Chapter 4 - Echoes of the Past
The interior of the estate was luxurious yet sterile, built like a high-tech fortress designed to withstand a siege. Dante assigned us to the master wing—a expansive suite overlooking the snow-covered pine forest.
While Eli was entertained downstairs by Dante’s trusted housekeeper, Mrs. Gable—who wept tears of joy upon seeing the little boy who looked so much like Dante as a child—Dante and I stood in his private study.
"Your father passed away three years ago," I said, leaning against the edge of his polished mahogany desk.
"Yes," Dante replied, pouring two fingers of amber whiskey into a glass, though he didn't drink it. "Cancer got him before his enemies could. But his lie lived on. It poisoned everything I built. I thought I was alone in the world."
"You weren't alone," I said softly. "You had your empire."
"An empire of dirt," he said bitterly, setting the glass down with a heavy clatter. "What good is ruling the city when you come home to an empty house? Every Christmas, every birthday... I sat in that penthouse wondering why you left. If I had known about Eli..." He stopped, turning away to face the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"What would you have done, Dante?" I asked, stepping closer to him. "Brought a baby into this life? Look at what happened last night! Men with guns came to my home because of who you are. I gave Eli seven years of normal life. He made snowmen, he went to public school, he had birthdays without bodyguards standing at the door. Can you blame me for wanting that for him?"
Dante turned back to me, his eyes dark with a painful mixture of guilt and understanding. "No," he admitted quietly. "I can't blame you. You were a good mother, Nora. Better than this family deserved."
He took a step toward me, closing the distance between us until I could feel the heat radiating from his chest. Seven years of separation seemed to evaporate in the span of a single breath.
"I missed you," he confessed, his voice thick with emotion. "Every single day, Nora. Even when I hated you, I loved you."
My heart hammered against my ribs. "Dante..."
Before I could say more, the study door flew open. Marco, Dante’s second-in-command and most loyal lieutenant, burst into the room, his face pale and his breathing ragged.
"Boss, we have a problem," Marco said urgently. "Valenti isn't acting alone. He’s formed an alliance with your cousin, Leo. They know the boy is at the estate. Leo is claiming that an illegitimate heir threatens the family structure—he's rallying the old capos to call a commission vote to remove you."
Dante’s posture straightened instantly, the soft, vulnerable man disappearing behind the icy mask of the Don once more. "Leo thinks he can use my son as a political pawn?"
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"They're calling for a sit-down tonight at the Neutral Grounds downtown," Marco warned. "If you don't show up with the boy to prove his legitimacy, they’re going to declare open war on your territory."
Dante’s eyes flared with lethal intent. "They want a war? I’ll give them one."
