Chapter 9 - The Broken Engagement Gala
Salvatore walked slowly into the bunker, his sharp grey eyes sweeping over the room until they landed on me sitting on the medical cot.
He took off his leather gloves and walked over, his expression filled with profound gentleness.
“You must be Hannah,” Salvatore said, his voice deep, gravelly, and rich with old-world authority.
“Yes, sir,” I said, starting to sit up.
“Stay resting, my dear,” Salvatore commanded softly, pulling up a chair beside the cot. “Luca told me what you did. You carried Clara’s wedding dress through that viper’s nest with broken ribs just to keep the peace, and you gave Luca the clue that brought me home.”
He placed the worn leather recipe book into my lap.
“My sister-in-law, Clara, was the bravest woman I ever knew,” Salvatore murmured, his eyes glistening. “She knew the Bellinis were corrupt decades ago. She hid the true ownership deeds of our family’s empire inside the pages of this book. Vanessa tried to sell it, but she was too foolish to realize what she held.”
Salvatore looked up at Luca with fierce pride.
“Your mother would be proud of you tonight, Luca. You didn't marry the viper. You protected the innocent.”
Luca stepped to the side of the cot, looking down at me with an emotion so raw and powerful it made my breath hitch in my throat.
“The syndicate leaders are arriving at the downtown grand ballroom at noon,” Luca announced. “Every boss from the five families has been summoned for an emergency tribunal.”
“Are you taking Arthur and Vanessa?” I asked quietly.
“Yes,” Luca said, his voice dropping into cold steel. “They will stand trial before the entire Commission for treason, contract murder, and theft. The Bellini name will be wiped from the registry by sundown.”
“And what happens to Hannah?” Salvatore asked, watching his nephew with a knowing, sly smile.
May you like
Luca reached down and gently took my hand, lifting it to his lips to press a warm, deliberate kiss against my knuckles.
“Hannah is coming with us,” Luca declared softly. “Not as a maid. But as the most honored guest at the head table.”
