PART 3: The Price on the Babyâs Life
The hospital security room fell silent.
Every monitor displayed a different hallway, elevator, or entrance.
One screen remained frozen on the image Serena had noticed.
The visitor's badge.
Upside down.
Rafael enlarged the picture.
The hospital logo was genuine.
The photograph looked authentic.
But the badge clip had been deliberately reversed.
Someone had wanted staff to notice the logoânot the face.
Serena pointed at the screen.
"He knew people only glance at badges."
Rafael slowly nodded.
"He wanted to blend in."
Vincent didn't take his eyes off the monitor.
"Find him."
"I don't care how."
Within minutes, every exit from the hospital was locked down.
Security officers searched patient rooms, maintenance closets, and parking garages.
Nothing.
The stranger had vanished.
Rafael returned with another update.
"We checked every visitor log."
"No one by that name exists."
Vincent's expression darkened.
"So he planned this."
Before anyone could respond, another man entered the room.
Older.
Gray-haired.
One of Vincent's most trusted advisers.
"Boss."
"What?"
"The call came."
Vincent looked up.
"Who?"
The adviser answered quietly.
"The Moretti family."
The room grew colder.
Even the detectives standing nearby exchanged uneasy glances.
For nearly thirty years, the Corsettis and the Morettis had avoided open conflict.
An uneasy peace.
Built on fear.
Maintained by mutual restraint.
Now...
Someone had crossed a line.
The phone was placed on speaker.
A calm voice filled the room.
"My condolences about your wife."
Vincent remained silent.
"And congratulations on the boy."
Still silence.
The caller chuckled.
"I hear he's a fighter."
Vincent finally spoke.
"What do you want?"
"A conversation."
"You sent someone into my son's NICU."
"I sent a message."
Vincent's jaw tightened.
"You have one chance to explain."
The voice became almost cheerful.
"You're distracted."
"Grieving."
"Emotional."
"That makes you weak."
The line went dead.
Serena had been listening from the doorway.
Her pulse quickened.
She had never imagined becoming part of anything like this.
She wasn't a doctor.
She wasn't wealthy.
She certainly wasn't connected to organized crime.
She was just...
A cleaner.
Who happened to notice one tiny heartbeat.
Now people were threatening a newborn because of his last name.
Vincent turned toward her.
"I'm moving you."
She frowned.
"What?"
"You saved my son."
"They know your face."
"They know you matter."
"I'm not hiding."
His expression softened.
"This isn't about courage."
"It's about survival."
That evening, Serena was escorted to the Corsetti estate under heavy security.
The mansion no longer felt intimidating.
It felt strangely sad.
Fresh flowers filled every hallway.
Condolence letters covered a library table.
Portraits of Vincent and his late wife, Isabella, lined the walls.
In every photograph, she was smiling.
Holding Vincent's hand.
Laughing.
Very much alive.
Serena stopped in front of one picture.
"She looked kind."
Vincent stood beside her.
"She was."
He looked at the portrait for a long time.
"She believed people deserved second chances."
He glanced toward Serena.
"She would have liked you."
Later that night, Serena couldn't sleep.
Her heart condition still caused occasional fluttering in her chest.
She stepped quietly onto the nursery balcony for fresh air.
The estate was peaceful.
Moonlight reflected across the gardens.
Then...
She noticed movement.
A faint flash.
Someone beyond the outer wall.
Not walking.
Watching.
She narrowed her eyes.
A tiny red light blinked once.
A rifle scope.
"DOWN!"
Serena screamed.
At the exact moment Vincent entered the nursery carrying Luca, she lunged forward with every ounce of strength she had.
The window exploded.
Glass shattered across the room.
A deafening crack echoed through the estate.
The bullet missed Vincent's head by inches.
Instead, it buried itself in the nursery wall.
Security alarms erupted instantly.
Rafael burst into the room with armed guards.
"Protect the baby!"
The mansion transformed into chaos.
Outside...
The sniper disappeared into the darkness.
Police helicopters circled overhead within minutes.
Roadblocks surrounded the neighborhood.
But the shooter was gone.
Inside the nursery, Vincent looked at the shattered window.
Then at Serena.
She had thrown herself directly into the line of fire.
Not thinking.
Simply acting.
He looked at the bleeding cut across her arm.
"You saved him again."
She forced a tired smile.
"I guess it's becoming a habit."
Hours later, detectives recovered the bullet.
The lead investigator approached Vincent.
"This wasn't random."
"No."
"It was professional."
He handed over a small evidence bag.
The bullet carried a strange engraving.
A silver wolf.
Vincent stared at it.
His face became unreadable.
Rafael noticed immediately.
"You know that mark."
Vincent nodded once.
"I hoped I'd never see it again."
Serena looked between them.
"What is it?"
Vincent answered quietly.
"A contract signature."
"The Silver Wolf."
"The most expensive assassin in North America."
Serena's stomach tightened.
"Someone hired him..."
"...to kill a baby?"
Vincent looked toward the sleeping infant in the armored bassinet.
"No."
He slowly turned to Serena.
"The first shot wasn't aimed at Luca."
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The sniper had a clear view."
"If he wanted my son..."
"He wouldn't have missed."
Silence filled the room.
Then Vincent said the words that made everyone's blood run cold.
"He was testing you."
Serena's heart skipped.
"Me?"
"He wanted to see whether you'd protect Luca."
Vincent looked at the shattered window again.
"And now..."
"He knows you will."
At that exact moment, Rafael's phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
Then slowly lowered the phone.
His face had gone completely pale.
"Boss..."
"What?"
"The surveillance team searched Serena's apartment."
Vincent frowned.
"Why?"
Rafael swallowed hard.
"Because someone got there first."
A long silence followed.
"They didn't steal anything."
"They left something."
"What?"
Rafael looked directly at Serena.
"A photograph."
He handed it to Vincent.
May you like
It showed Serena walking into the hospital the morning she saved Luca.
Across the picture, written in red ink, were five chilling words:
