Chapter 5 - Shadows of the Past
By evening, the Marchetti estate was glowing under bright, warm interior lights. The master suite in the east wing—a grand set of rooms featuring plush cream carpets, high ceilings, silk drapes, and a private balcony overlooking the sunlit gardens—had been fully prepared for Sarah and Lily.
Sarah sat on the edge of a massive king-sized bed, wearing a soft cream-colored sweater and comfortable trousers, having finally taken off her powder-blue maid uniform. She looked around the opulent room in absolute disbelief.
In the adjoining room, four-year-old Lily was happily bouncing on a smaller velvet bed, her gray stuffed rabbit tucked safely beside a brand-new mountain of wooden toys and illustrated storybooks that Dante had ordered delivered within an hour of learning the truth.
A soft knock sounded at the heavy mahogany door. Dante stepped into the room, having removed his black suit jacket. He wore his fitted black trousers and open-collar black shirt, his dark wavy hair slightly messy, his piercing gray-blue eyes fixed on Sarah.
"Are the accommodations acceptable?" Dante asked quietly, leaning his tall, broad frame against the doorframe.
Sarah stood up, her fair, rosy cheeks flushing slightly. "They are far more than acceptable, Dante. They are overwhelming. I... I don't know how to thank you."
Dante walked further into the room, his hands rested in his suit pockets. "You don't thank me, Sarah. I owe you an apology. You carried Julian's child alone for four years while I lived in luxury upstairs. If I had known..." He paused, his jaw clenching tightly. "If I had known Julian left behind a family, I would have burned all of Chicago to the ground to bring you home."
Sarah sighed softly, sitting back down. "I was terrified, Dante. When Julian died, his murder was so cold, so sudden. The Moretti family wiped out his entire crew. I was afraid that if they knew about Lily, they would use her as leverage against you, or worse..."
Dante’s gray-blue eyes flashed with a cold, lethal darkness. "The Moretti family thinks they won that war five years ago. They think I settled for a truce because I was weak." He stepped closer, his deep voice carrying an unshakeable promise. "They don't know that my brother's blood still flows through this house. Tomorrow, I am calling a meeting of the Chicago High Council. I will officially recognize Lily as a Marchetti."
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Sarah gasped softly, looking toward the bedroom door where Lily was giggling. "Will she be safe?"
"She will be safer than anyone in this city," Dante vowed softly. "Because anyone who dares look at her sideways will have to answer to me."
