Chapter 2 - The Five Minute Hug
The grand hallway fell into a suffocating silence. Staff members stopped wiping banisters, holding their breath in terror. Nobody ever stepped directly into Dominic Valenti's path.
Dominic stared down at the small child. His intense dark eyes narrowed slightly, unaccustomed to seeing something so tiny and fragile in his fortress.
Instead of retreating, Sophie took three small steps forward, her yellow boots clicking against the polished marble. She stopped right in front of his polished leather shoes, looked up into his rugged, bearded face, and raised both of her small arms straight into the air.
Marco exchanged a stunned, incredulous look with the two guards behind him.
"Can you hug me for five minutes?" Sophie asked. Her voice was clear, innocent, and echoed softly against the high arched ceilings.
Dominic remained motionless. His broad shoulders remained tense, his jaw tightly set. He was a man who handled multi-million-dollar deals and lethal turf wars without flinching, yet he stood completely caught off guard by a toddler.
"Why do you want me to hug you?" Dominic asked. His voice was a low, gravelly baritone that usually made grown men tremble, but Sophie didn't even flinch.
She squeezed Mr. Buttons tighter against her chest, looking up at him with an earnest, thoughtful expression.
"I’ve never had a papa hug before," Sophie said softly. She leaned her head back slightly, studying the subtle lines around his eyes and the guarded sorrow he kept buried behind his intimidating exterior. "And you look like you need one too."
A quiet gasp rippled through the staff hiding in the alcoves.
Dominic felt a sudden, sharp tightness in his chest. For forty-one years, people had looked at him with fear, greed, or submission. Nobody had ever looked at him and seen a man who was lonely.
Marco took a step forward, preparing to gently guide the child away. "Boss, let me get the housekeeping manager—"
Dominic raised one large, tattooed hand, stopping Marco instantly without turning his head.
Then, Chicago's most feared Mafia Boss slowly lowered his towering frame, dropping down onto one knee in the middle of the marble hallway.
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Sophie didn't hesitate for a single second. She stepped straight into his broad chest, wrapped her tiny arms tightly around his neck, and buried her face into the collar of his black dress shirt.
Dominic held his breath for one second. Then, slowly, almost reverently, he wrapped his massive, tattooed arms around her fragile frame, resting his hand gently against her back.
