Chapter 5 - An Unbreakable Vow
By midnight, the estate was fortified like a military outpost. High-caliber turrets were mounted along the stone parapets, and fifty armed sentries patrolled the perimeter with guard dogs.
Inside the subterranean master suite, Lily was fast asleep in a grand canopy bed, clutching a stuffed bear that Ethan had gifted her from his own collection. Ethan sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, a wooden training sword resting across his knees, refusing to sleep until his father returned.
Dante stepped quietly into the room. He looked at Ethan, a soft smirk breaking his hard exterior.
""You should be resting, little soldier,"" Dante said, running a hand through Ethan's dark hair.
""I have to guard her, Dad,"" Ethan answered with fierce determination. ""She stopped the bad cake. She saved me. You always said a Moretto protects those who bleed for him.""
""She didn't bleed, Ethan,"" Dante replied softly.
""She cried,"" the boy argued stubbornness shining in his eyes. ""That's the same thing for a girl her size.""
Dante couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. He gently ruffled Ethan's hair and guided him to the adjacent bedroom, tucking him in until the boy's eyes finally succumbed to exhaustion.
When Dante returned to the master parlor, Elena was sitting curled on the sofa, clutching a cup of cold tea. She looked so small, so fragile against the backdrop of an empire built on violence and blood.
""You took a massive risk keeping that secret here,"" Dante said, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. ""Victor Castiglione would burn half the continent to find his heir.""
""I was running for my life, Mr. Moretto,"" Elena said hollowly. ""When I realized who Victor really was—when I saw what he did to his own brother—I knew I had to disappear. Your compound was the only place in the city his reach couldn't touch. I applied as a maid because I thought we would be invisible.""
""Nothing is invisible in my house, Elena,"" Dante murmured, walking over and kneeling before her. ""Tomorrow, I am announcing our engagement to the five families.""
Elena froze, her cup slipping slightly in her grip. ""What did you say?""
""Victor struck at my home to assassinate my son,"" Dante said, his dark eyes ablaze with calculated vengeance. ""If he thinks Lily is his target, he will send armies. But if I declare you as my future wife and Lily as my adopted daughter, any attack against her becomes an act of total war against the entire Moretto syndicate.""
Elena stared at him in utter disbelief. ""You would paint a target on your own chest for us?""
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Dante leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. ""The war was already coming, Elena. You just gave me a reason to finish it.""
Suddenly, the house’s primary alarms blared—not the perimeter alerts, but the subterranean life-support grid. The air vents hissed violently as a white, dense gas began pouring into the room.
