Chapter 8 - The Velvet CageBack in Chicago, spring was finally melting into the bright, warm embrace of early summer. The manicured lawns of the Vance estate were bursting with vibrant green grass and blooming red roses, transforming the once-forbidding fortress into a warm, inviting home.
Inside the grand kitchen, the air smelled of vanilla, fresh strawberries, and melting chocolate.
"More sprinkles, Jo!" Sofia demanded, standing on her stepstool with a concentrated frown as she dumped half a bottle of rainbow sprinkles onto a tray of frosted cupcakes.
"Sofia, if you add any more sugar, those cupcakes are going to achieve sentience and start walking around the kitchen," Josephine laughed, tying a flour-dusted apron around her waist.
"Let them walk!" a deep voice rumbled from the doorway.
Sofia squealed with delight as Matteo walked into the kitchen, wearing a casual navy polo shirt that showed off the thick, powerful muscles of his arms. He didn't look like a mafia boss today; he looked like a proud, happy father.
"Daddy! Look! We made a hundred cupcakes!" Sofia announced, holding up a frosting-covered finger.
"A hundred? That sounds like a health code violation," Matteo teased, walking over and lifting Sofia off her stepstool with effortless strength, swinging her up onto his shoulders. The little girl shrieked with laughter, grabbing his dark hair like reins.
Matteo walked a few steps closer to the kitchen island, where Josephine stood watching them, a soft, involuntary smile playing on her lips. His dark eyes locked onto hers, burning with an intensity that made the air between them suddenly feel electric.
"Go wash your hands, princess," Matteo instructed Sofia gently. "Jo and I need to talk about adult business."
"Ooh, business!" Sofia giggled, sliding down his back and scampering off toward the powder room like a mischievous sprite.
The heavy oak kitchen doors swung shut behind her, leaving Matteo and Josephine alone in the sunlit room.
Matteo walked around the island, closing the distance between them until he was standing right in front of her. He reached out, his warm, strong fingers gently tracing the smooth skin of her cheek—the bruise from Delphine’s ring was completely gone now, leaving behind only the memory of how they had met.
"You look beautiful today," Matteo murmured, his voice dropping into that low, mesmerizing register that always made her pulse race.
"I look like a baker who's about to fail her inspection," Josephine retorted, though a warm blush climbed up her neck.
"You look like home," Matteo corrected softly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet-covered box. He didn't open it immediately; instead, he held it between them, his dark eyes searching hers with a vulnerability that few people in Chicago would ever believe the ruthless mafia boss possessed.
"Josephine," Matteo began, his voice steady, though his hand trembled just a fraction. "When I brought you upstairs, I told you that you weren't a maid anymore. But I lied."
Josephine blinked, her heart skipping a beat. "Sir?"
"You aren't just a partner, or a guest, or a caregiver," Matteo said, his gaze unwavering. "You are the foundation of everything I built this empire to protect. You brought my daughter back from the dark. And you brought me back with her."
He slowly clicked open the velvet box. Inside rested a stunning, antique diamond ring—not the flashy, ostentatious ice that Delphine had worn, but a deep, brilliant ruby surrounded by a halo of vintage diamonds that had belonged to Matteo’s grandmother.
"Marry me, Josephine," Matteo whispered. "Help me raise my daughter. Help me build a real home out of this fortress of ours."
Josephine stared at the ring, tears of pure, overwhelming joy finally spilling over her lashes. For twenty-eight years, the world had treated her like she took up too much space, like her size, her voice, and her presence were inconveniences to be tolerated.
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And now, the most powerful man in Chicago was kneeling before her, asking her to be his queen.
"Yes," Josephine choked out, a bright, radiant smile breaking across her face. "Yes, Matteo. A million times, yes."
