Chapter 8 - THE ROMANO REVENGE
Though Julian Vance was ruined and the Romano family was politically broken, cornered animals are always the most dangerous.
Senior Don Romano, disgraced by the loss of his dock concessions and infuriated by his daughter’s canceled engagement, refused to accept defeat quietly. He knew he could not beat the Moretti family in an open war, but he could burn everything down on his way out.
Two days after the incident at the lake house, Aleandro returned to Manhattan to finalize the acquisition of the Romano shipping terminals. He left a heavy security detail at the estate, assuming Sophia and Emma were entirely secure.
However, Valentina Romano was not done.
Driven insane by jealousy, public humiliation, and the loss of her elevated social status, Valentina used her old access codes to enter the private back-channels of the Moretti catering service. She knew the exact routines of the estate staff.
Disguised as a delivery driver for a high-end organic farm, Valentina slipped past the outer gate security during a routine shift change. In her purse, she carried a small vial of highly concentrated toxic industrial solvent—a chemical that, if inhaled or ingested, could cause permanent harm. Her target wasn't Sophia. It was the food scheduled to be served to little Emma.
In the estate kitchen, Sophia was preparing lunch for Emma while the staff cleaned the dining hall.
Valentina crept through the service corridor, reaching the pantry where the fresh juice and ingredients were stored. With shaking hands, she pulled out the glass vial, uncapping it over a freshly squeezed pitcher of orange juice meant for the child.
"What are you doing?" a small, soft voice asked from behind her.
Valentina spun around, gasping.
Standing in the pantry doorway was Emma, holding her stuffed rabbit by its ear. The little girl looked at Valentina with big, wide, curious hazel eyes—completely devoid of hatred or malice.
"You're the gold dress lady," Emma said innocently, taking a small step forward. "Why are you crying?"
Valentina froze. Tears were indeed streaming down her face, ruining her expensive makeup. Her hand hovered over the juice pitcher, the vial trembling violently between her fingers.
"Stay back!" Valentina hissed, though her voice lacked conviction. "Don't look at me!"
"My mama says when people are mean, it’s because their heart hurts," Emma said softly. She reached into her little cotton pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled pink flower she had picked from the garden earlier that morning. She held it out to Valentina. "Here. For you."
Valentina stared at the tiny flower, then at the innocent face of the child she was about to poison.
The weight of her own cruelty suddenly hit her like a physical blow. The glamour, the vanity, the fake smiles of high society, the endless pressure from her father to be perfect—it all collapsed in the presence of a three-year-old child offering her a crumpled flower.
Valentina dropped the vial onto the tile floor. It shattered, the chemical fuming safely away from any food.
Valentina sank to her knees on the cold pantry floor, pulled her hands to her face, and wept hysterically.
Sophia rushed into the pantry a second later, having heard the glass break. She pulled Emma behind her, her eyes widening in horror as she recognized Valentina.
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"Call security!" Sophia shouted to the nearby staff.
"No... don't," Valentina sobbed from the floor, looking up with broken, bloodshot eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I’m insane... my father made me into a monster..."
