Chapter 6 - The Trap is Set
Over the next three days, the Moretti estate became an impenetrable fortress. Ethan publicly announced that Hannah had been placed under personal medical care following a fainting spell, keeping her true identity as Owen’s widow hidden from the public and the press.
Meanwhile, behind closed doors, Ethan and Marco quietly audited the inner council's financial records. By Thursday evening, the trail of dirty money led straight to Dominic Vance—Ethan’s senior advisor and his late father's most trusted lieutenant. Dominic had been selling shipping routes to Vincent Caruso in exchange for a percentage of the smuggled cargo passing through the city.
Instead of arresting Dominic immediately, Ethan set a trap.
He leaked false information to Dominic, claiming that Hannah was holding the original ledgers detailing the illegal dock operations—ledgers that Owen had hidden before his death—and that she intended to hand them over to the federal prosecutors on Friday night during the grand alliance dinner.
On the night of the gala, the estate ballroom was packed once again with Chicago's elite. Crystal chandeliers threw sparkling light over silver platters, tuxedos, and silk gowns.
Vanessa Caruso walked through the crowd beside her father, her head held high, believing she had successfully intimidated the staff into silence. She assumed Ethan’s quiet behavior over the past few days meant he was falling back in line with the political marriage.
"You see, darling?" Vincent whispered to Vanessa near the bar. "Power always dictates choices. Ethan is a smart man. He knows better than to throw away his empire for a pregnant servant."
Unbeknownst to them, upstairs in the private gallery overlooking the floor, Hannah was standing safely behind a one-way mirror, flanked by Marco and two armed guards. For the first time in months, she was dressed in a simple, elegant deep blue dress, her dark hair neatly pinned back, revealing her soft features and the crescent scar—no longer a mark of shame, but a symbol of her true place.
May you like
Ethan stood at the center of the room, raising a glass of champagne to command the crowd's attention.
"Good evening, everyone," Ethan said, his powerful voice echoing off the high ceilings. "Tonight, we were supposed to celebrate a union between the Moretti and Caruso families. But before we sign any contracts, there is a final piece of business that requires absolute transparency."
