Chapter 5 - A Seamstress in the Sovereign’s ShadowSilence settled over the private study, vast, heavy, and profound.
Outside, the Atlantic gale battered the reinforced glass windows of the estate, but inside the room, the fire of split birch crackled with steady, golden warmth.
Dominic did not release his hold on my waist immediately.
He held me against the solid warmth of his chest for a long, quiet second, his dark eyes searching mine with a raw, unvarnished intensity that made my pulse roar like a rising tide.
“Your mother’s medical debts in South Boston were settled thirty minutes ago, Maya,” Dominic murmured, his deep baritone vibrating through my ribs. “The collections agencies have been dissolved by court order. The deed to her apartment building on E Street has been purchased and transferred to your name.”
Tears spilled over my lashes, hot and fast against my cheeks.
“Dominic... you didn't have to do that.”
“I do for the woman who brought my brother home, Maya,” he whispered, his thumb wiping away a stray tear from my cheekbone with breathtaking gentleness. “In my world, loyalty like yours is not paid in hourly wages. It is answered with life.”
The heavy mahogany doors clicked open softly.
Dante walked into the study, holding an encrypted satellite communicator.
“Don Dominic.”
Dominic slowly stepped back, his hand resting reassuringly on my shoulder. “Speak, Dante.”
“The regional capos from Providence, Portland, and New York have assembled in the grand dining hall,” Dante reported, his jaw tight with grim anticipation. “They have reviewed the Bangor salvage receipts and the vehicle registration. The Commission is demanding a formal tribunal.”
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A cold, lethal smile touched the corners of Dominic’s lips.
“Bring the gold lighter, Dante,” Dominic said softly. “It is time to close the family ledger.”
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