there was preserved blood.
Because apparently dead Mafia families maintained better records than hospitals.
We ordered testing.
Forty-eight hours.
Longest two days of my life.
Meanwhile, Victor Cavallo moved.
He leaked the Moretti ledger online.
Partial pages.
Enough to trigger investigations.
Not enough to expose himself.
News reporters surrounded Bennett Inn.
The viral engagement became national spectacle.
Then a new headline appeared:
MORETTI FIANCÉE LINKED TO CRIME FAMILY BLOODLINE.
I stared at the television.
“How do they know?”
Vincent’s face hardened.
“Sofia’s arrival was watched.”
Someone had followed her.
Then the reporter announced:
“Sources claim Daisy Bennett may be biologically related to Vincent Moretti.”
I turned off the television.
“I’m moving underground.”
Vincent almost smiled.
“Convenient. You have tunnels.”
“Not funny.”
“Little funny.”
Then the DNA results arrived.
Marco handed Vincent the envelope.
He opened it.
Read.
Then looked at me.
I stopped breathing.
“Well?”
He handed me the page.
Probability Gabriel Bennett biological father of Vincent Moretti: 0.00%.
I nearly collapsed.
“Thank God.”
Vincent exhaled.
“Agreed.”
Tess shouted:
“You can be fake engaged again!”
“No.”
Vincent smiled.
“Temporary.”
I glared.
Then read the second result.
Dominic Moretti was Vincent’s biological father.
Normal family tree restored.
Relatively.
But attached to the DNA file was another test.
A comparison nobody requested.
Gabriel Bennett.
And Dominic Moretti.
Half brothers.
I frowned.
“How?”
Sofia closed her eyes.
“Anthony.”
Vincent stared.
“My grandfather?”
Grandma whispered:
“Apparently he had more secrets than we thought.”
Gabriel and Dominic shared the same father.
Henry Bennett.
My grandfather.
Which meant Henry had fathered Dominic too.
Vincent was biologically my grandfather’s grandson.
And I was my grandfather’s granddaughter.
That still made us—
Vincent started calculating.
Tess beat him.
“First cousins once removed.”
I closed my eyes.
“No.”
Then the genetic counselor called.
She had reviewed the full records.
“Actually,” she said carefully, “there’s another issue.”
I wanted to throw the phone.
“What issue?”
“Daisy’s birth certificate may not reflect biological parentage either.”
I froze.
“What?”
“There’s an attached neonatal DNA record.”
“Meaning?”
The counselor continued:
“Gabriel Bennett is not Daisy’s biological father.”
Silence.
Vincent stared at me.
I stared at Grandma.
She whispered:
“Oh, Caroline.”
May you like
I nearly screamed.
“WHO IS MY FATHER?”
