Chapter 9 - From Broken Maid to the Mafia Boss’s Weakness
A week passed.
The underworld of the city was completely restructured.
Without Damien’s insider knowledge, the Moretti family was decimated by Alessandro’s brutal retaliation.
The streets were quiet again.
But inside the Viscari estate, the atmosphere had permanently shifted.
Clara was no longer wearing a maid’s uniform.
She was dressed in a soft cashmere sweater and jeans, standing in the estate’s massive library.
Sophie was sitting on the expensive Persian rug, drawing with a box of new crayons.
Alessandro walked in, carrying a stack of documents.
He looked tired but remarkably at peace.
He sat down at his desk, watching them silently.
"Mr. Viscari," Clara said softly, breaking the silence.
"Alessandro," he corrected her for the hundredth time.
Clara smiled nervously. "Alessandro. I think it’s time we leave."
He stopped sorting his papers.
"Leave? To go where?"
"Anywhere," she said, wringing her hands. "I have some savings now. We can rent a small apartment. I can’t stay here forever. It’s not proper."
"Proper?" Alessandro stood up, walking slowly toward her.
"You think I care about what is proper?"
Clara stepped back, her heart beating fast.
"I am just a maid. You are… you."
"You are the woman who saved my life," Alessandro said intensely.
"If you hadn't fought back in that laundry room, if you hadn't grabbed that bracelet, Damien would have succeeded. I would be dead."
He stopped right in front of her, so close she could feel his body heat.
"You are not a maid, Clara. Not anymore."
"Then what am I?" she whispered, looking up into his dark eyes.
"You are mine," he said simply.
It wasn't a threat. It was a promise.
He gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing over the fading bruise on her cheek.
"I have lived in the dark for eight years. I didn't know how empty my life was until Sophie walked into that meeting room, holding that torn rabbit."
Clara’s breath hitched.
"Alessandro, this world is too dangerous for us."
"I am the danger," he replied fiercely.
"Nothing will ever touch you here. Let me take care of you. Let me give Sophie the life she deserves."
From the floor, Sophie looked up.
"Are you going to be my new daddy?" she asked innocently.
Clara gasped, blushing furiously. "Sophie!"
Alessandro chuckled, a deep, rich sound that filled the library.
He knelt down beside the little girl.
"If your mother lets me," he said. "Would you like that?"
Sophie thought for a moment, tapping a red crayon on her chin.
"Do you have more crayons?"
"I have a whole factory of them if you want," Alessandro smiled.
Sophie nodded happily and went back to drawing.
Alessandro looked up at Clara, offering his hand.
May you like
The choice was hers.
Run back to a life of poverty and fear, or step into the unknown with a man who had proved he would burn the world down to protect her.
