Chapter 5 - The First Strike
The war didn't wait for tomorrow. It arrived at 8:00 AM the next morning, wearing a cheap suit and carrying a clipboard.
I was in the kitchen of the East Wing, wearing a pair of silk sweatpants and a cashmere sweater I’d found in the closet—both ridiculously soft, both aggressively expensive. Emma was sitting on the marble island, happily eating a bowl of imported berries, completely oblivious to the fact that our lives had exploded.
The intercom on the wall buzzed. Rocco’s voice cracked through the speaker. "Boss. We have a problem at the front gate."
Alessandro, who had been sitting at the far end of the kitchen table reviewing documents on a laptop, didn't look up. "Define problem."
"NYPD. Two cruisers. And a woman from Child Protective Services."
My blood ran cold. The ceramic bowl slipped from my fingers, shattering against the marble counter. Berries rolled everywhere. Emma jumped, startled.
Alessandro’s head snapped up. His eyes locked onto my terrified face.
"Let them in," Alessandro commanded into the intercom. "Bring them to the main foyer. Keep the police out of the residential wings."
"What’s happening?" I choked out, grabbing Emma and pulling her off the counter, holding her tight against my chest. "CPS? Why is CPS here?"
Alessandro stood up, snapping his laptop shut. His face was a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. "Vanessa," he snarled. "She couldn't get a hitman past my gates, so she called the state. She’s trying to legally rip your daughter away from you."
Bile rose in my throat. "They can't do that. I haven't done anything wrong! She was sick, I brought her to work—"
"Maya, listen to me," Alessandro said, crossing the kitchen in three long strides. He gripped my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "Vanessa’s father owns half the judges in this city. If they claim you are exposing a child to a 'known criminal syndicate environment,' a corrupt judge will sign an emergency removal order before lunchtime. Emma will disappear into the foster system, and the Coles will make sure you never find her."
I couldn't breathe. The room was spinning. "No. No, no, no. I'll run. I'll take her through the back—"
"You won't make it two blocks," he said sharply, shaking me slightly to snap me out of the panic. "Look at me. I will not let them take her. Do you understand? But you need to follow my lead exactly. Whatever I say out there, you agree with. Whatever I do, you play along. Understood?"
"Yes," I sobbed, clutching Emma so tight she squeaked. "Yes, just don't let them take her."
"I would burn this city to the bedrock first," he vowed softly.
He took my hand. His grip was firm, anchoring me to reality, as he led me out of the East Wing and toward the grand foyer.
When we arrived, the scene was chaotic. Two nervous-looking beat cops were standing near the doors, aggressively shadowed by four of Rocco's heavily armed security men. In the center of the foyer stood a severe-looking woman with a tight bun and a clipboard.
"Mr. Moretti," the CPS worker said, her voice dripping with bureaucratic authority. "I am Agent Davis. I have an emergency order to investigate claims of child endangerment regarding one Maya Evans, an employee of this household."
"Ms. Evans is no longer an employee of this household," Alessandro said smoothly, letting go of my hand to stand slightly in front of me, shielding me and Emma from their view.
Agent Davis smiled smugly. "Fired her? Excellent. Then she has no resources to care for the minor. That makes this removal much simpler. Ms. Evans, I need you to hand over the child—"
"I didn't fire her," Alessandro interrupted, his voice dropping into that lethal, quiet tone that made grown men tremble. "She resigned her position. Because it is highly inappropriate for the future Mrs. Moretti to scrub her own floors."
The silence in the grand foyer was so profound you could hear a pin drop.
Agent Davis blinked, her smug smile collapsing. The two cops exchanged bewildered looks. I stood paralyzed behind Alessandro, my brain short-circuiting.
Future Mrs. Moretti?
May you like
Alessandro turned slightly, reaching out and pulling me to his side. He wrapped a heavy, protective arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his side. The warmth of his body seeped through the cashmere sweater.
"Maya and I have been quietly seeing each other for a year," Alessandro lied, his voice echoing with total conviction. "She broke off my sham of a corporate engagement yesterday. We are getting married. Emma is my soon-to-be stepdaughter. And she is currently residing in one of the most secure, well-funded estates in North America. So tell me, Agent Davis... exactly what kind of endangerment are you investigating?"
