Chapter 3 - The Snakes in the Parlor
Dominic’s posture instantly shifted from quiet father to lethal syndicate boss. He turned slowly, stepping between the woman and me.
"Ginevra," Dominic said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy tone. "I told you to stay at the downtown residence."
Ginevra Moretti—Dominic’s younger sister and the chief financial organizer of the Moretti family operations—marched further into the room, her high heels clicking loudly against the hardwood floor.
"I came the moment Marco told me you brought a common waitress into this house!" Ginevra hissed, pointing a manicured nail at me. "Julianna hasn't even been in the ground for four days, and you're letting a stranger handle the heir to our family's assets?!"
"Lower your voice," I said firmly, stepping forward despite the terror fluttering in my stomach. "You are disturbing the infant."
Ginevra glared at me as if I were a cockroach. "How dare you speak to me, girl! Do you have any idea who I am?!"
"I don't care if you're the Queen of England," I fired back, leaning over the crib to shield Mateo, who had stirred at the sound of her screeching. "This room is a medical care environment. If you cannot speak in a low tone, you will step outside."
Ginevra looked at Dominic, expecting him to order my immediate execution.
Instead, Dominic looked at his sister with cold indifference.
"You heard the nurse, Ginevra. Get out."
Ginevra’s mouth dropped open in absolute disbelief. "Dominic! Are you insane?! You're taking the side of a tavern worker over your own sister?!"
"She kept my son alive tonight while you were busy trying to claim Julianna’s estate shares," Dominic said, his words landing like heavy blows. "If you step into this nursery again without Hannah’s permission, I will have Marco escort you off the property permanently."
Ginevra’s eyes burned with pure malice as she looked at me. "This isn't over," she whispered venomously before turning on her heel and sweeping out of the room, her guards trailing behind her.
I let out a long breath, resting my hand against the crib railing.
"She’s dangerous, isn't she?" I asked softly.
"Ginevra believes that without Julianna, Mateo’s share of the family trust should revert to her control," Dominic explained coldly. "In my world, family isn't always blood, Hannah. It's loyalty."
He stepped up beside me, looking down at Mateo, who was sleeping peacefully.
"You showed more loyalty to this child in ten minutes than my sister has in his entire life," Dominic said. "Tomorrow, the family board is convening at the estate for Julianna’s formal memorial reading. There will be enemies in this house. Dangerous men."
He reached into his jacket, pulled out a small, sleek platinum panic button on a chain, and placed it in my hand.
"Keep this with you at all times," Dominic instructed. "If anyone—and I mean anyone—approaches you or Mateo without my presence, press it. My personal strike team will be in this room within ten seconds."
May you like
I closed my hand around the cool metal, looking up into Dominic’s dark, intense eyes.
I had entered a world of wolves, blood, and power struggles. But as I looked at the powerful man standing beside me, protecting his son with everything he had, I realized I wasn't just a nurse anymore. I was the shield standing between an innocent child and the monsters waiting in the dark.
