Chapter 9 - The Footsteps in the HallTwo days later.
The grand hall of the Duca estate was quiet, bathed in the soft afternoon sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows.
Sophia walked down the corridor carrying a silver tray with fresh lemonade, her heart finally feeling light. The traitors were gone, swept away into the dark underworld where no one would ever find them. The syndicate was secure, and the shadows that had hung over the house had finally lifted.
As she passed the open doors of the drawing room, she stopped.
Lorenzo Duca sat at the heavy mahogany piano in the corner. He wasn't reviewing ledger books or signing weapons contracts. His dark sleeves were rolled up, and his strong fingers rested gently on the ivory keys.
Beside him on the piano bench sat little Emma, still wearing her favorite pink butterfly clip in her blonde curls, pressing down random keys with a bright, joyful giggle.
“Like this, uncle,” Emma instructed seriously, tapping a middle C.
May you like
Lorenzo smiled—a warm, genuine smile that he had not shown the world in eighteen years—and mirrored her note on the piano, creating a harmonious chord that echoed softly through the massive, beautiful house.
Sophia smiled, wiping a stray tear from her cheek, and quietly walked away, leaving the most feared man in the city to the only thing that truly mattered.
