Chapter 6 - A New Dynasty
Four weeks later, the snow outside had melted into the crisp, bright promise of spring.
In the private maternity wing of Chicago Memorial Hospital, the quiet hum of monitors filled the sterile white room. But that sound was entirely drowned out by the healthy, lusty crying of a newborn baby girl wrapped in a soft pink blanket.
I lay back against the hospital pillows, exhausted, sore, and happier than I had ever been in my life.
Dante sat in the armchair beside the bed, holding our daughter with a care and gentleness that completely defied his terrifying reputation in the underworld. He cradled her against his chest, his dark eyes fixed on her tiny face with an expression of pure, unadulterated awe.
"She has your eyes," Dante whispered, carefully adjusting the pink blanket.
"She has your stubbornness," I corrected with a tired smile. "She refused to wait another three days."
The door opened quietly, and Frank stepped inside, holding a massive bouquet of white roses and a formal legal document in a leather folder.
"Everything is settled, boss," Frank reported quietly, keeping his voice down so as not to wake the baby. "Marcela’s offshore accounts have been frozen, the Queens properties have been officially restored to Mrs. Viscari’s sole ownership, and the restructuring of the domestic staff is complete. Total loyalty, zero leaks."
Dante nodded dismissal. Frank placed the legal folder on the bedside table and slipped back out into the hallway.
Dante leaned down, kissing my forehead softly before placing our sleeping daughter gently in the bassinet beside the bed. Then, he sat on the edge of the mattress, taking my hand in his.
"The house is quiet," Dante said, his dark eyes warm and steady. "Maria is already cooking enough food to feed an army for when we come home. And Marcela is five hundred miles away."
"Good," I murmured, squeezing his hand. "Because we have a lot of work to do."
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"Together," Dante added, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Always together."
Outside the hospital window, the Chicago skyline stretched out beneath a brilliant, cloudless spring sky—secure, protected, and entirely ours.
