Chapter 1 - The twenty ninth day
The grand marble foyer of the Moretti mansion usually echoed only with the quiet, disciplined footsteps of security personnel. Today, the pristine silence was shattered. Bright afternoon sunlight streamed through the massive glass windows, illuminating the rich cream walls and catching the deep red of Vivienne’s fitted satin gown. Her fair skin was flushed with an unusual, frantic energy. She gripped little Lucy firmly by the upper arm, pulling the small girl toward the heavy front doors. Beside the entrance sat a large, hastily packed suitcase belonging to Maria. Lucy dug her small pink shoes into the polished floor, her pale rosy cheeks stained with fresh tears. Her long, curly blonde hair, neatly tied with a pale-pink ribbon, bounced as she struggled backward.
Maria rushed forward, her chestnut-brown hair slipping from its loose bun. Her fair face was pale with sudden panic, her modest cream blouse wrinkling as she reached out. "Please, Miss Vivienne, you can't just throw us out. I don't even know what I did wrong. We have nowhere to go."
Vivienne did not look at her. Her calculating blue eyes were fixed on the front door. "You are leaving, Maria. Your time here is done. The driver is waiting outside."
Lucy began to cry louder, her small fingers clutching a worn stuffed rabbit against her soft pink embroidered dress. She was terrified of the elegant woman dragging her. Just as Vivienne reached for the brass handle of the door, a heavy, commanding silence fell over the room. The air itself seemed to drop in temperature.
Nicholas descended the grand staircase. He wore a perfectly tailored black three-piece suit, his crisp white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the faint, subtle ink of tattoos beneath. His thick dark-brown hair was swept back perfectly above his intense gray eyes. He did not say a word, but his mere presence froze everyone in the room.
Vivienne released Lucy instantly, her polished composure snapping back into place as she stepped away from the child. But the damage was done.
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Lucy did not run to her mother. Instead, she bolted straight toward the staircase. Her tiny feet hurried across the marble until she crashed into Nicholas’s legs, throwing her small arms around his knee. She looked up at the towering, intimidating mafia boss with large, innocent blue eyes.
"The pretty lady grabbed me," Lucy whispered, her voice trembling.
