Chapter 4 - The Secrets of Lake Forest
The private study of the Valenti estate was an imposing room lined with dark mahogany bookshelves, heavy leather armchairs, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the misty estate gardens.
Dominic sat behind his massive carved desk, his black shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing the intricate tattoos covering his forearms. On the desk in front of him sat Mr. Buttons, resting beside a glass of untouched bourbon.
Sitting in the large leather armchair across from him was Claire. She held Sophie tightly in her lap, her arms wrapped around her daughter like a shield. Sophie had her thumb in her mouth, her large brown eyes looking curiously around the massive room.
Marco stood by the heavy oak doors, his sharp eyes watching Claire's every movement with fierce suspicion.
Dominic reached out with two fingers, gently touching the silver pendant hanging from Sophie's neck. "Where did you get this, Claire?"
Claire swallowed hard, her chest heaving under her modest housekeeping uniform. "I... I bought it at a vintage flea market in downtown Chicago four years ago, Mr. Valenti. It's just a cheap silver trinket."
Dominic didn't raise his voice. Instead, he lifted his left hand, setting his gold signet ring on the polished mahogany desk directly beside the silver pendant.
The crests matched down to the microscopic flaw in the wolf's crown.
"This crest belongs exclusively to the Valenti family, Claire," Dominic said softly, his intense dark eyes locking onto hers. "It isn't sold in flea markets. Four years ago, only three such pendants existed in the world. One was worn by my late father, one is on my hand, and the third was given to a woman who saved my life in an alley during a winter blizzard in River North."
Claire’s breath hitched in her throat. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
"A woman named Claire," Dominic whispered, his voice thick with a sudden, overwhelming emotion he hadn't felt in four long years. "A woman who disappeared from the hospital the next morning without leaving a last name."
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Dominic stood up slowly, his tall frame towering over the desk. He walked around the mahogany furniture and stopped right in front of her chair.
"Why did you run away from me four years ago, Claire?" Dominic asked softly. "And why is my daughter wearing my family's crest?"
