The silence in the marble corridor was absolute, so dense that the quiet dripping of blood onto the polished stone sounded like rainfall.

Three months passed.

The damaged facade of the Marchetti estate had been completely restored, grander and more magnificent than before. The shattered glass had been replaced with reinforced crystal, the marble steps scrubbed white, and the grand gardens filled with blooming white roses.

Inside the estate, everything had changed.

Adeline no longer wore the simple gray cotton uniform of a domestic servant. She wore tailored silk dresses, gold jewelry, and moved through the vast corridors with the grace and confidence of a queen.

Enzo had personally hired tutors, financial advisors, and private security instructors for her, ensuring she was trained to navigate both high-society galas and the dangerous underbelly of Chicago’s political machine.

She wasn't just his lover; she was becoming his partner.

One warm afternoon, Adeline sat in the grand conservatory, studying a stack of financial ledgers belonging to the newly acquired Ashford shipping ports.

"You're working too hard, little bird," a deep voice purred behind her.

Enzo walked into the sunlit room, wearing a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He slid his broad arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, kissing the soft skin of her neck.

Adeline leaned back against his chest, smiling as she closed the ledger. "Your accountants were mismanaging the shipping tariffs at Port 4. I found a three-hundred-thousand-dollar leak in the quarterly report."

Enzo raised an eyebrow, impressed. "A three-hundred-thousand-dollar leak? My CFO didn't even notice that."

"Your CFO is lazy," Adeline replied smoothly, turning in his arms to look at him. "He thought because I used to wipe down his coffee table, I wouldn't understand double-entry bookkeeping."

Enzo laughed, pulling her up from the chair and seating her on his lap as he sat on the plush velvet sofa. "I should fire him and make you Chief Financial Officer."

"I might accept," she teased, playing with the top button of his shirt. "On one condition."

"Name it. Anything in this city is yours."

"I want Mrs. Gable appointed as Head Administrator of the Marchetti Charitable Foundation," Adeline said seriously. "She's getting too old to manage the domestic staff, and her grandson has fully recovered from his surgery. She deserves a comfortable, dignified role."

Enzo looked into her warm brown eyes, feeling a surge of pride so powerful it made his chest swell. While other women in his past—like Camilla—had used power to crush those beneath them, Adeline used her elevated position to uplift the vulnerable and protect the weak.

"It is done," Enzo murmured, leaning down to press a soft kiss against her forehead. "Consider Mrs. Gable appointed as of today."

Suddenly, Dante knocked on the glass door of the conservatory, holding a silver tray with a wax-sealed black envelope.

"Boss," Dante said respectfully, stepping inside. "An urgent summons from the New York Commission."

Enzo’s posture went rigid. He took the envelope, broke the black wax seal, and read the letter inside.

"What is it?" Adeline asked, noticing the sudden shift in his demeanor.

Enzo looked up from the letter, his grey eyes darkening. "Don Carmine has called a full summit of the Five Families in New York next weekend. They want to officially ratify the transfer of the Ashford territories."