Chapter 2 - The Gilded Cage
I was forcefully escorted by two massive guards into the private, restricted wing of Palazzo Rossi.
It was a veritable fortress constructed of imported black marble, reinforced bulletproof glass, and heavy oak doors that locked from the outside.
Lily clung to my neck with all her might, her little body trembling violently against my chest as she buried her face in my shoulder.
“Mama, are we in trouble?” she whispered, her innocent voice cracking with a fear no four-year-old should ever have to experience.
I pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, trying desperately to mask my own paralyzing terror for her sake.
“No, my sweet baby, we are just staying in a brand new room for a little while,” I lied softly, stroking her hair to soothe her racing heart.
A few moments later, the heavy door swung open, and Lorenzo entered the opulent room, casually dismissing his elite guards with a mere flick of his wrist.
He carried the knitted elephant in his large, scarred hands, staring at the hidden crimson crest with a mixture of absolute disgust and deep contemplation.
“Tell me absolutely everything you know about your husband, Elena,” he demanded softly, taking a seat on the edge of a velvet armchair opposite the sofa where I sat.
“He was just a mechanic,” I replied, my voice shaking uncontrollably as I recalled the man I had mourned for three agonizing years.
“He worked long hours at the auto shop downtown, and he died in a tragic car accident on his way home in the pouring rain.”
Lorenzo stepped closer, the intoxicating scent of expensive cedar cologne and raw gunpowder wrapping around me, making my head spin.
“He wasn't just a mechanic, Elena, and his death was definitely not a simple accident.”
“This crest you see here belongs to the Moretti faction, a vicious rival syndicate that has been trying to see me dead for the last decade.”
“If your husband was somehow tied to them, you are in grave danger, and this toy was meant to be a message directly to me.”
My mind raced, trying to connect the loving husband I knew with the violent underworld Lorenzo was describing.
“Arthur couldn't possibly be involved with the mafia,” I argued, though the absolute conviction in Lorenzo's dark eyes made me doubt my own memories.
He leaned down, placing a large, warm hand gently on my shaking shoulder.
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“People wear masks, Elena, especially to protect the ones they love.”
“But right now, the only thing that matters is keeping you and your daughter alive long enough to uncover the truth.”
