Chapter 6 - the housekeeper's secret
Roman descended the grand marble staircase into the mansion’s lower level. The vault was a reinforced panic room built deep beneath the wine cellar.
He slid his thumb across the biometric scanner, and the heavy steel door hummed open.
Inside, Grace was sitting on a plush sofa, holding baby Lily in her arms while Mia sat beside her, hugging a small stuffed bear. Grace looked up, her soft brown eyes wide with anxiety as Roman walked into the room.
"Mr. Duca! Is it over? Are we safe?" Grace asked frantically, standing up.
Roman stopped ten feet away from her, his navy suit jacket unbuttoned, his face an unreadable mask of cold authority.
"Your father was Anthony Moretti," Roman said flatly.
Grace froze. The color drained completely from her face. She pulled her children closer, her lip trembling as tears welled in her compassionate eyes.
"You knew who I was," Roman continued, taking a slow step toward her. "Five years ago, you applied for the housekeeping position under a fake surname. You brought your children into my home under false pretenses."
"It's not what you think, Roman!" Grace cried out, using his first name for the first time in five years. "Please, just hear me out!"
"Why shouldn't I hand you over to Dante right now?" Roman asked, his voice low and dangerous.
"Because my father tried to kill me too!" Grace sobbed, tears spilling down her rosy cheeks. "Anthony Moretti disowned me the day I refused to marry his syndicate partner! When I got pregnant with Mia, my father sent his men to eliminate me so I wouldn't tarnish his reputation!"
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Mia whimpered, burying her face into her mother's dress.
"I came to Boston because this mansion was the only place on the East Coast my father’s men were afraid to enter," Grace whispered, looking into Roman's dark eyes with complete honesty. "I worked for you to hide my daughters. I never spied on you! I swear on my children's lives, I never betrayed you!"
