Chapter 2 - The House of Lions
The Marchetti estate was a sprawling, iron-gated fortress built on the cliffside overlooking the stormy lake. Double-tiered security gates opened smoothly as our motorcade pulled through the sweeping stone driveway, lined with armed men carrying tactical rifles.
I sat in the back of the spacious sedan, flanked by the three toddlers. The little girl—whom Damian had named Sophia—refused to leave my lap. The two boys, Leo and Mateo, sat on either side of me, each holding onto one of my thumbs with their tiny, warm hands. Whenever I tried to pull away, they whimpered, their identical hazel eyes looking up at me with terrified devotion.
"They've never done this," Damian said from the front passenger seat, watching us through the rearview mirror. "For fourteen months, they rejected every nanny I hired. They barely spoke. They cried until they threw up every night. My men thought the children were traumatized by Julian's death."
"They weren't traumatized by a stranger's death," I whispered, tears spilling onto Sophia's soft curls. "They were grieving for their mother. They remembered my voice."
The car stopped before a grand limestone mansion. Marcus opened my door, offering a hand, but I ignored him, gathering Sophia into my arms while keeping a tight grip on Leo and Mateo as we stepped out into the dry shelter of the grand portico.
A middle-aged woman in a crisp housekeeper's apron hurried down the front steps, her face pale with shock as she saw the toddlers clinging to a dripping-wet diner waitress.
"Mr. Marchetti!" she gasped. "The children... they aren't crying!"
"Clear the third-floor nursery, Mrs. Gable," Damian ordered smoothly, stripping off his wet coat and handing it to a guard. "Prepare the master suite adjoining mine for Miss Vance."
"Miss Vance?" Mrs. Gable blinked in confusion. "Sir, who is this woman?"
"She is the biological mother of the Marchetti heirs," Damian announced loudly enough for every guard in the grand foyer to hear. "And anyone who fails to show her the respect due to the lady of this house will answer directly to me."
A heavy, breathless silence fell over the foyer. The guards stood at rigid attention, their eyes wide as they processed his words.
Damian turned to me, his dark gray eyes locked onto mine. "Marcus has tracked Dr. Vance to Pier 4. My men are securing the yacht as we speak. I am going down there to bring him back here."
"I'm coming with you," I said immediately.
"No," Damian replied firmly. "You are wet, exhausted, and these children haven't let go of you since you touched them. Stay here. Get changed. Feed your children. I will bring the man who stole your life to your feet before sunrise."
May you like
He stepped closer, his thumb reaching out to gently brush a stray tear from my cheek. His touch was surprisingly warm for a man whose name made the entire city tremble.
"You are safe here, Elena," he whispered softly. "Nobody touches what belongs to Damian Marchetti."
