Chapter 14 - Whispers in the Dark|
Salvatore slowly rose from his chair, using his cane for support.
"You're making a dangerous mistake, young man," Salvatore murmured coldly. "Power makes men blind. Sentimentality makes them dead."
He turned and walked out of the study, his hard cane clicking echoing down the hallway.
When the heavy double doors closed behind him, Fay let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"Vincent, he's right," Fay said softly, taking a step toward his desk. "You're risking your position with the Commission for me. If the other families unite against you—"
"They won't," Vincent interrupted smoothly, standing up from his chair. He walked around the desk until he was standing inches from her. "The Commission is weak, governed by old men who fear change. I am not."
He reached out, his long fingers gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Do you know why I locked that kitchen door the night I found you?" Vincent asked softly, his dark eyes searching hers.
Fay shook her head, her heart beating a fast, erratic rhythm against her ribs. "No."
"Because for three years, I watched you move through this house like a ghost," Vincent confessed softly. "You never complained. You never asked for anything. You worked quietly to save your mother while men with far less character paraded around taking whatever they wanted. I locked that door because I decided I was done watching you suffer in silence."
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Fay swallowed hard, tears rising in her eyes. "Vincent..."
"You are not a liability, Fay," he whispered, leaning down until his lips were brushed against her skin, right over the spot where the bruise had been. "You are the only real thing in this entire cursed house."
