CHAPTER ONE: THE MORETTI EMPIRE
926 Words
In Porto Velluto, everyone knew the Moretti name.
It was a name built on ships, cargo, money, and generations of hard work.
The Moretti family owned one of the largest independent shipping companies in the city. Their containers moved through the port every day, carrying goods across Italy and beyond its borders. Their warehouses stretched along the eastern side of the harbor, and their offices stood at the heart of the city's business district.
They were powerful.
They were wealthy.
And most importantly, they were independent.
The Morettis had spent decades refusing to become part of another family's empire.
Especially the Romanos.
That was something Isabella Moretti had grown up knowing.
From the balcony of the Moretti estate, she could see the harbor in the distance.
Ships moved slowly across the blue water while workers prepared cargo for another busy day.
Isabella smiled.
This was home.
She had grown up surrounded by everything money could buy, but her father had never allowed wealth to become the most important thing in her life.
"Isabella!"
She turned.
Her mother stood behind her, holding a cup of coffee.
"You're going to be late."
Isabella laughed softly.
"Late for what?"
"Breakfast."
"I'm already here."
"You're standing on the balcony."
"Which is technically part of the house."
Her mother shook her head with a smile.
"Come inside."
Isabella followed her into the mansion.
The Moretti estate was elegant without being cold. Large windows allowed sunlight to fill the rooms, expensive paintings decorated the walls, and family photographs stood on almost every table.
At the center of the dining room sat Matteo Moretti.
Her father was already reading through several documents.
"Good morning, Papa."
He looked up and smiled.
"Good morning, princess."
Isabella kissed his cheek before sitting down.
"Working already?"
"Some of us have businesses to run."
She smiled.
"You say that every morning."
"And every morning, it remains true."
Her mother placed breakfast on the table.
For a few minutes, everything felt normal.
Family.
Warmth.
Peace.
Isabella didn't know that this would be one of the last mornings that peace would come so easily to the Moretti household.
After breakfast, she left for the family headquarters.
The Moretti building stood near the harbor, surrounded by offices belonging to some of Porto Velluto's most successful companies.
As Isabella stepped through the entrance, employees greeted her respectfully.
"Good morning, Miss Moretti."
"Good morning."
She knew many of them by name.
This was more than a company to her.
These people were part of the world she had grown up in.
Her father's empire.
Her family's legacy.
She entered her father's office and found him speaking with one of the company's managers.
"I'll leave you two," the man said before walking out.
Isabella sat across from her father.
"Everything okay?"
Matteo smiled.
"Everything is fine."
"That's not what your face says."
He laughed.
"You've become too observant."
"I learned from you papa."
Her father looked at her proudly.
"You know, one day this entire company could belong to you."
Isabella's smile faded slightly.
"Me?"
"Who else?"
"Maybe my future husband."
Matteo raised an eyebrow.
"Absolutely not."
She laughed.
"I was joking."
"You better be I built this company for my family. Not for some man to take it from my daughter."
Isabella smiled.
She knew how fiercely her father protected her.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
She glanced at the screen.
Daniel.
A smile immediately appeared on her face.
Her father noticed.
"Daniel?"
"Yes."
"Again?"
"He just wants to see me."
Matteo sighed.
"You spend too much time with that boy."
Isabella frowned.
"He's not a boy."
"He's still young."
"So am I."
"Exactly."
She rolled her eyes.
"Papa."
Matteo smiled.
"I didn't say you couldn't see him."
She quickly stood.
"Then I'm leaving."
"Isabella."
She stopped at the door.
"Be careful."
She smiled.
"Always."
Outside, Daniel was waiting for her.
He stood beside his car with a smile when he saw her.
"There you are."
"Did you miss me?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Fine. A lot."
She laughed.
For Isabella, Daniel was familiar.
Safe.
Someone she believed she could trust completely.
She had no idea that one day, remembering this moment would hurt.
Later that afternoon, Matteo returned to the harbor to inspect a shipment personally.
Everything appeared normal.
Workers moved between containers.
Trucks came and went.
Ships were being loaded.
Then one of the managers approached him.
"Sir."
Matteo turned.
"What is it?"
The manager hesitated.
"There's a problem with shipment 47."
"What kind of problem?"
"We can't locate it."
Matteo frowned.
"What do you mean you can't locate it?"
"It left the warehouse last night."
"Then it should be at the port."
"It isn't."
Matteo's expression hardened.
"Check the tracking system."
"We did."
"And?"
The manager swallowed.
"The tracking signal disappeared three hours ago."
Matteo stared at him.
"That isn't possible."
"We thought so too."
He looked toward the harbor.
For the first time in years, something cold settled in his chest.
"gather all resources and find it."
"Yes, sir."
The manager hurried away.
Matteo remained where he stood.
One missing shipment could be a mistake.
A technical problem.
An unfortunate accident.
But as he watched the ships moving across the harbor, an uncomfortable thought entered his mind.
What if it wasn't an accident?
What if someone had deliberately taken it?
And if someone had...
Why?
That was the first crack.
Small enough to ignore.
Small enough to explain away.
But cracks had a dangerous habit of spreading.
And the Moretti Empire was about to discover just how deep one crack could become.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD