Chapter 1 - The Ghost in the Walnut RoomThe amber light of the walnut conference table cast long, jagged shadows against the cream walls of the Moretti estate.
Yet, all tactical strategy vanished the moment the heavy oak doors drifted open an inch too far.
A small pair of patent-leather shoes stepped onto the Persian rug.
Lorenzo’s gaze dropped from Carmine Falcone’s frozen expression down to the small intruder. The child stood barely three feet tall, her dark curls tumbling in disarray around a face dominated by large, exhausted brown eyes. She clutched a battered velvet fox with a bent ear against her chest. Ignoring the elite security detail, the armed enforcers, and the terrifying aura of the city's most feared mafia syndicate, she walked straight toward the head of the table.
When she reached Lorenzo’s knee and asked to sleep on him, the sheer absurdity of the moment froze the room. Lorenzo, a man who loathed surprises and had banned all children from his properties after Matteo's funeral, found himself kneeling on the floor.
Her small arms reached up. He lifted her.
As her head settled against his collarbone, the scent of lavender baby soap cut through the heavy smell of expensive cigars and scotch. Within seconds, her breathing deepened. But it was her parting whisper that shattered the room's foundation.
“Renzo.”
Across the room, Uncle Vittorio’s glass slipped from his fingers, shattering against the marble hearth with a sharp crack that made two enforcers reach for their shoulder holsters.
"Who let her in?" Lorenzo’s voice was a low, lethal purr that vibrated through the child's small back.
Sal Bruno stepped forward, his face pale. "The service quarters on the third floor, Boss. Her mother... Elena. She’s the new night maid who started Monday."
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Lorenzo didn't look away from his uncle. Vittorio’s face had lost all color, his aged hands trembling slightly as he stared at the little girl sleeping peacefully against the chest of a man who ruled by fear.
"Get her mother," Lorenzo ordered softly, tightening his grip on the child. "And bring her to my study. Now."
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