Chapter 2
The silence inside the grand study became so heavy that the only sound remaining was the soft crackle of the fireplace and the steady rain beating against the stained glass. Moretti remained entirely motionless, staring at the tiny, delicate hand resting on the dark leather armrest right beside his own scarred, tattooed knuckles. For ten years, men had approached him with fear, hatred, greed, or submission. No one had ever approached him with pure, unadulterated compassion. No one had looked past his terrifying reputation, his fitted black suits, and his ink-covered skin to see the broken man bleeding in the dark.
"Sophie..." Moretti’s raspy voice barely found its tone, stripped of its usual icy authority. "Who told you to come up here?"
"Nobody!" Sophie giggled softly, tapping her wooden star wand against the edge of his silver wristwatch. "I saw you from the garden earlier. You were standing by the window looking at the rain. Mommy said you were thinking about your brother, so I decided to bring you magic."
Moretti felt a sharp tightness in his chest. "Your mother shouldn't talk about things she doesn't understand."
"Mommy said your brother was very kind," Sophie continued innocently, her big blue eyes shining under the golden light of the candles. "She said he used to give her flowers from the garden when she worked in the kitchen."
Moretti’s dark eyes flickered. Luca had indeed loved the estate gardens. He used to bring fresh roses to the kitchen staff every Sunday morning. The memory, long buried beneath a decade of blood and vengeance, rushed back with staggering force.
Suddenly, Caesar, the enormous black Cane Corso resting beside the stone fireplace, abruptly raised his massive head.
The dog’s ears, usually lying flat, instantly pricked up in high alert. His dark, intelligent eyes locked intensely onto Sophie. Caesar slowly rose to his feet, his powerful, muscular body becoming completely tense. Glossy black fur rippled over his broad chest under the flickering candlelight, and his gold-studded leather collar gleamed as he turned fully toward the little girl. A low, vibrating hum resonated deep within his massive chest.
Moretti immediately noticed the unusual, drastic shift in his guard dog’s behavior. The emotional shock in his mind cleared in an instant, replaced by a surge of sharp alarm. Caesar was a trained war dog—extremely protective, aggressive toward strangers, and lethal on command. Even the household staff kept a safe distance from the massive beast.
"Frank! Joey!" Moretti called out sharply toward the doorway, his voice tightening as he prepared to step between the dog and the child. "Caesar, sit!"
For the first time in his life, Caesar completely ignored his master’s direct command.
The enormous black dog took a slow, deliberate step forward toward Sophie, staring at her with an extraordinarily intense expression. Frank and Joey rushed into the room, their hands flying to their sidearms, terrified that the beast might attack the cook's child. But instead of retreating or crying out, Sophie calmly lowered her wooden fairy wand and looked directly into the enormous dog's dark eyes with complete composure.
Moretti instantly rose from his dark leather armchair, his massive, muscular frame towering over the desk, his expression shifting from confusion to absolute shock as Caesar stopped directly in front of Sophie.
"Caesar... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Moretti demanded, his deep, startled voice echoing through the study, his dark eyes widening in breathless disbelief.
Caesar slowly raised his broad, blocky head toward Sophie’s tiny hand. He did not bare his teeth; he did not growl. Instead, the fearsome Cane Corso gently nudged his wet black nose against Sophie’s fingers, letting out a soft, affectionate whine. Sophie giggled with pure delight, dropping her star-tipped wand onto the Persian rug and burying her tiny hands into the thick, glossy fur around Caesar’s neck.
"Look, Mister! He’s a nice puppy!" Sophie cheered brightly, scratching behind the dog's ears. "He likes my fairy wings!"
Frank and Joey stood frozen near the doorway, their jaws practically slack.
"Boss..." Frank stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I've worked here seven years. I've never seen Caesar let anyone touch him like that. Not even us."
"Get out," Moretti ordered his guards, though his eyes never left the child and the dog.
"Sir?" Joey hesitated.
"I said get out and close the door," Moretti repeated, his tone dropping into a low, intense rumble. "And tell Maria I want her up here immediately."
"Yes, Mr. Moretti," Frank said, grabbing Joey by the collar and quickly retreating, closing the heavy oak doors tightly behind them.
Moretti slowly dropped to one knee on the Persian rug, bringing his broad, tattooed frame down to eye level with the five-year-old girl and the massive black dog. Caesar was leaning his massive weight against Sophie’s pale-yellow dress, his tail wagging with slow, heavy thuds against the floorboards.
"Sophie," Moretti said, his dark eyes burning with an intense, probing curiosity. "Caesar doesn't like strangers. He has never liked anyone since... since my brother died. Why is he acting like this with you?"
Sophie stopped scratching Caesar's ears and looked up at Moretti, her rosy cheeks dimpling with a sweet smile. "Because I smell like the magic silver box!"
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Moretti’s entire body went rigid. "What did you say?"
"The magic silver box in Mommy's closet," Sophie explained happily, twirling her fairy ribbons around Caesar's gold-studded collar. "I played with the pretty velvet ribbons inside it before I put my princess dress on. Caesar smelled my hands!"
