Chapter 5 - A Brother’s Life Bought in GoldAt 7:00 AM, the cold winter sun broke over Lake Michigan in a sharp, blinding blaze of sapphire and gold.
In the private medical suite of the compound’s west wing, I sat propped up against fluffy white pillows, holding a warm cup of herbal tea that Mrs. Carter had prepared with a motherly smile.
My left hand was immobilised in a clean fiberglass cast, the excruciating throbbing finally reduced to a dull, manageable hum thanks to the targeted nerve block Dr. Vance had administered.
The double doors opened, and Matteo walked in.
He had showered and changed into an unbuttoned white dress shirt and dark tailored trousers, looking refreshed, powerful, and breathtakingly handsome.
He walked over to the bed, holding a secure tablet in his right hand.
He sat on the edge of the mattress, tapping the screen.
“Your brother Leo is resting in the private neurology pavilion at Northwestern, Maya,” Matteo said softly, turning the display toward me.
On the live video feed, Leo was sitting up in a sunlit private hospital room, wearing a clean hospital gown, laughing with two senior physicians as a nurse adjusted his intravenous medication.
“The chief of neurology confirmed that his seizure threshold has already stabilized under the new anticonvulsant regimen,” Matteo continued, his deep baritone thick with genuine warmth. “His treatment trust has been funded with five million dollars in an irrevocable account. He will never miss a single pill for the rest of his life.”
A choked sob escaped my throat. Tears of pure, overwhelming gratitude spilled over my cheeks as I pressed my right hand against my mouth.
“Mr. Rossi... Matteo... five million dollars? I could work a hundred years and never repay this—”
“You don't repay family, Maya,” Matteo murmured softly, reaching out with his large, warm hand, gently wiping away a tear from my cheekbone with his thumb.
The touch was so gentle, so completely at odds with his terrifying reputation, that my heart raced against my ribs like a trapped bird.
“You took an iron door to the bone to protect my brother’s memory,” he whispered, his gray eyes searching mine with an intensity that took my breath away. “You gave me the weapon I needed to destroy the men who murdered Julian. In this house, that kind of loyalty is answered with life.”
Before I could answer, Marco stepped into the room, his face rigid with operational focus.
“Boss. Arthur Vance’s convoy has just arrived at the main gate. Five armored sedans, twenty armed guards. The foreign delegates have assembled in the grand dining hall for the alliance breakfast.”
Matteo stood up smoothly, his gentle expression snapping back into the stone mask of the sovereign.
“Are the harbor files loaded on the presentation monitors, Marco?”
“Every single frame of the reconstructed video, sir. Ready on your command.”
May you like
Matteo looked down at me, taking my uninjured hand into his.
“It is time, Maya. Come with me to the banquet hall. It’s time to show this city who rules the water.”
Related Stories
