Chapter 4 - The Housecleaning
By dawn, the Duca estate was transformed.
Federal agents and private security teams moved through the sprawling mansion like a cleansing fire. Every room was searched, every mattress inspected, every food container tested, and every staff member vetted from scratch.
Vivian Chen had been transferred to a secure federal holding facility under an anonymous tip called in by Lorenzo’s legal team—guarantees that she would never see the light of day again, facing multiple counts of attempted premeditated murder of a minor.
Down in the main kitchen, Clara and three vetted kitchen staff were throwing away every pre-packaged jar, every bottle of tonic, and every suspicious ingredient left behind in the pantry.
Lorenzo sat at the head of the long oak dining table, drinking black coffee as the morning sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Daniel walked into the dining room, holding a thick manila folder.
“The federal marshals picked up Vivian’s brother’s prison records, boss,” Daniel reported, laying the folder on the table. “She acted alone, but she had help setting up the shell accounts that funded her lifestyle here. We’ve frozen all her assets.”
“Good,” Lorenzo said coldly. “Make sure her name is scrubbed from every registry associated with this family. She never existed.”
“Understood.” Daniel hesitated, shifting his weight. “What about the girl? Clara and Emma?”
Lorenzo looked out toward the courtyard, where little Emma was sitting on a stone bench under a blossoming cherry tree, feeding breadcrumbs to a pair of sparrows while her mother watched from the porch.
“Clara is promoted to estate supervisor,” Lorenzo said decisively. “Her salary is tripled. And Emma...” He paused, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips for the first time in memory. “Emma wants for nothing. For the rest of her life, whatever she needs, this family provides it. Do you understand?”
“Completely, boss,” Daniel said with a respectful nod.
Later that morning, the medical transport team arrived.
A specialized mobile ICU unit idled outside the front gates, ready to transfer Lucas to a top-tier pediatric recovery facility in Switzerland, accompanied by Dr. Maren, a world-renowned toxicologist who would oversee his physical rehabilitation.
As the medical team wheeled Lucas’s bed down the grand hallway, the boy’s eyes suddenly fluttered open.
He wasn't fully awake, but his gaze drifted around the room until it landed on Lorenzo standing by the door.
Lucas’s pale lips parted, forming a weak, fragile whisper.
“Daddy...?”
Lorenzo stepped forward, dropping to his knees beside the rolling bed, taking Lucas’s small, cold hand and pressing it tightly against his cheek.
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“I’m here, son,” Lorenzo choked out, his voice trembling with overwhelming relief. “I’m right here. And I’m never leaving.”
Lucas closed his eyes again, but this time, a tiny, peaceful sigh escaped his lips. The terrifying, gray shadow that had hung over his face for three years was finally beginning to lift.
