Chapter 10 - Dawn at Moretti Manor
The sun rose over Lake Michigan like a sphere of molten gold, piercing the morning mist and casting brilliant shafts of light across the limestone terraces of Moretti Manor.
Down at the main perimeter, the heavy wrought-iron gates were unlocked and swung wide open, welcoming the morning delivery vans. But the guards who stood watch were no longer the casual sentries of yesterday; they were veteran soldiers who saluted smartly as the household staff moved about their duties.
I stood on the glass-enclosed terrace overlooking the rose gardens, wearing a soft grey cashmere sweater and dark trousers that Sofia had insisted her personal tailor bring for me at sunrise. The maid’s uniform was gone, discarded forever.
In my hand, I held a secure tablet displaying the morning reports for the estate: staff rosters, kitchen orders, security logs. As the new director of the household, the running of this fortress was now my responsibility.
Behind me, the glass door slid open with a soft hiss.
Luca stepped onto the terrace. He had changed into a clean charcoal shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, without a tie or jacket. In his hand, he held two porcelain cups of dark espresso.
He extended one toward me. "Black. Two sugars. Sofia told me that’s how you drink it."
I took the cup, our fingers brushing briefly. A warm tingle traveled up my arm. "Thank you. How is she this morning?"
"Sleeping peacefully," Luca said, leaning his broad forearms against the stone balustrade and looking out over the glittering lake. "For the first time in three months, she didn't wake up reaching for her chest. The doctor came at six. He said her vocal cords are showing signs of recovery. With speech therapy... she might speak full sentences by spring."
"She’s strong," I said softly, sipping the rich coffee. "Stronger than anyone gave her credit for."
"She had to be," Luca replied, turning his dark gaze toward me. "My father was a ruthless man, Claire. He conquered this city with blood. But my mother was the one who kept it from crumbling. She taught me everything about honor, about loyalty. When I thought I had lost her mind... I lost my anchor."
He paused, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that made my breath hitch.
"I almost married a monster because I was too broken to see the truth," he whispered. "You saved my mother's life. But you saved my soul, too."
"I just did what was right," I murmured, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "My father taught me that if you have a voice—even a silent one—you have an obligation to speak for those who don't."
Luca smiled—a genuine, breathtaking smile that transformed his stern, dangerous face into something magnificent. He reached out and gently tucked a stray curl of brown hair behind my ear. His touch lingered against the curve of my neck, his thumb brushing lightly across my jawline.
"Your father raised an exceptional woman," Luca said, his voice dropping into a low, intimate register. "And I don't let exceptional things slip away from me twice."
Down in the courtyard below, a black town car pulled up to the main steps. Silvio stepped out, looking up at the terrace and nodding respectfully to his Don.
"The hospital called," Luca said, his hand slowly falling from my cheek to take mine in a firm, warm clasp. "Lily is out of surgery. Everything went perfectly. She’s awake and asking for her big sister."
Tears of pure joy blurred the horizon. "Can I go see her?"
Luca turned, pulling me gently toward the terrace doors. "I have the helicopter waiting on the south lawn. We're going together."
As we walked back through the grand limestone corridors of Moretti Manor, past the portraits of past Dons and the gilded mirrors of an empire reborn, Donna Sofia sat by the conservatory window, her silver hair catching the morning sun.
She watched her son walk hand-in-hand with the girl who had heard her silent screams in the dark.
May you like
And as we passed, Sofia raised her left hand to the glass and signed a single, beautiful word that echoed through the stone halls louder than any shout:
*H-O-M-E.*
