Chapter 5 - A Sister's Debt Paid in FullAt 7:00 AM, the autumn morning broke over Long Island in a pale wash of gold and slate-gray.
In the private recovery suite of the estate’s east wing, I sat propped up against fluffy white pillows, holding a warm cup of peppermint tea that Mrs. Carter had brought me.
My left hand was immobilised in a clean fiberglass cast, the throbbing pain finally reduced to a dull, manageable ache thanks to the medications Dr. Harris had administered.
The door opened, and Dante walked in.
He wore an unbuttoned black dress shirt and charcoal trousers, looking relaxed, powerful, and remarkably whole. In his right hand, he carried a secure tablet.
He sat on the edge of the mattress, tapping the screen.
“Your sister Mia has completed her first targeted transfusion at North Shore, Nora,” Dante said softly, turning the screen toward me.
On the video feed, Mia was sitting up in a sunlit private hospital room, laughing with two nurses, color blooming back into her cheeks.
“The hematology team confirmed that her bone marrow markers are already responding,” Dante continued, his deep voice thick with genuine warmth. “Dr. Harris has enrolled her in a cutting-edge clinical protocol that carries an eighty-five percent permanent remission rate. Her medical trust has been funded with five million dollars.”
A choked sob escaped my throat. Tears of pure, overwhelming gratitude spilled over my cheeks as I pressed my right hand against my mouth.
“Dante... five million dollars? I cannot possibly repay this in ten lifetimes—”
“You don't repay family, Nora,” Dante murmured, reaching out with his large, warm hand, gently wiping away a tear from my cheekbone with his thumb.
The gesture was so tender, so completely at odds with his reputation as the terrifying Iron Sovereign of the waterfront, that my heart hammered against my ribs.
“You stood between a traitor and my mother’s memory,” he whispered, his gray eyes searching mine with an intensity that took my breath away. “You took the blow meant for my life. The debt is mine, and I will spend the rest of my days ensuring you never know fear again.”
Before I could answer, Daniel knocked on the open doorframe, his face rigid with operational focus.
“Boss. Salvatore Bellini’s convoy has just entered the main gate. Eight vehicles, thirty armed men. The wedding guests are assembling in the chapel on the bluffs.”
Dante stood up smoothly, his gentle expression snapping back into the cold, impenetrable mask of the don.
“Is the altar prepared, Daniel?”
“The glass replica is in the velvet box on the altar table, sir. Just as Miss Bellini requested.”
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Dante looked back down at me, taking my uninjured hand into his.
“It is time, Nora. Come with me to the chapel. It’s time to show this city who rules the water.”
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