All Chapters of THE DON'S MISSING PIECE : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The alarm clock screamed at 6:47 AM.Cassandra's hand shot out from beneath the covers, slapping blindly at the snooze button. Her fingers found plastic, pressed down hard. Silence.She groaned, rolling onto her back. The ceiling stared back at her, cracked paint, water stains from last winter's leak, the faint outline of a spider web in the corner.Monday, she thought. I hate you already.Her body felt heavy, her limbs weighted down by exhaustion. She'd been up until midnight studying for her economics test, the formulas swimming in her head like confused fish. And before that, she'd spent two hours rubbing cream into her grandmother's arthritic hands, watching her wince with every gentle touch.Cassandra swung her legs over the side of the bed,the floor was cold against her bare feet. She shivered.Time to move.****The bathroom mirror reflected a girl who looked exactly how she felt, tired. Dark circles beneath her eyes. Hair a mess, tangled from sleep. A small pimple forming on h

A knock on the front door which made Cassandra jump on the bed.Her heart slammed against her ribs. She spun around, her breath catching in her throat."Cassandra?" Her grandmother's voice came from the kitchen. "Can you get that?"She couldn't move, she just sat on the bed."Cassandra?""I…" She swallowed hard. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll get it."She crossed the living room slowly, her hand trembling as it reached for the doorknob. She pulled it open, bracing herself for the worst.It was Mrs. Delaney from two doors down.The elderly woman stood on the doorstep, her gray hair in curlers, her housedress wrinkled. She clutched her purse like a shield, her eyes darting nervously."Cassandra, dear." Mrs. Delaney's voice was tight. "Is your grandmother home?""She's in the kitchen. Is everything okay?""I need to speak with her. Urgently."Mrs. Delaney pushed past Cassandra without waiting for an invitation. The woman's hands were shaking. Her face was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line.Cass

Dante didn't sleep.He'd returned to the mansion at two in the morning, the silence of the house pressing down on him. His footsteps echoed off the marble floors as he climbed the stairs, each step heavier than the last.He'd showered. Changed. Sat in the dark of his room, staring at nothing.Now the sun was rising, pale gray light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Dante stood at the window, his coffee untouched on the desk behind him. His eyes were fixed on the city below, but his mind was elsewhere.Who told them?The question gnawed at him. His parents knew about the apartment. About the scene. About everything.He'd made sure no one saw him. Made sure the clean-up was fast, silent, invisible. His men were loyal. Trusted.So how?Then the door to his room bursted open.Dante didn't turn around. He knew who it was before the voice even spoke."What were you thinking?"Vincent Moretti stormed into the room, his face purple with rage. His father was sixty-two, silver-ha

Cassandra's legs carried her through the campus gates, but her mind was elsewhere.Patty's text replayed on a loop. Someone was here. Asking about you. He took your address.She walked faster. Students streamed past her, laughing and talking, their voices like static in her ears. She checked over her shoulder. Nothing. Just the usual crowd.But the feeling of being watched wouldn't leave her.She took a longer route home. Doubled back twice. Cut through the grocery store, weaving between aisles. A woman with a stroller. A teenager on his phone. An elderly man reaching for cereal.Normal. All of them normal.And yet.Cassandra stopped at the butcher counter, pretending to examine the meat. Her eyes scanned the store, searching.A man in a dark suit stood near the entrance. His back was to her. He was on his phone, his posture relaxed.He's not looking for you, she told herself. You're being paranoid.She slipped out the back exit and walked home.---The apartment was quiet when she bu

Cassandra stood in the doorway of her grandmother's room, watching Evelyn pack a small bag.Her grandmother's hands were shaking. Every movement was slow, deliberate, painful. Cassandra wanted to help. Wanted to take over. But something held her back."I can't believe this is happening," Evelyn murmured, folding a sweater. "After all these years...""Gran." Cassandra stepped forward. "You knew. All this time, you knew about the necklace. About Mom. About everything."Evelyn paused. Her shoulders sagged."Yes," she whispered. "I knew.""Why didn't you tell me?"Evelyn turned to face her. Her eyes were red, glassy with unshed tears."Because I was trying to protect you," she said. "Your mother gave her life for you. I wasn't going to let that be for nothing."Cassandra's throat tightened. "I don't understand. What was she trying to protect me from?"Evelyn set down the sweater. She walked to the bed and sat down heavily, her joints protesting."Your mother was a brave woman," Evelyn beg