Chapter 10 - THE CRADLE IN THE MANSION
The fire crackled softly in the massive stone hearth of the study, casting a warm, golden glow over the Persian rugs.
The storm outside had finally cleared, leaving the Chicago night crisp, quiet, and blindingly white under a blanket of fresh snow.
Emily sat in the leather armchair by the fire, holding a steaming mug of chamomile tea between her hands. Her breathing was steady, her color had returned, and the terror of the past twenty-four hours had melted away into a profound, bone-deep peace.
Luca walked over from the desk, holding a small, old-fashioned silver frame. He knelt down beside his daughter’s chair, just as he had done earlier in the nursery.
"What’s that?" Emily asked softly, offering a faint, tired smile.
"Your mother’s favorite picture," Luca said, handing it to her.
It was a photograph of Emily’s mother, smiling brightly on the porch of the Maple Street house, holding a baby blanket.
Emily traced the edge of the silver frame with her thumb. "Are we going to keep the house?"
"It’s yours," Luca said firmly. "We’ll renovate the nursery there, too, if you want. Or you can stay here with me. There’s plenty of room in this old fortress now that all the unwanted guests are gone."
Emily let out a watery laugh, setting the frame down on the side table. She reached out and grabbed her father’s hand, lacing her fingers through his rough, calloused ones.
"I think... I think Michael and I would like to live on Maple Street for a while," she said gently. "Mom’s house is where I belong. But..." She hesitated, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "You’re going to be a very present grandfather. Right?"
A genuine, warm smile—the kind I had rarely seen in the year I’d worked in this house—spread across Luca Moretti’s face.
"Try stopping me," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his daughter’s head. "I’m going to be at every doctor appointment, every ultrasound, and every birthday. And if that high school history teacher doesn't treat you like royalty, he’ll find himself transferred to a school in Alaska by tomorrow morning."
Emily laughed out loud, leaning her head against her father’s shoulder.
I stood quietly near the doorway, holding my clipboard, ready to excuse myself and head back to the servants' quarters.
"Claire," Luca’s voice cut through the warm air.
I stopped, turning back to face him. "Yes, Mr. Moretti?"
Luca stood up, walking over to his desk. He picked up a heavy, embossed envelope and handed it to me.
I opened it hesitantly. Inside was a check with a number so large I had to blink three times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating—enough to pay off my mother’s property taxes for the next ten years, with plenty left over for my own future.
"Consider this a very minor bonus for saving my family," Luca said, his gray eyes steady and sincere. "And effective immediately, you are no longer head housekeeper."
My heart dropped into my stomach. "Sir?"
"You’re my new Chief of Staff," Luca said, a faint smirk touching his lips. "Because quite frankly, Claire, you’re the only person in this city with more backbone than me."
May you like
Emily beamed at me from the armchair, raising her mug in a silent toast.
I looked down at the envelope in my hands, then up at the syndicate boss and his daughter, safe and reunited under one roof at last. The storm outside was gone, the wolves had been driven into the dark, and for the first time in a very long year, the Moretti mansion finally felt like a home.
