Chapter 165 *
Damon’s POV
I came home early on Saturday. For once, I wasn't stuck in back-to-back meetings or dealing with some supply chain disaster. I just wanted to sit on my own couch and breathe for a few hours.
The tablet was balanced on my lap. The screen showed grainy surveillance footage from twenty years ago.
The woman on the screen was Miranda Kestrel. She had that polished look. Expensive clothes. Perfect hair. The kind of woman who knew how to work a room.
I'd been watching this footage for two hours. Taking notes. Cross-referencing dates. Building a timeline.
The audio quality was terrible. But I could read lips well enough to catch the important parts.
She was talking to someone off-screen. Her expression was cold.
I heard the front door open. The sound of keys hitting the entry table. Footsteps in the hallway.
Scarlett's voice carried from the foyer. "I'm home!"
I glanced up from the tablet. She appeared in the doorway a moment later. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing jeans and one of my hoodies that was three sizes too big on her.
She looked happy. Relaxed. Like she'd actually enjoyed her day out with Lily.
"You're home early." She crossed the room and dropped onto the couch next to me. Her entire face lit up with that smile that still made my chest feel tight.
I reached over and ruffled her hair. "Finished work early for once."
"I wish I'd known." She leaned into my hand like a cat. "I would've come back sooner. We could've had dinner together."
"It's fine. You needed time with your friend."
"I know, but still." She shifted closer. "I'm a married woman now. I should be home having dinner with my husband on Saturday nights."
I smiled despite myself. "We have plenty of Saturday nights ahead of us."
"True." She seemed satisfied with that answer. Then her eyes drifted to the tablet in my lap. "What are you watching?"
I should've closed it. But part of me wanted her to see it. Wanted her to understand what kind of people had raised her.
"Just some old surveillance footage." I kept my voice neutral. "From the Romano family archives."
Her smile faded slightly. She tilted her head to get a better look at the screen.
The image was paused on Miranda's face. Twenty years younger but still recognizable.
Scarlett's entire expression changed. Her eyebrows drew together. "Is that Miranda?"
"Yeah."
"Where did you get this?" She reached for the tablet. "This looks like private surveillance."
"I have connections." I didn't elaborate. "Mafia families keep records on each other. This particular footage came from the Vitelli archives."
She was quiet for a moment. Her eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
I waited for her to ask why I was watching it. To demand an explanation.
Instead she just pulled her knees up to her chest. "Why are you investigating Miranda?"
I turned the tablet off and set it on the coffee table. "Come here. Sit properly."
She uncurled and shifted to face me. Her expression was curious but not worried.
I'd rehearsed this conversation in my head a dozen times. I knew exactly what I was going to say. How I was going to break the news gently.
But looking at her now, all that preparation felt useless.
She looked so young. So unburdened.
I didn't want to be the one to tell her that her entire family was built on lies.
"Do you know why your father always favored Zelda?" I started carefully. "Why he treated her like she was more important than you?"
I expected shock. Maybe denial. Or that look she got when she was trying to pretend something didn't hurt.
Instead, Scarlett just shrugged. "Yeah, I know."
I blinked. "You know?"
"Of course I know." She reached for the bowl of grapes on the coffee table. Popped one in her mouth. "Zelda is Salvatore's illegitimate daughter with Miranda. They've been having an affair for like twenty years."
The words hit me like a physical blow.
"What?"
"Zelda is Salvatore's biological daughter." Scarlett said it so casually. "Salvatore and Miranda were childhood sweethearts. College classmates. The whole romantic backstory."
My brain was trying to catch up. "You already knew this?"
"I mean, it's pretty obvious once you pay attention." She grabbed another grape. "Salvatore married Viviana for her family connections. He needed startup capital and political backing. But he never actually loved her."
I just stared at her.
"So Salvatore kept Miranda around as his mistress." Scarlett continued. "He made sure Miranda and Viviana became best friends. That way Miranda could stay close to the family without raising suspicion. Pretty smart, actually."
"Scarlett—"
"Miranda got pregnant on purpose." Her voice stayed light. "She had Owen first. Then Zelda. Salvatore wanted to leave Miranda at that point. But she had leverage. Two kids he couldn't publicly acknowledge."
My hands had started shaking. I clenched them into fists.
"When I got kidnapped, Viviana had a breakdown." Scarlett's expression didn't change at all. "Multiple suicide attempts. She was hospitalized for months. So Salvatore and Miranda saw an opportunity."
"They arranged for Zelda to be adopted into the family." Scarlett looked at me directly. "Officially as an orphan. Unofficially as my replacement."
The room felt like it was tilting.
I'd spent months investigating this. Months tracking down evidence. Building a case. Preparing to tell Scarlett the truth as gently as possible.
And she'd known the entire time.
"How long have you known?" My voice came out rough.
"Since I came back to the family." Scarlett shrugged. "I figured it out pretty quickly. I'm not as dumb as my brothers."
"That's not—" I stopped. Started again. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Who would I tell?" She laughed. It wasn't a happy sound. "Viviana? Lorenzo? Nico? They wouldn't believe me. They'd think I was making it up to get attention."
"You could've told me."
"I didn't know you yet." She said it simply. "By the time we got together, I'd already decided it didn't matter."
"It doesn't matter?" I couldn't keep the disbelief out of my voice. "Your father replaced you with his mistress's daughter. Your entire family chose a stranger over you. And you think that doesn't matter?"
"What I mean is, they made their choice." Scarlett's voice was steady. Calm. "They chose to dote on Zelda. They chose to treat me like I didn't belong. So when the truth comes out, they can deal with the consequences."
I leaned back against the couch. My head was spinning.
"What if they never find out?" The question came out before I could stop it. "What if Zelda gets to play princess forever while you—"
"Damon." Scarlett cut me off. "You're underestimating Miranda and Zelda's ambition."
"What do you mean?"
"They're not satisfied with just having Salvatore's love." She grabbed another grape. "They want the entire family business. They're planning to push Viviana and the boys out completely. Take over everything."
I sat up straighter. "How do you know that?"