Chapter 16 - The Turning Tide
Mrs. Gable didn't even try to run. She simply raised her chin, a bitter smirk touching her lips. "You can kill me, Lorenzo. But you can't kill the truth. That child opened a door that should have stayed locked forever. She brought life back into a tomb, and in our world, life is a weakness."
Lorenzo didn't strike her. He simply stepped back and signaled to Marco with a flick of his wrist. "Take her to the lower cells. Let her keep Salvatore company. And clear her quarters—leave nothing behind."
As Marco escorted the defiant housekeeper out of the kitchen, the heavy silence returned. Lorenzo stood alone for a long moment, staring at the polished marble counter where she had stood. The betrayal stung, not because of the loyalty lost, but because she had been right about one thing: the house was no longer a tomb.
Later that afternoon, Sophia sat on the bench in the courtyard watching Emma chase a stray snowflake across the pristine white lawn. The heavy iron gates of the estate were shut tight against the Chicago chill, but for the first time since she had arrived, the walls didn't feel like a prison. They felt like a shield.
Footsteps crunched in the snow behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"She’s gone," Lorenzo said, stopping a few feet away, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his dark wool coat. "The house is secure again."
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"And the terminal logs?" Sophia asked softly, keeping her eyes on Emma.
"Erased," Lorenzo replied. "As far as the Chicago underworld is concerned, last night was a failed rogue hit by Salvatore, and nothing more. Your name is clean, Miss Carter."
