Chapter 3 - The Raven Ring
Alessandro paused just inside the threshold, letting the door click shut with a heavy, magnetic seal. His cold eyes swept across his eight-year-old son, cataloging every breath, every heartbeat, until he was certain not a scratch marked the boy’s skin. Then, those dark, terrifying eyes shifted toward Sophia and the trembling toddler curled in her lap.
"Say that again," Alessandro’s voice was barely a whisper, yet it possessed a low vibration that made the heavy glass windows shudder. He approached slowly, stepping across the Persian rug until he knelt down on one knee in front of Lily. The action alone was staggering; the undisputed head of the Moretti syndicate did not kneel before anyone, let alone a maid’s daughter.
Lily clung tighter to Sophia’s uniform, burying her face into her mother’s chest before peeking out with one wide hazel eye. "A bird," she whimpered softly. "A shiny black bird with yellow eyes on his finger. He took white sugar from the box and put it on Ethan’s cherry."
Alessandro’s jaw hardened, the muscle ticking beneath his sharp, stubbled jawline. A silver signet ring engraved with a diving raven. A raven with inlaid amber eyes.
There was only one man in the entire continental organization who wore that ring. A man who had stood beside Alessandro for fifteen years, pledged an oath over burning saints, and carried the title of underboss.
Julian Vance.
Sophia’s voice shook as she clutched her daughter tighter. "Mr. Moretti... Lily didn't mean any harm. She was just playing in the hall earlier. Please, whatever happened downstairs, we didn't see anything else. Don't punish her—"
"Punish her?" Alessandro looked up, his gaze locking onto Sophia’s pale face. For the first time since she had been hired to tend the north wing suites, Sophia saw something human flash across his ruthless features: raw, incandescent debt. "Your daughter saved my only heir’s life, Sophia. If she hadn't kicked that plate, Ethan would be lying on the coroner’s slab right now."
Ethan stood up from the ottoman, his small hands clenching into tight fists at his sides. "Father, Uncle Julian stood next to me right before the candles were lit. He handed me the silver fork."
"I know," Alessandro said quietly, rising to his full six-foot-three height. The air in the room grew suffocatingly thin. "Stay here. Nobody leaves this room. Marco has two snipers watching the terrace and six men outside this door."
He reached into his tailored suit jacket, pulled out a small, sleek black panic button, and pressed it into Sophia’s trembling palm. His rough fingers brushed hers, sending an unexpected spark through her spine.
"If the door opens and it is not me or Marco," Alessandro commanded, holding Sophia’s gaze, "press this. The steel blast shutters will seal this room in four seconds flat. Do not hesitate."
Sophia swallowed hard, nodding. "Yes, Mr. Moretti."
Alessandro turned toward Ethan. "Watch them, son."
"With my life," the boy answered solemnly.
May you like
With a final glance at the toddler, Alessandro stepped out into the corridor, his face transforming into a mask of pure, murderous calm. Downstairs, seventy guests were waiting, completely unaware that a butcher had just taken up his knife.
***
