Chapter 9 - The Guarded Garden
Maria Alvarez walked down the brick path from the school entrance, wearing an elegant wool coat and carrying Sophie’s art portfolio.
She had blossomed over the past three months. The exhausted, fearful posture of an overworked maid had vanished, replaced by the calm, dignified grace of a woman who knew her family was safe, cherished, and protected for generations to come.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Romano,” Maria smiled warmly, offering a respectful nod.
“Maria,” Vincent greeted her, setting Sophie down gently on the packed snow. “Everything is prepared at the new residence in Evanston. The security detail from Marcus’s division has taken their stations, and the library has been stocked with the architectural volumes Sophie requested.”
Maria looked at Vincent, her eyes shining with quiet, enduring respect.
“You still visit her every Friday,” Maria murmured softly as Sophie ran to inspect the snowdrifts near the car. “People in this town talk, Vincent. They wonder why the head of the Romano family spends his afternoons standing outside an elementary school.”
Vincent pulled his gloves tighter around his wrists, looking out over the snow-covered schoolyard.
“Let them talk, Maria,” Vincent replied smoothly. “They spent twenty years watching me build an empire of fear. It does them good to see that the strongest fortress is built on gratitude.”
Marcus stepped forward, presenting the large, wrapped box to Sophie with a broad, genuine smile.
“This arrived from the restoration studio in Milan this morning, Sophie,” Marcus said.
Sophie dropped to her knees in the snow, tearing through the silver wrapping paper with breathless excitement.
Inside the velvet-lined box sat her old, worn stuffed rabbit.
The frayed ears had been meticulously repaired with hand-stitched silk thread. The missing button eye had been replaced with a polished black onyx stone, and around the rabbit’s neck was a tiny, bespoke leather collar stamped with the words: CHIEF INSPECTOR OF VEHICLES.
Sophie gasped, hugging the rabbit tightly against her chest and burying her face in its restored fur.
“He has his eye back!” Sophie cheered, tears of pure, childlike happiness spilling down her flushed cheeks. “Look, Mommy! He can see everything now!”
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Vincent knelt beside her in the snow, his warm hand resting gently on her small shoulder.
“He can see everything, Sophie,” Vincent said softly. “Just like you did on the morning you saved my life.”
