Chapter 4 - The Vow in the Nursery
Before mobilizing his men, Julian led Clara up the grand staircase to the heavily guarded west wing. Two massive enforcers stepped aside as Julian pushed open the double doors to the nursery.
Clara’s breath caught in her throat. The room was beautiful, filled with expensive toys and hand-painted murals, but it felt like a hospital ward. Two pale, fragile five-year-old boys lay in matching medical beds, hooked up to IV drips and heart monitors. They were sleeping, their breathing shallow and labored.
Julian stood at the foot of their beds, the terrifying mafia boss suddenly looking entirely human, and entirely broken.
“Their mother died giving birth to them,” Julian whispered, his voice thick with uncharacteristic emotion. “They are the only light in my dark world. I have done terrible things to protect this empire for them. To watch them fade away... it is a hell I cannot describe.”
Clara walked forward, gently brushing a stray curl from Leo’s forehead. Her maternal instincts overwhelmed her fear of the man standing beside her. “They are beautiful. And they are going to live.”
Julian watched the tenderness in Clara’s hands. He had expected her to be a hysterical, grieving mess. Instead, he saw a warrior whose strength rivaled his own.
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“Arthur Vance will escort you to a secure suite,” Julian ordered softly. “You will not lift another cleaning rag in this house. You are under my absolute protection. Tomorrow, we hunt.”
As Clara left the room, she didn't realize that Vance had been standing in the shadows of the hallway, listening to every word. And Vance’s loyalty did not belong to the Moretti family anymore.
