Chapter 1 - The Lion’s Den
Derek took a step backward, his jaw tightening as the realization of whose presence he stood in finally sank into his arrogant mind. Alexander Moretti did not merely command the room; he owned the very air inside it. At six-foot-three, with silver threading through dark hair and obsidian eyes that had witnessed unspeakable violence, the mafia don looked at Derek like an annoying insect.
"Mr. Moretti," Derek stammered, raising his palms in mock surrender while trying to maintain his polished businessman facade. "This is a private domestic matter. Emily is fragile. She’s emotionally unstable and off her medication. If you let me take her, I promise we won’t trouble you again."
Beneath the walnut desk, Emily’s heart hammered so hard against her ribs she thought it would shatter bone. Hearing him twist the narrative, painting her as crazy just as he had done to her family and friends for three grueling years, made tears sting her eyes. She pressed her face into her knees, bracing for Alexander to hand her over. Powerful men always protected other men. That was the only world she had ever known.
Alexander tilted his head, his gaze dropping briefly to the trembling shadow curled beneath his desk. He caught the sight of her bare, bruised ankles and the crimson imprint of Derek’s fingers still visible on her pale wrist. When he looked back up at Derek, the temperature in the office plummeted to freezing.
"You smell of cheap cologne and cowardice," Alexander said, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that vibrated through the floorboards. "And you have precisely five seconds to turn around and walk out of my building before my men remove your tongue for lying in my presence."
"She is my wife!" Derek shouted, his composure snapping as his infamous temper flared. "You can't keep her from me! The law says—"
Before Derek could finish the sentence, Marco, the massive bodyguard on the left, stepped forward with blinding speed. A heavy steel barrel pressed firmly beneath Derek’s chin, forcing his head back against the doorframe. Derek gasped, his face draining of every drop of color.
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"The law doesn't reach the penthouse of the Bella Vista, Mr. Vance," Alexander said softly, adjusting the cufflink of his tailored charcoal suit. "I am the only law here. If I ever see your face near this woman again, I will dismantle your father's firm piece by piece, and then I will bury you where the lake never warms. Marco, throw him into the alley."
The door clicked shut behind Derek's muffled protests. The silence in the penthouse became absolute. Alexander walked around the desk, stopping right before Emily’s hiding spot. He crouched down, his imposing frame suddenly gentler as he extended a broad, calloused hand toward her trembling form. "He is gone, little bird. You can come out now."
