Chapter 6 - Bloodlines
Grace stared at the two pendants resting side by side. They fit together like puzzle pieces, their silver edges interlocking perfectly to form a single crest.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “My mother told me my father died before I was born. She said he was an ordinary man who was taken by an accident.”
“She told you that to protect you,” Vincent replied, his eyes dark with ancient pain. “Look at me, Grace. Look at my eyes. Look at the scar above your left eyebrow. Your mother had that same scar from a childhood fall in Pittsburgh.”
Grace looked into his face. For the first time, she saw it: the identical shape of his jaw, the deep amber flecks in his dark brown eyes, the stubborn set of his brow. It was like looking into a mirror aged thirty years.
“I had a DNA test run while you were resting,” Vincent said, placing the lab results on the edge of the mattress. “You are my daughter, Grace. My only child.”
Grace pulled back, feeling as though the room was spinning out of control. “No... this is insane. You’re Vincent Caruso. I know who you are. Everyone in this city knows who you are! You’re—you’re the head of a syndicate!”
“I am a man who lost the only woman he ever loved,” Vincent said without flinching. “And for twenty-eight years, I was robbed of knowing my daughter. While you were scrubbing floors and skipping meals, I was sitting in penthouses with more money than three lifetimes could spend. I cannot undo the years you suffered. But as God is my witness, no one will ever make you feel small again.”
May you like
Before Grace could process the shock, the suite door burst open.
***
