Chapter 13
"Lock him in," Vincent ordered Marco quietly, turning on his heel and walking out of the cellar without another word. His chest heaved with a mixture of suffocating rage and a sudden, terrifying flicker of hope that threatened to unhinge his iron discipline.
Above ground, the morning sun was just beginning to break over the estate’s rolling gardens, casting long golden light through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the primary wing. Clara was in the private dining kitchen, nervously trying to tie her maid’s apron over her simple black dress. Her hands were still trembling, her nerves shattered by the events of the previous night.
"Take that off," a deep voice commanded from the doorway.
Clara turned around quickly, clutching her hands to her apron. "Mr. Moretti... I'm sorry, I was just trying to prepare the morning tea—"
"I said take it off, Clara," Vincent repeated, stepping into the warm light of the kitchen. He walked over to her and gently reached out, untying the apron strings himself and tossing the white cloth onto the marble island. "You are no longer a maid in this house. You and Ellie are guests under my personal protection. You will not clean another plate, nor will you bow your head to anyone under this roof."
Clara stared at him, tears welling in her eyes. "Mr. Moretti, I don't know how to thank you... if you hadn't believed Ellie last night—"
"Ellie saved us both," Vincent said softly. He looked over at the dining alcove, where the little girl was happily munching on a strawberry pancake, her one-eyed teddy bear seated neatly in a chair beside her. "Your daughter possessed the courage that grown men in my organization lacked. She saw the truth when everyone else looked away."
Vincent walked over to Ellie's table and pulled out a chair, sitting down beside the toddler. He retrieved the third gold coin from his jacket pocket—the coin Ellie had left on the dining table the night before.
"You have one wish left, little one," Vincent murmured, holding out the gleaming coin in his palm. "Whatever you want in this world. A new home, toys, anything."
May you like
Ellie stopped chewing her pancake and looked at the gold coin, then at Vincent’s tired, scarred face. She reached out her small hand, pushed the coin back toward Vincent’s chest, and closed his large fingers over it.
"I want Mommy to smile when she wakes up," Ellie said softly, her blue eyes bright with innocent seriousness. "And I want you to find your little girl, big man."
