Chapter 14 - Return to the Estate
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The convoy back to the Moretti estate looked like a military operation. Seven armored SUVs flanked their vehicle, moving through the dark streets of Chicago with terrifying precision.
When they arrived at the mansion, Elvira immediately noticed the changes. The iron gates were reinforced, floodlights illuminated the manicured lawns, and armed guards patrolled every entrance with assault rifles visibly strapped to their chests. It was a beautiful, terrifying fortress.
Elvira put the exhausted children to bed, sitting by their door until she was certain they were fast asleep.
As she walked down the grand marble hallway toward her own suite, she realized something profound. A month ago, she had been an invisible waitress, terrified of the wealthy elite. Now, she was willingly walking into a mafia war because she had fallen deeply, irreversibly in love with the most dangerous man in the city.
She turned the corner and nearly collided with Marco, the estate’s head chef and one of Lorenzo’s trusted inner circle members. He was the man who had yelled at her the night she broke the freezer lock.
“Oh, excuse me, Marco,” Elvira said, stepping back.
“My apologies, Miss Vance,” Marco replied, offering a tight, polite smile. But his eyes lingered on her for a fraction of a second too long, cold and calculating.
Elvira brushed past him, feeling a sudden, strange chill run down her spine. She had always found Marco abrasive, but tonight, there was something undeniably predatory in his gaze.
Down in the kitchen, Marco pulled a burner phone from his chef’s apron. He typed a quick, encrypted message and hit send.
“They are back at the estate. Security is airtight. I cannot breach the perimeter from the inside. But I know his weakness. I’ll get her out to you.”
May you like
A moment later, a reply buzzed on the screen.
“Do it. Bring the girl to the warehouse. Lorenzo will break when he realizes she’s gone. — Isabella.”
