Chapter 2 - The Morning After
The following morning, the Rossi estate felt different. The oppressive silence had fractured.
Julian sat in his home office, nursing a black coffee. He was supposed to be in Manhattan, negotiating a hostile takeover of the shipping docks. Instead, he was reviewing security footage from the backyard, watching Clara Hayes fall into the mud on a loop. There was something magnetic about her. She wasn't terrified of him, and that made her the most dangerous person in the house.
A knock interrupted his thoughts. His underboss, Marcus, stepped in, looking grim. “Boss. The Moretti syndicate. They intercepted our shipment in Brooklyn last night. They left a message.”
Julian’s eyes turned cold. “What message?”
Marcus placed a velvet box on the granite desk. Inside was a single, black chess piece—a knight, severed in half. “They know you’re distracted. They know about the boys being home.”
Julian closed the box, his knuckles turning white. His world was bleeding into his sanctuary. “Double the perimeter guards. No one enters or leaves without my authorization.”
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Just then, Clara walked past the open office door, balancing Reid on her hip while Roman and Rocco chased her, giggling wildly. Julian watched the way the morning light caught her honey-blonde hair. If Moretti wanted a war, he would get one. But the violence would stay outside these gates.
“Also,” Marcus murmured, noting Julian’s gaze. “I ran a deeper background check on the nanny, like you asked. There’s something you need to see.”
