Chapter 6 - The Festival of the Amber HoundIn late September 2026, the grand ballroom of the St. Regis Manhattan was packed to absolute capacity for the inaugural Isabella Moretti Heritage & Wildlife Gala.
Over five hundred prominent business leaders, supreme court justices, federal prosecutors, and high-society matriarchs gathered beneath sparkling crystal chandeliers.
Standing at the main presentation podium, wearing a breathtaking floor-length dark emerald silk evening gown that celebrated my tall, radiant figure, was me.
Around my neck hung my late mother Isabella's vintage silver signet pendant, my dark hair falling in glossy waves over my shoulders, my hazel eyes burning with absolute, unshakeable victory, inner peace, and sovereign grace.
Beside the stage stood Bridget Colton, Marcus Vance, and sitting proudly on a red velvet cushion, wearing a silver silk collar, was Orion.
And standing on my right, wearing an magnificent dark bespoke charcoal tuxedo, his broad six-foot-three frame squared, his handsome face glowing with deep, quiet pride, was Dante Moretti.
Dante stepped up to the microphone beside me, wrapping his broad, warm arm securely around my waist, his deep baritone echoing cleanly through the high-fidelity speakers:
"Ten months ago, a ruthless lie tried to bury the rightful heir of the Moretti bloodline in the dark," Dante announced to the silent room, his gray eyes shining with genuine, unshakeable devotion as he looked down at me. "And on a winter night in a crowded restaurant, a brave woman reached down, touched a silent hound... and brought our entire world back to the light."
Dante held his champagne glass high under the glittering lights.
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"To truth, heritage, and unbroken family!"
"To Olivia and Orion!" the entire room erupted into a warm, unanimous standing ovation, five hundred crystal glasses clinking together under the open sky.
