Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Chapter 549: Chapter 145 Hidden Truths Revealed

Lila’s POV

When Daniel walked through the door of our penthouse apartment, his shoulders carried the weight of whatever news that encrypted call had delivered. The hard lines around his eyes spoke of exhaustion and distress that went beyond his usual police work. Whatever his contact in the underground network had discovered had clearly shaken him to his core. Without hesitation, I rushed into his arms, wrapping myself around his solid frame as worry flooded through me.

”Are you okay?” I whispered against his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the stress of his day.

”More or less, little one,” he replied, his voice strained in a way that made my heart clench. ”Let’s sit down. I need to share something with everyone.”

Daniel guided me to the leather sofa in our living room, his calloused hand never leaving mine as he addressed the room with the gravity of a man delivering verdict. ”My contact in the precinct just called with an update on our investigation. They’ve apprehended Aria. All evidence points to her being the black market midwife who delivered your first wife’s child, Nathaniel.”

”That sounds like progress, doesn’t it?” Beckett asked from his position near the window, though uncertainty colored his voice as he studied Daniel’s expression.

”It is progress,” Daniel confirmed, but the smile that touched his lips never reached his dark eyes.

My father leaned forward from his armchair, his weathered brow furrowing with the instincts of a man who had navigated decades in the criminal underworld. ”How can we be certain this woman is the same one the household staff contacted all those years ago?”

”My contact is currently at the holding facility where they’re keeping her,” Daniel explained, his detective training evident in his methodical delivery. ”He’s planning to question her directly about the Sullivan family connections.”

”There’s something else bothering you, Daniel. What is it?” my father pressed, his sharp gaze reading the unspoken tension in Daniel’s posture.

Daniel’s gaze dropped to the marble floor, his jaw working silently for several moments. ”This woman was arrested for operating an illegal medical facility that served the criminal families. Underground abortions, off-the-books births, falsified medical records. And I just discovered that my ex-wife—I’ve been divorced for years now—had multiple procedures with this same Aria during our marriage. Learning this...” his voice faltered, cracking with raw emotion, ”it hit me harder than I expected.”

”I’m truly sorry,” my father responded with the simple dignity of a man who understood loss. ”Beckett mentioned your divorce situation. What that woman did to you was cruel beyond measure. I understand the pain of losing children you never got the chance to meet.” My eyes widened at my father’s unexpected vulnerability, emotion catching in my throat at this rare glimpse into his private grief.

”Thank you for understanding,” Daniel said quietly. ”My contact will reach out after speaking with Aria. Until then, we wait.”

”Since waiting is all we can do right now,” Katarina suggested from her place beside Beckett, ”perhaps a walk around the estate would help clear everyone’s minds?”

My father quickly agreed to the suggestion, and soon Katarina departed with him and my brother, leaving them to discuss family business in the privacy of the gardens. Daniel and I decided to remain behind—I wanted to finish reading through the diary we’d discovered, and Daniel clearly needed time to process the emotional bombshell that had been dropped on him.

Once we were alone in the spacious apartment, I turned to face him fully. ”Big guy,” I called softly, using the pet name that never failed to soften his expression.

He moved from the armchair to join me on the couch, his strong arms pulling me onto his lap with the gentle care he always showed me, as if I were made of precious glass.

”You’re not really okay, are you?” I asked, searching his tired eyes for the truth he might try to hide.

”No, I’m not,” he admitted, anguish etched across his handsome features. ”I’ve always dreamed of being a father, little one. She kept saying she wanted children with me, claimed she couldn’t understand why conception wasn’t happening naturally. All while secretly ending multiple pregnancies behind my back. I just can’t wrap my head around that level of deception.”

”Do you still want to be a father?” I asked, my heart racing as I feared his answer yet needed to know where we stood.

”Yes, little one. It’s always been important to me,” he said, his thumb tracing gentle circles on my cheek. ”What about you? Do you want children someday?”

”It’s complicated,” I sighed, leaning into his touch. ”Remember my polycystic ovary condition? The family doctor warned it might cause fertility complications down the line. What if I can’t give you children?”

”If that happens, we could explore other options, including adoption, if you’re comfortable with that path.” Daniel’s voice was tender as he cupped my face. ”Listen, Lila, I know your mind is racing with worry right now, but it doesn’t need to be. Yes, I’ve always wanted to be a father, but now I only want that future if you’re the mother of my children. What hurts about Sasha’s actions wasn’t just the terminated pregnancies—it was that she never gave me a choice or even included me in the conversation. In any relationship, that level of dishonesty is devastating to the foundation of trust.”

”I understand,” I nodded, though my thoughts continued swirling with possibilities and fears.

”You’re distracted,” he observed with the perceptiveness that made him such an effective investigator. ”Forget about children for now. My past is complicated and messy, and I’ll never forgive Sasha for her deception. When the right time comes—which isn’t now—we’ll discuss expanding our family. But I know you’d be honest with me about something that important.” He studied my face carefully. ”Something else is troubling you.”

”I feel selfish focusing on my family’s mystery while you’re dealing with this revelation about your ex-wife,” I confessed, guilt weighing on my conscience.

”Don’t apologize for that,” he said firmly. ”Your family situation is serious—it’s natural for it to consume your thoughts. How far did you get with the diary?”

”I stopped reading at the part where his first wife died in childbirth,” I explained, my voice wavering slightly. ”Daniel, is there any real possibility I could be her daughter?”

”Would you want to be?” he asked gently, his detective instincts recognizing the deeper need behind my question.

”If I were, I’d have my father’s blood running through my veins. I know that shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but part of me desperately wants that biological connection to him. Is that wrong of me?”

”Not at all,” he assured me with conviction. ”Understanding where you come from gives you a sense of belonging and identity. It’s perfectly natural to want that connection, to see yourself reflected in someone else’s features or mannerisms.”

”Beckett always described his mother as this wonderful, loving person,” I continued, the words spilling out. ”When I was little, especially during Claire’s worst episodes of cruelty, I’d fantasize that Beckett’s mother was mine too, that Claire and Justin weren’t my real family. I’ve never told anyone that before.”

”I’m honored you’d share something so personal with me.” He brought my palm to his lips, pressing a tender kiss there.

”There’s more,” I added, my voice gaining strength. ”I look remarkably similar to her according to the old photographs. And my father mentioned she suffered from polycystic ovaries too—which is often hereditary. She needed fertility treatments for her second pregnancy because they wanted another child so desperately...”

”Slow down, Lila,” Daniel smiled, gently interrupting my rapid stream of thoughts. ”Take a breath. We could arrange for discrete DNA testing between you and Beckett, and potentially ask your father about exhuming her remains for comparison if it comes to that. Considering everything we’ve learned about the criminal medical network and falsified records, it’s entirely possible she could be your biological mother. That diary might not contain the complete truth about what happened.”

”Do you really think there’s a chance?” I asked, hope flickering dangerously in my chest.

”Absolutely. And we’ll discover the truth together, no matter what it takes.” His expression softened into a playful smile that chased away some of the darkness from earlier. ”But for now, since we have this rare moment of privacy, how about giving me a kiss? I’m feeling a little needy after today’s emotional revelations.”

His exaggerated whine made me laugh despite everything, and all my worries momentarily faded as his lips found mine in the sanctuary of our shared space.