Chapter 6 - The Velvet Cage
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The gates to the Caruso Estate were massive, wrought-iron monstrosities that swung open silently as Silas approached. We drove up a winding, snow-covered driveway lined with ancient oak trees until the sprawling stone mansion came into view.
It looked like a fortress disguised as a palace.
Dante was waiting on the front steps, disregarding the falling snow. He wore a heavy black overcoat, his jaw clenched so tightly I could see a muscle jumping beneath his skin. The moment the SUV stopped, he pulled my door open.
“Are you hurt?” Dante demanded, his eyes frantically scanning my face as I stepped out.
“I’m fine,” I said, shivering as the cold wind hit me. “Silas handled it. But you can't just kidnap me, Dante. I have to go to work tomorrow.”
“You are not going back to that catering company,” Dante stated, wrapping his arm securely around my lower back and guiding me up the stone steps. “And you are not going back to that apartment. If Marcus was stupid enough to wait for you, there are worse people who might use you to get to me. You are staying here.”
“I am not your prisoner!” I protested, stopping in the grand foyer. The marble floors gleamed under a massive crystal chandelier.
“You are my guest,” Dante corrected smoothly, shedding his overcoat and handing it to a silent maid who vanished instantly. “You will have a suite in the east wing. You can come and go as you please, provided Silas or another guard accompanies you. But you will not sleep in a place where a drunk coward can ambush you.”
I stared at him, my heart hammering. I was trading a life of invisible poverty for a gilded cage guarded by killers. But as I looked into Dante’s silver-gray eyes, I realized I didn't want to run away. For the first time in my life, someone was standing between me and the world, refusing to let anything hurt me.
“One week,” I negotiated, my voice trembling slightly. “Until I figure out what to do next.”
May you like
Dante’s expression softened. He reached out, his thumb gently brushing a snowflake from my cheek.
“Take all the time you need, Emma,” he whispered. “Welcome home.”
