My six-year-old nephew crawled to my door with a broken leg while his three-year-old sister clung to his shirt, sobbing

Rebecca’s eyes darted frantically toward Julian, who was groaning beneath Frank’s heavy boot on the floor.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she sobbed, clutching my wrist with her manicured hands. "Ethan didn't have a drive! He was just an accountant!"

"Ethan was a senior state auditor who discovered that Julian Vance was laundering money through county real estate projects," I said, tightening my grip slightly. "And he was about to submit his report to the federal grand jury the week he died."

Julian let out a ragged breath from the floor. "Moretti... you're out of your depth here. That drive isn't just about us. There are people in the city council—people in the state capitol—who paid good money to make sure Ethan’s report never saw daylight."

I let go of Rebecca’s hair. She collapsed onto the sofa cushion, weeping hysterically.

I stepped over to Julian, crouched down, and pulled a heavy silver pocket knife from my coat. I opened the blade with a soft click.

"Julian," I said calmly, pressing the tip of the cold steel against his cheekbone. "You have thirty seconds to tell me where the drive is before I let Frank take you down to the docks for a swim."

Julian’s eyes went wide with pure terror. He knew my reputation. He knew that men who went down to the Austin docks with Frank didn't come back up.

"It's in a safe-deposit box at First Texas Bank!" Julian blurted out, his voice cracking. "Box 408! The key is in my leather jacket hanging by the door!"

Frank walked over to the closet, searched the leather coat, and pulled out a small bronze key stamped with the number 408. He held it up for me to see.

"Marcus," I called out without turning around.

My attorney stepped into the suite, carrying a leather briefcase and a stack of legal documents.

"Have the police department arrive in five minutes," I instructed Marcus. "Hand them Julian Vance and Rebecca. Charge them with felony child abuse, unlawful restraint, extortion, and grand larceny. Make sure the local news networks get full footage of them being dragged out of the St. Regis in handcuffs."

"What about the murder charge for Ethan?" Marcus asked.

"The toxicology report from Ethan's exhumation will be ready tomorrow," I replied, standing up and adjusting my coat. "When the state coroner finds the traces of arsenic in his tissue, we will add premeditated murder to the indictment."

Rebecca shrieked, falling off the sofa onto her knees. "Thomas! Please! I'm family! Ethan loved me!"

I turned to look at her one last time as Frank pulled her up by her arms.

"Ethan loved a woman who didn't exist," I said coldly. "You are just a parasite who mistook my silence for weakness."

I turned my back on them and walked out of the penthouse.

By 5:00 a.m., I was back at Pine Valley Children's Hospital.

The hallway outside Room 412 was quiet. The sun was just beginning to rise over the Austin skyline, casting a soft pink and amber light through the glass windows.

I stepped inside the room.

Leo was awake, sitting up in bed, looking at a picture book I had ordered my driver to bring him from an all-night bookstore. Maya was still fast asleep beside him, her thumb tucked into her mouth.

When Leo saw me, he immediately closed his book.

"Did you find her?" he asked softly.

I walked over, sat down in the wooden chair beside his bed, and took his tiny hand in mine.

"She won't ever bother you again, Leo," I said softly. "The police have her. She is going away for a very long time."

Leo looked at me for a long moment, his small forehead furrowed in deep thought. "Are we going to an orphanage now?"

My chest felt like it was being squeezed by a vice. I leaned in, placing my other hand over his small fingers.

"No," I said firmly. "You and Maya are coming home with me. To my house. You’re going to have your own rooms, your own garden, and all the bread you can eat. I promised your father I would take care of you, and I intend to keep that promise."