Chapter 6
Vincent looked at the tiny gold coin sitting in the palm of the three-year-old girl. A faint, genuine smile appeared on his rugged face—a rare sight that Clara had never seen in her five years of working in the mansion.
"What is your third wish, Ellie?" Vincent asked gently.
Ellie looked at her mother, then back at Vincent's warm, dark eyes. "I wish for Mommy to never have to say sorry again. And I want you to be my daddy."
Clara gasped softly, her cheeks flushing a bright, rosy pink. "Ellie, sweetie, no—"
Vincent held up a hand, chuckling softly as he took the tiny coin from Ellie's hand and placed it carefully into his vest pocket. "I can promise you the first part, little one. Your mommy will never have to say sorry to anyone in this house ever again."
Before Ellie could respond, the emergency red alarm lights inside the estate suddenly began to flash silently along the crown molding of the ceiling.
The mansion’s private power grid flickered and died, plunging the room into pitch blackness, lit only by the pale moonlight streaming through the terrace windows.
Vincent was on his feet in a fraction of a second. He drew a sleek black sidearm from his shoulder holster, stepping smoothly between the bed and the balcony door.
"Stay down," Vincent commanded flatly, his voice instantly shifting back to the commanding leader of the Moretti family.
Clara scrambled onto the bed, pulling Ellie tightly against her chest and covering her daughter’s ears.
Outside the terrace glass, dark figures in tactical gear moved quickly across the upper balcony. Dante’s loyal faction inside the estate guards had initiated a break-out attempt, turning off the perimeter power to secure Dante's escape before the syndicate elders arrived.
The glass terrace door shattered inward as three men pushed through the curtains.
"Vincent! Drop the weapon!" one of the men barked, raising a rifle.
Vincent didn't flinch. Moving with terrifying precision and speed, he sidestepped the rifle barrel, grabbing the man's arm and disarming him in a fluid motion. With two powerful strikes of his broad hand, Vincent knocked the intruder unconscious onto the floor.
The second man lunged, but Vincent swept his legs out, slamming him into the marble doorway.
Within ten seconds, all three intruders were neutralized on the terrace floor. No blood was spilled, but the message was absolute: Vincent Moretti was untouchable in his own home.
May you like
Dante stepped out from the shadows of the corridor, holding an iron master keycard he had taken from a bribed guard. He froze, staring at his older brother standing amidst the fallen men.
"It's over, Dante," Vincent said, walking slowly toward his brother.
