Chapter 2 - The Declaration
Before Emma could respond, heavy vehicles rumbled down the long cobblestone driveway outside. The five dons had arrived.
Damiano stood up, his jaw set in stone. He turned to me, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart leap in my chest. For two years, I had worked as a humble housekeeper in his grand estate, quietly keeping my head down, raising my fatherless daughter, and pretending I didn't feel the electric jolt that went through the air every time Damiano entered a room.
"Sophia," Damiano spoke, stepping closer. "The next hour will be dangerous. Victoria and her father are walking into that grand hall expecting to sign a contract. Instead, they are walking into a trap."
"What are you going to do?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"I am going to end the Romanos," he declared coldly. "But first, I need to ensure your safety. Once Victoria realizes her plan failed, she will target Emma. The only way to protect you both is to place you under my personal umbrella of absolute immunity."
"What does that mean?"
Damiano picked up Emma in one arm and extended his hand toward me. "It means from this second forward, you are not my employee. You are my family."
He led us down the private corridor toward the grand dining hall. Double oak doors flew open, revealing a breathtaking room dominated by a massive mahogany table. Sitting around it were the four legendary dons of the East Coast, flanked by their armed lieutenants. At the far end sat Victoria Romano, wearing a dazzling crimson dress, smiling like a queen about to claim a kingdom.
The room fell dead silent as Damiano entered, carrying a child in his arm, with a housekeeper walking by his side.
"Moretti," Don Lucchesi grunted, his thick gray brows furrowing. "What is the meaning of this? Why are there women and children at a high table council?"
Damiano walked to the head of the table. He pulled out the velvet armchair at his right hand and helped me sit down, placing Emma gently on my lap. He stood beside us, resting one heavy, protective hand on my shoulder.
"Before we sign any papers," Damiano’s voice echoed like thunder across the marble room, "I have an announcement to make. My marriage negotiations with the Romano family are officially terminated."
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Victoria’s fake smile shattered instantly. "Damiano, what is this nonsense?!"
"This," Damiano said, looking directly into the eyes of the five dons, "is Sophia. And this is Emma. They are under the personal protection of the Moretti bloodline. Touch a hair on their heads, and you declare war on every soldier under my command."
