Chapter 3 - The Shadows of the Manor
The Moretti Estate in Gold Coast, Long Island, was an imposing stone fortress built in the 1920s, surrounded by two hundred acres of manicured gardens, thick oak forests, and high security walls.
For the first two weeks, Emma settled into a comfortable routine. Her private suite on the second floor was grand yet cozy, connected directly to a bright, sunlit nursery. Downstairs, Gabriel had fulfilled his promise: a former greenhouse had been converted into a fully equipped woodworking workshop, stocked with fine chisels, cedar wood, and polish for her craft projects.
Every three hours, day and night, Emma fed Anthony and Lucia. Under her continuous skin-to-skin care and warm milk, the twins blossomed. Their skin turned soft and healthy, their weight increased rapidly, and their tiny, dark eyes began to track movement around the room.
Gabriel, despite his vast corporate responsibilities, spent every evening in the nursery.
He would strip off his suit jacket, roll up his sleeves, and sit quietly in a plush armchair, watching Emma rock his children to sleep. The initial coldness between them slowly dissolved, replaced by a quiet, unspoken warmth.
"You have a magic touch," Gabriel remarked one evening as he watched Emma gently massage Anthony’s tiny back to relieve his colic.
Emma smiled, her eyes fixed on the baby. "It's not magic, Gabriel. It's patience. Children feel everything. If you are calm, they feel safe."
Gabriel leaned his head back against the chair, closing his eyes. "I haven't felt safe in a very long time."
"Because of your business?" Emma asked softly.
"Because of the world I live in," Gabriel replied quietly. "In my world, weakness is fatal. When Isabella died, my enemies saw an opening. They think I am broken."
"Are you?" Emma asked, turning her brown eyes toward him.
Gabriel opened his eyes, looking directly at her. "I was. Until I watched you hold my children in that hospital room. You brought light back into a house that was drowning in darkness, Emma."
The intimacy of the moment hung heavy in the air. Emma’s heart fluttered, a sudden warmth blossoming in her chest that had nothing to do with her motherly instincts. She looked away, blushing slightly as she placed Anthony into his crib.
Late that night, around 2:00 AM, Emma woke up to a soft whimpering sound coming from the nursery monitor. She threw on a velvet robe and walked down the dimly lit hallway toward the nursery.
As she approached the door, she noticed it was ajar. A low, tense conversation was taking place inside.
Emma paused near the doorframe, staying in the shadows.
"I told you, Julian, the toxicology reports from St. Catherine’s are sealed," Gabriel’s voice growled quietly.
"I understand, Don Gabriel," Julian Vance’s smooth voice replied. "I am merely suggesting that we stop digging into Isabella’s tragic death. The doctors confirmed it was a rupture. Continuing to investigate the hospital staff only creates unrest among our lieutenants."
"My wife was healthy, Julian!" Gabriel hissed, his voice vibrating with suppressed rage. "Her blood pressure spiked unnaturally thirty minutes before delivery. The doctor who administered her IV line, Dr. Adler, vanished two days after she died. You tell me that's a coincidence?"
Inside the dark hallway, Emma’s breath caught in her throat. Dr. Adler. He was the same physician who had delivered her daughter Grace and declared her dead.
"We are tracking Dr. Adler," Julian assured smoothly. "In the meantime, you should focus on the twins... and on Miss Brooks. Are you certain it is wise to keep a stranger so close to the heirs of the Moretti family?"
"Emma is not a stranger," Gabriel stated fiercely. "She is the reason my children are breathing. Do not question her presence in this house again, Julian."
A moment later, footsteps approached the door. Emma quickly backed into a dark alcove as Julian Vance stepped out of the nursery.
May you like
As the advisor walked past under the hallway light, Emma caught a glimpse of his face. His expression was no longer that of a loyal corporate executive. It was cold, calculating, and laced with absolute malice.
Emma pressed her back against the cold wall, her heart pounding. Isabella’s death wasn't just a medical tragedy—it was a murder. And the man managing Gabriel’s empire was actively trying to cover it up.
