Chapter 7 - The Library Truce
The private library of the Moretti estate was a cathedral of dark mahogany, leather-bound classics, and a roaring stone fireplace that cast dancing amber light across the Persian rugs.
When Alessandro pushed open the heavy double doors, he found an unexpected domestic tableau waiting for him.
Sophia was sitting in a velvet wingback chair near the fire, a cup of tea cooling on the side table, watching with a mixture of awe and nervous tension. On the rug beside her, Bruno was resting his bandaged leg, his head pillowed on a soft velvet cushion.
And right in the center of the room, sitting cross-legged on the floor with an oversized picture book spread across her lap, was Emma.
She looked up the moment the door clicked open.
"You took a long time," Emma announced, pointing a small finger at him accusingly. "Stories start when the sun goes down. It's dark now."
Alessandro closed the door softly behind him. He removed his suit jacket, tossing it over the back of a nearby sofa, and walked slowly toward them, loosening his tie.
"I had a meeting, little one," Alessandro said, his deep voice softening as he stopped a few feet away. "Important business."
"More important than bears?" Emma demanded, holding up a brightly illustrated book about a forest full of grumpy woodland creatures.
Sophia hurriedly stood up, her face flushing. "Mr. Moretti, please, I tried to get her into bed an hour ago, but she insisted—"
"It's fine, Sophia," Alessandro interrupted, lowering himself onto the Persian rug directly across from Emma. The sight of the billionaire—a man whose word could spark a turf war—sitting flat on the floor in his crisp white shirt and slacks was something Marco Bellini would have paid a million dollars to witness.
Emma shoved the book forward, landing it squarely in Alessandro’s lap. "You read the grumpy bear part. I like when you do the low voice."
Alessandro blinked in surprise. "I did the low voice yesterday?"
"Yes. You sounded like a cave monster. Do it again."
Sophia covered her mouth to hide a sudden, involuntary laugh. Alessandro looked up at her, catching her eye, and for the first second, a genuine, unguarded smile touched the corners of his lips.
"Very well," Alessandro murmured, clearing his throat. He opened the book, his dark eyes scanning the colorful pages, before dropping his voice into a theatrical, rumbling baritone. "Once upon a time, deep in the dark forest, lived a bear who hated everyone..."
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Bruno let out a long, contented sigh from his cushion, closing his eyes as the deep, rhythmic vibrations of Alessandro’s voice filled the massive library.
For the first time in sixteen years, the Moretti estate didn't feel like a fortress guarded by fear. It felt, impossibly, like a home.
