Chapter 2 - Shadows at the Gates
By the following week, the atmosphere inside the Moretti estate had begun to shift, though the grand stone walls still bore the heavy weight of Gabriel's dangerous world.
Gabriel began coming home earlier.
Where he used to stay at his corporate headquarters until midnight—drowning his grief and anxiety in endless ledgers, shipping manifests, and security reports—he now found himself stepping through the front doors at 6:00 PM.
He stood in the grand archway of the formal dining room one evening, watching the scene unfold.
The dining room table, usually sterile and set with silver cutlery for one, was cluttered with colored paper, child-safe markers, and plastic bowls of cut strawberries. Sophia was sitting on a booster seat, covered in red strawberry juice, enthusiastically babbling about a butterfly she had seen in the courtyard.
Emma was kneeling between the two high chairs. She wore a simple beige sweater and dark trousers today, her dark blonde hair loosely pinned. She was wiping Sophia’s face with a damp napkin while simultaneously keeping a watchful, protective arm behind Lily’s chair.
"Mr. Moretti," Emma said, instantly noticing his presence. She began to stand up, smoothing her apron nervously. "I'm sorry, sir. The girls were hungry, and I thought it best to feed them here rather than the formal breakfast nook—"
"Keep your seat, Emma," Gabriel said, his voice deep, resonant, and unusually gentle.
He unbuttoned his suit jacket, tossed it over a chair, and walked toward them. Sophia shrieked with glee, "Daddy!" and waved a strawberry-stained hand. Gabriel leaned down, kissing Sophia's forehead, then turned to Lily.
Lily didn't shrink away as she used to. She looked up at Gabriel, then pointed her tiny finger at Emma.
"Ducky," Lily said clearly.
Gabriel froze. "What did you say, sweetheart?"
"Ducky," Lily repeated, smiling softly.
Gabriel looked at Emma. A faint blush crept up Emma’s neck, tinting her cheeks a soft pink.
"She... she likes her new toy, sir," Emma murmured, lowering her eyes modest. "I hope I didn't step out of line by bringing it into the nursery."
"You could bring a hundred ducks into this house if it makes her speak like that," Gabriel said, his dark eyes locking onto Emma’s. The intensity of his gaze made her breath catch.
For a long moment, the room was silent except for Sophia’s noisy chewing. The unspoken understanding between them vibrated in the air—Gabriel knew what Emma was doing in secret, and Emma seemed to feel the sudden shift in how her employer looked at her.
The moment was shattered by the sharp vibration of Gabriel’s encrypted phone.
Gabriel stepped back, his expression instantly hardening as he pulled the phone from his pocket. He tapped the screen and brought it to his ear.
"Speak, Marco," Gabriel commanded, stepping toward the window.
Marco, his security chief, spoke in a low, urgent tone. "Don Gabriel. We have a problem. Don Valenti’s men were spotted near the docks in Brooklyn this afternoon. They’re pressing our supply lines. Worse, my scouts spotted a black sedan tailing your secondary vehicle near the estate gates an hour ago."
Gabriel’s jaw clenched tightly. Don Valenti was an old-world mobster, ruthless and aging, who viewed Gabriel’s recent efforts to legitimize the Moretti family businesses as a sign of weakness. Valenti wanted control of the shipping ports, and he was the kind of monster who would use a man’s family against him.
"Increase the perimeter patrol to double shifts," Gabriel ordered coldly. "Nobody enters or leaves these gates without my personal clearance. If a vehicle lingers for more than thirty seconds on the perimeter road, neutralize the threat."
"Understood, boss. What about the household staff?"
Gabriel turned his head slowly, looking back at Emma. She was gently dabbing a drop of juice from Lily’s chin, completely unaware of the dark storm gathering outside the heavy iron gates.
"The staff stays inside," Gabriel said softly into the phone. "Especially the nanny."
He hung up the phone and walked back to the table. Emma looked up, her intuitive nature picking up on the sudden chill in his posture.
"Is everything all right, Mr. Moretti?" she asked quietly.
"Work," Gabriel replied smoothly, though his eyes remained vigilant. "Emma... starting tonight, security around the grounds will be heightened. You may see armed guards in the gardens. I don't want you or the girls going out onto the main lawn after dusk."
Emma’s hazel eyes widened slightly, a flash of fear passing over her face, but she quickly masked it with calm composure. She looked at the two little girls, then back at Gabriel.
"I will keep them safe, sir," she said with absolute conviction. "I promise you."
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Gabriel looked at her—this woman who had entered his home as a simple servant, yet carried herself with more genuine grace and strength than any high-society woman he had ever met.
"I know you will, Emma," Gabriel said softly. "I know you will."
