Chapter 4 - The Golden Cage
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The Beluchcci estate was located on the cliffs of Long Island, a sprawling modern fortress of glass, steel, and black stone. When Marco escorted Norah through the massive front doors, it felt less like a sanctuary and more like a high-end prison.
Damian was waiting in the grand foyer. He had changed from his office suit into dark trousers and a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing faint scars along his forearms.
"Are you hurt?" Damian asked, closing the distance between them in three long strides. His dark eyes scanned her face, her hands, searching for blood.
"I'm fine," Norah said, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. "But my front door is in pieces, and there is a man bleeding on my rug."
"Marco will have it cleaned. You are safe here."
"Safe?" Norah let out a bitter laugh. "I was perfectly safe organizing your calendar and fixing your typos. Now people are breaking into my home with guns. What is in that safe, Damian?"
It was the first time she had ever used his first name. Damian noticed. The muscle in his jaw ticked.
"The foundation of the Beluchcci empire," Damian said, his voice low. "The master ledgers, the blackmail files, the true deeds to half the city. My grandfather built that safe. It is keyed to the DNA of the Beluchcci bloodline."
Norah stared at him, the words washing over her without fully making sense. "DNA? You're saying... I'm a Beluchcci?"
"I am saying I don't know who you are," Damian replied, taking a step closer. The sheer magnetic weight of his presence was overwhelming. "But my enemies have eyes inside my company. They know the safe opened for you. The Romanos will hunt you to the ends of the earth to get into that vault."
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"So I'm your prisoner."
"You are under my protection," he corrected softly. "Until I figure out how my bookish secretary is tied to the most ruthless mafia family in New York."
