Chapter 9 - THE GOLDEN SUN
The morning sun poured through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the master bedroom, casting a warm, golden glow across the unmade bed.
It had been six months since the night the estate became a fortress. Six months since Vincent Romano was locked away in a federal penitentiary, his empire dismantled and carved up by the Commission. Six months since Isabella and Marco vanished into the wind, leaving behind a world of violence for a quiet life somewhere far away.
I stood in front of the vanity mirror, adjusting the delicate strap of a pale blue silk dress. I wasn't wearing a maid’s apron anymore. My hands, which had scrubbed the marble floors of this house for four years, were resting on top of a velvet jewelry box.
Strong, warm arms wrapped around my waist from behind.
Alessandro pressed his chest against my back, resting his chin on my shoulder. He was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, his tie undone, his dark hair still slightly damp from the shower. He looked at our reflection in the mirror, his eyes filled with a peace I had never thought possible for a man in his position.
“You look beautiful, mia regina,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my neck. My queen.
I leaned back into his embrace, closing my eyes and letting out a contented sigh. “Are the guests arriving?”
“Bruno is seating them in the gardens now,” Alessandro said, his hands gently turning me around to face him. “It’s a small crowd. Just the loyal captains, the household staff, and a few politicians who know better than to decline a wedding invitation from the Moretti family.”
I smiled, reaching up to trace the faint scar on his cheek. We hadn't rushed into marriage. After the chaos of that night, Alessandro had insisted on courting me properly. We had dinners in the city. We walked through the park together—without hiding. He proved to me, every single day, that his world could be safe as long as he was the one shielding us from it.
“Where is our menace?” Alessandro asked, looking around the massive bedroom.
As if on cue, the heavy oak doors burst open.
Lily ran into the room, her dark curls bouncing. She was wearing a tiny, custom-made white dress, and a pair of brand-new white socks stitched with yellow ducks. She refused to wear the expensive patent-leather shoes Bruno had bought her.
“Daddy!” Lily squealed, launching herself at Alessandro.
Alessandro laughed—a deep, joyful sound that still felt like a miracle every time I heard it. He scooped her up effortlessly, tossing her gently into the air before catching her and pressing a loud kiss to her cheek.
“There’s my princess,” Alessandro beamed, holding her securely against his broad chest. “Are you ready to walk Mommy down the aisle?”
Lily nodded vigorously, clutching a brand-new stuffed rabbit—Bun 2.0, completely free of GPS trackers. “I have a present for Mommy first.”
She squirmed down from his arms and trotted over to the vanity. She reached her small hand into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a small, velvet jewelry box.
She held it up to me. “For you, Mommy. Daddy helped.”
My heart swelled. I knelt down to her eye level and took the box. I opened it carefully.
Resting on a bed of white satin was a delicate, solid gold necklace. Suspended from the fine chain was the small, engraved gold button Lily had found on the marble floor six months ago—the exact button that had forced Alessandro to finally look into her eyes and discover the truth.
A jeweler had polished it, encasing it in a delicate gold rim so it hung like a tiny, radiant sun.
Tears immediately pricked my eyes. I looked up at Alessandro.
“You kept it,” I whispered.
“It’s the button that brought my family back to me,” Alessandro said softly, kneeling down beside Lily and taking the necklace from the box. “I’m never letting it go.”
He stepped behind me, gently sweeping my hair over my shoulder, and fastened the gold chain around my neck. The heavy little button rested perfectly against my collarbone, warm against my skin.
“Thank you,” I said, turning to kiss him softly.
“No,” Alessandro replied, resting his forehead against mine. “Thank you for staying. Thank you for protecting her when I couldn't.”
“Mr. Moretti? Miss Rosa?”
We turned to see Bruno standing in the doorway, wearing a pristine tuxedo, a white rose pinned to his lapel. The old butler’s eyes were shining with unshed tears as he looked at the three of us. For a man who had lived his entire life in the shadows of mafia politics, this moment was the ultimate victory.
“The string quartet has begun,” Bruno announced proudly. “It is time.”
Alessandro stood up, offering his arm to me. I took it, feeling the solid, unshakeable strength of the man who had promised to burn the world down to keep me safe.
With Lily skipping happily ahead of us, we walked out of the master suite and down the grand staircase.
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We didn't sneak through the kitchen entrance. We didn't keep our heads down.
We walked through the marble foyer, past the console table where a terrified maid and a brave little girl had once changed the course of an empire, and stepped out into the bright, warm sunlight together.
