Chapter 4 - The Threat Returns
For two weeks, Emily lived inside Alexander’s heavily guarded fortress. For the first time in her adult life, she flourished. Away from Derek’s relentless psychological warfare and cruelty, color returned to her cheeks. She spent her afternoons tending to the sprawling greenhouse behind the mansion and her evenings dining across from Alexander, discovering the brilliant, cultured man beneath the ruthless mafia boss persona.
Alexander never made an inappropriate advance, treating her with profound respect. Yet, the magnetic tension between them grew thicker by the day. Whenever his hand brushed hers while passing a book, or when his dark eyes traced the curves of her hips as she laughed, Emily felt a fierce heat ignite inside her that she had never experienced in her sterile, terrifying marriage.
However, the illusion of safety shattered on a rainy Thursday afternoon.
Emily was sitting in the library reviewing the legal paperwork for her divorce when Alexander’s phone rang. Marco stepped into the room, his face grim. "Boss, Vance went to the press. And he went to the district attorney."
Alexander switched the television in the library to the local news. Derek was standing on the steps of the Cook County courthouse, surrounded by microphones, wiping fake tears from his eyes with an embroidered handkerchief.
"My wife, Emily, was kidnapped by Alexander Moretti two weeks ago!" Derek cried out dramatically to the sea of reporters. "He is holding her hostage under threat of violence! I am begging the Chicago Police Department and the FBI to raid his estate and bring my beloved wife home!"
Emily dropped her pen, pure terror washing over her. "He's insane... he's using the public spotlight to force a police raid! Alexander, if the feds come here, your business—"
"The feds don't scare me, Emily," Alexander interrupted, his voice terrifyingly calm as he stood up from his desk. "What offends me is that he thinks he can play chess with a grandmaster."
May you like
"He wants to drag me back into the street so he can finish what he started," Emily whispered, shaking her head. "A legal restraining order takes weeks. He’ll find a way to take me before the judge even signs it."
Alexander walked over to her, stopping inches away. He reached out, his thumb gently wiping away a stray tear on her cheek. "There is one legal document that will silence him instantly and strip him of every single claim he thinks he holds over your head."
