Chapter 2 - The Trap Spuns"That's a lie!" Sophia screamed, her voice cracking with terror. "I haven't seen Marcus since this morning! He came to my apartment, he threatened me, but I ran straight here!"
"Save it for the judge, sweetheart," Julian sneered, motioning to his guards. "The police are outside the gate right now. They received an anonymous tip with precise details. Don Alessandro, the Moretti name cannot be dragged into a cheap domestic murder. Hand her over."
Two guards stepped toward Sophia. Panicking, Emma let out a sharp cry and ran to her mother, burying her face in Sophia’s apron.
"Mama! Mama, I'm scared!"
"Don't touch her!" Sophia pleaded, dropping to her knees to wrap her arms protectively around Emma. "I didn't kill him! I swear on my daughter’s life, I didn't touch him!"
The guards hesitated, looking toward Alessandro for approval.
Alessandro stood unmoving. His dark eyes darted from Julian’s overly eager face to the trembling woman on the floor. He noticed the tiny details that Julian had overlooked: Julian’s boots were lightly dusted with fresh wet mud, identical to the mud in the estate’s outer courtyard, and his silver watch was missing its inner casing—a detail Alessandro remembered distinctly from earlier that morning.
"You move fast, Julian," Alessandro said softly, stepping between the guards and Sophia. "Marcus was killed ten minutes ago, yet you already have DNA results, weapon recovery reports, and the police waiting at my gates?"
Julian’s eyes flickered with a fraction of nervousness before he regained his composure. "My contacts in the precinct alerted me immediately. I acted to protect our family's reputation!"
"Or," Alessandro countered, his voice dropping into a deadly, low register, "you orchestrated a sloppy frame job to stir chaos in my household while I was supposed to be sleeping."
"Are you taking the side of a disposable maid over your own blood?!" Julian spat, his face flushing with anger. "The family council won't stand for this, Alessandro! If you harbor a murderer, they will question your judgment. They will call for a vote of no confidence!"
The room grew suffocatingly tense. Vincent stood near the corner, his knuckles white as he gripped his pocket watch.
Sophia looked up at Alessandro, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. She saw the heavy weight of the decision resting on his shoulders. She was just a nobody—a widowed maid working for minimum wage to feed her daughter. To a mafia Don, she was completely expendable.
"Don Alessandro..." Sophia whispered weakly, squeezing Emma tight. "Please... don't let them take my baby to social services. If I go to prison, she has no one."
Alessandro turned his gaze down to Emma. The little girl was looking up at him, her eyes wide with trust, completely oblivious to the ruthless empire he commanded. She only saw the man who had let her paint his face with butterflies.
Alessandro turned back to Julian.
"She isn't going to prison," Alessandro stated clearly.
"You can't shield her legally!" Julian raged. "The police have a warrant! The evidence is absolute!"
"The police have no jurisdiction over a Don's personal affairs," Alessandro said smoothly. He walked over to his desk, picked up a glass of scotch, and took a slow sip. "And more importantly, the law grants spousal privilege."
Julian frowned. "Spousal privilege? What the hell are you talking about?"
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Alessandro set the glass down with a sharp clink. He walked over to Sophia, reached down, and took her trembling hand, pulling her up to her feet.
"Effective immediately, Sophia is under my protection," Alessandro declared, his voice echoing with absolute authority across the grand room. "Because by sunset today, she will be my wife."
