Chương 4 - The Confrontation in the Study
Vincent Romano walked into the room without waiting to be announced. Isabella followed closely behind him, her chin held high, her eyes fixed triumphantly on Alessandro. The two Chicago bodyguards attempted to follow, but Marco and Leo stepped into the doorway instantly, their massive frames blocking the threshold like twin brick walls.
Alessandro didn't flinch. He remained standing behind his desk, his hands resting lightly on the dark walnut wood.
"Vincent," Alessandro said, his tone deceptively polite. "I do not recall scheduling a meeting with you this afternoon."
"We don't need a schedule, Alessandro," Vincent said, walking straight to the front of the desk. "We need an understanding. My daughter came to this estate to be your wife, not to be humiliated by your domestic arrangements."
Alessandro raised an eyebrow. "Humiliated?"
"You moved a maid and her child into the east wing," Isabella snapped, unable to contain herself. "You treated me like a stranger in what is supposed to be my future home!"
Alessandro slowly adjusted his silver cufflink, not even bothering to look at Isabella.
"This is my home, Isabella," Alessandro said softly. "It has belonged to my family for seventy years. Every brick, every painting, every person inside these walls exists under my protection. You are a guest here until the ink on the contract is dry. Do not mistake my courtesy for weakness."
Vincent slammed his hand down onto the desk, the heavy wood making a sharp crack that echoed through the room.
"Enough of the poetry, Moretti!" Vincent growled. "Is the child yours or not?"
The room went dead silent. Marco and Leo shifted their weight slightly, their eyes locking onto Vincent’s guards. The air in the study felt charged with static, like the seconds before a lightning strike.
Alessandro looked down at Vincent’s hand resting on his desk. Then, slowly, he raised his eyes to meet the older Don's gaze.
"You are in my house, Vincent," Alessandro said, his voice dropping into a register so quiet, so deadly, that even Vincent’s tough exterior cracked for a fraction of a second. "You do not slam your hand on my desk. And you do not demand answers about my blood."
"If the child is yours, the alliance is compromised!" Vincent countered, though he lowered his voice slightly. "The Romano family will not accept a marriage where a bastard child holds the primary claim to the Moretti bloodline! My daughter will not play second fiddle to a maid!"
Alessandro reached down, picked up the white piece of paper resting on his blotter, and held it out toward Vincent.
Vincent frowned, taking the paper. His eyes scanned the certified medical header, the genetic markers, and the signature at the bottom.
"She is my daughter," Alessandro stated clearly, his voice carrying absolute finality. "Her name is Lily Moretti. And from this day forward, anyone who speaks of her as a bastard, or refers to her mother as a maid, will answer to me directly."
Isabella gasped, her face draining of all color. "Alessandro... you can't be serious! You are going to blow up a ten-year peace agreement over a maid?"
"Rosa Mendes is not just a maid," a soft voice spoke from the doorway.
Everyone turned.
Rosa stood at the entrance of the study. She had discarded her grey servant’s uniform. She now wore a simple, elegant dark blue dress that Mr. Bruno had retrieved from the estate's private archives—a dress that had once belonged to Alessandro’s mother, Elena. Her dark hair was down, falling in soft waves over her shoulders.
She looked stunning. Royal. Completely transformed.
In her arms, she held Lily, who was wearing a clean yellow dress and still clutching her small stuffed rabbit, Bun.
Vincent stared at Rosa, his eyes narrowing as he took in her features. Suddenly, a look of profound, shocked recognition washed over the Chicago Don's weathered face.
"You..." Vincent whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "It... it can't be."
Alessandro looked from Vincent to Rosa, his brow furrowing. "Vincent? What are you talking about?"
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Vincent’s hands shook as he dropped the DNA report onto the desk. He stared at Rosa as if he were looking at a ghost.
"She isn't a maid, Alessandro," Vincent said, his voice hollow with disbelief. "That girl... she is the missing daughter of Gabriel Mendes."
