Chapter 6 - A Quiet Evening in the VaultLater that evening, after the adrenaline of the senator’s failed raid had faded, the Vance estate settled into a profound, suffocating quiet.
Sofia had been tucked into bed by Josephine, sleeping soundly with her pink rabbit clutched tightly in her arms. Matteo sat behind the heavy oak desk in his private study, staring at a collection of digital ledger reports glowing on his dual monitor screens.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Matteo said without looking up.
The door creaked open, and Josephine stepped inside. She was holding a small silver tray carrying a steaming cup of black coffee and a small plate of homemade biscotti.
"You missed dinner," Josephine said softly, walking over to the desk and setting the tray down beside his keyboard.
Matteo leaned back in his leather chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He looked up, his dark eyes softening the moment they landed on her face.
"Dinner with myself isn't very good company," Matteo murmured. "Besides, I had a lot to clean up after our friend the senator paid us a visit."
"Were you worried?" Josephine asked, resting her hands on the edge of the mahogany desk.
"About Ashworth?" Matteo let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Politicians are like stray dogs, Josephine. You show them a stick, and they run. I wasn't worried about him."
"Then what were you worried about?"
Matteo stood up slowly, walking around the desk until he was standing uncomfortably close to her. The subtle scent of his sandalwood cologne mixed with the faint aroma of espresso and old paper.
"I was thinking about what could have happened two nights ago," Matteo said, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly hum. "If you hadn't stayed. If you hadn't broken your fingers on that cellar door. My daughter would be dead, Josephine. And I would have burned this entire city to the ground trying to find out why."
Josephine’s breath caught. She could feel the intense, magnetic pull radiating from him—a dangerous, intoxicating gravity that drew her inward, defying every logical survival instinct she possessed.
"I couldn't let her get hurt," Josephine whispered, her voice trembling slightly as Matteo reached out.
His large, calloused hand cupped her cheek, his thumb gently brushing over the faint, yellowing shadow where Delphine’s ring had cut her skin days ago.
"You are remarkable," Matteo said, his eyes searching her face with an intensity that made her knees weaken. "For two years, everyone in this house has looked at me and seen a monster. They saw the guns, the money, the blood on my hands. But you... you saw a father who lost his wife and was terrified of losing his little girl."
"You are a monster, Mr. Vance," Josephine whispered bravely, though her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
A slow, rare, devastatingly handsome smile spread across Matteo’s lips.
May you like
"Maybe so," he murmured, leaning in until his lips hovered inches from her ear. "But for you, Josephine... I think I could try to be a good man."
Before she could form a coherent thought, Matteo leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the corner of her lips. It was gentle, hesitant, and filled with a desperate, unspoken hunger that told her everything words never could.
