Chapter 7 - THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST
Clara Alvarez had never told anyone at the Moretti estate about the night Sophie was born.
It wasn't a secret.
It simply wasn't something she enjoyed discussing.
Her pregnancy had been difficult.
Sophie's father had died before the delivery.
And the hospital had made several mistakes that left Clara frightened and alone.
Now those memories were returning.
Clara stared at Isabella Cole's photograph.
"She was there."
I leaned forward.
"At Sophie's birth?"
Clara nodded.
"She was a nurse."
Marcus looked surprised.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Her voice trembled.
"I remember her because she kept asking whether Sophie's father had left us any money."
A cold sensation settled in my stomach.
"What did you tell her?"
"That he was dead."
Clara wiped her eyes.
"She looked disappointed."
I glanced toward Marcus.
Something was very wrong.
"Clara, what was Sophie's father's name?"
She hesitated.
Then answered.
"Gabriel Alvarez."
I frowned.
The name sounded familiar.
"Did he work in shipping?"
Clara looked startled.
"Yes."
My heart tightened.
"Where?"
"At one of the lakefront warehouses."
I closed my eyes.
Gabriel Alvarez.
Five years earlier, one of our shipping supervisors had died in what investigators initially described as an industrial accident.
I remembered signing the company report.
I remembered sending condolences.
But I hadn't known he'd left behind a pregnant wife.
Clara watched my expression.
"You knew him?"
I nodded.
"He worked for one of my companies."
Her eyes filled.
"Gabriel was a good man."
"I'm sure he was."
She shook her head.
"He came home frightened three days before he died. He said he'd discovered something at work."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"He wouldn't tell me."
"Did he leave anything behind?"
Clara hesitated.
"A notebook."
I leaned forward.
"Do you still have it?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus looked at me.
The connection was becoming impossible to ignore.
Gabriel worked inside my organization.
He died after discovering something suspicious.
His widow was recruited into my household by Vincent's sister.
Her daughter was threatened after witnessing a possible murder attempt.
And three million dollars had been hidden under Clara's identity.
None of it was coincidence.
"Clara, I think Gabriel may have discovered something important."
She stared at me.
"Something that got him killed?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Her expression changed.
"You know something."
I took a breath.
"I know his death deserves another investigation."
Clara looked away.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she reached for her phone.
She opened a photograph of Gabriel holding newborn Sophie.
He was smiling.
A proud, exhausted father with dark hair and gentle brown eyes.
I recognized him.
But something else caught my attention.
Around Gabriel's neck hung a small silver pendant.
A black stone surrounded by a gold frame.
My heart stopped.
I'd seen that pendant before.
Years earlier.
On my brother Luca.
I looked toward Clara.
"Where did Gabriel get that necklace?"
She frowned.
"His brother gave it to him."
I stared.
"His brother?"
Clara nodded.
"Before Gabriel died, he said it belonged to someone who'd helped save his life."
I felt cold.
"Do you know the brother's name?"
She shook her head.
"Gabriel never spoke about him much."
Then Clara opened another photograph.
It showed Gabriel standing beside a younger man.
The man's face was partially hidden beneath a baseball cap.
But the scar above his eyebrow was unmistakable.
May you like
Luca Moretti.
My supposedly dead brother.
