Chapter 10 - The Unseen Guard|
By five o'clock that evening, the autumn sun had dipped below the horizon, painting the sky over Federal Hill in shades of deep crimson and bruised purple.
Two black vans had left the estate premises—one carrying Marco under heavy guard toward the Boston harbor, and the other escorting Julianna back to her family's gated mansion in Providence.
The estate returned to its heavy, quiet rhythm.
Vincent stood in the grand kitchen. The smell of roasted chicken and warm garlic bread filled the air, replacing the cold tension that had choked the house hours earlier.
Maria Carter was standing by the stove, stirring a pot of soup. Her eyes were still red, but the trembling in her hands had ceased.
At the small wooden breakfast table in the corner, six-year-old Emma sat happily, coloring a picture of a giant yellow cat in her coloring book. Her battered cloth doll rested securely on the chair beside her.
Vincent walked into the kitchen, his heavy footsteps echoing softly on the tile floor.
Emma looked up from her coloring book, her dark eyes bright and fearless.
"Hello, Mr. Moretti," she said sweetly.
Vincent stopped beside her table. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, exquisite silver box tied with a soft pink velvet ribbon.
He set it gently on the table beside her crayons.
"What's this?" Emma asked, tilting her head.
"It's a gift," Vincent said, his deep voice softer than Maria had ever heard it in five years of service. "For saving my life this morning."
Emma opened the box with delicate fingers. Inside lay a tiny, hand-carved porcelain cat with glowing green eyes and a silver collar—a rare antique Vincent had kept in his private collection for years.
Emma gasped, her face lighting up with pure, unadulterated joy. "It's so pretty! Thank you, Mr. Moretti!"
Maria turned from the stove, wiping her hands on her apron, her voice thick with emotion. "Mr. Moretti... you don't have to give her such expensive things. We are just grateful to be safe."
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Vincent looked at Maria, then down at the little girl holding the porcelain cat.
"You're not just servants in this house anymore, Maria," Vincent said firmly. "Starting tomorrow, Emma’s education, her health care, and her future are entirely secured by the Moretti foundation. This house belongs to her as much as it belongs to me."
