Chapter 3 - The Godfather’s Protection
The Moretti estate in East Hampton was a fortress. Set upon fifty acres of private beachfront property, surrounded by twelve-foot stone walls, infrared surveillance cameras, and a perimeter patrolled around the clock by elite, ex-military contractors, it was impenetrable.
For ten years, Aleandro had lived in this vast, quiet mansion alone. It was a cold house, filled with marble floors, expensive artwork, and heavy silence—a place built for security, not warmth.
That changed the moment the heavy oak doors opened the following morning.
Annie woke up in a room four times the size of her entire old apartment. The bed was draped in soft silk sheets, and sunlight poured through massive French doors overlooking the ocean.
When Aleandro walked in, wearing his usual immaculate charcoal three-piece suit, he found the little girl sitting in the middle of the giant king-sized bed, staring wide-eyed at the room.
"Good morning, Annie," Aleandro said, stepping softly.
"Just Aleandro!" She jumped up, her tiny feet bouncing on the plush mattress. "Is this a hotel?"
"No," Aleandro said, allowing a rare, genuine smile to break through his stern demeanor. "This is my home. And while your grandmother is recovering in the hospital, it is your home too."
Annie scrambled to the edge of the bed. Aleandro immediately reached out, lifting her effortlessly into his arms. She didn't flinch or pull away; she wrapped her arms around his neck as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Where is Grandma?" she asked, her big brown eyes searching his face.
"She had her surgery early this morning," Aleandro explained, carrying her out into the massive hallway. "The doctor said her heart is much stronger now. She needs to rest for a few days, but she is safe."
"Can I see her?"
"Soon," Aleandro promised. "First, you need breakfast. And then, someone special is coming to see you."
Downstairs in the sunlit dining room, a table was laid out with fresh fruits, pancakes, warm maple syrup, and hot cocoa. A middle-aged woman with a warm, motherly face stood near the kitchen door.
"Boss," she said with a respectful curtsey. "Everything is prepared."
"Annie, this is Mrs. Gable," Aleandro said. "She looks after the house. She is going to make sure you have everything you need."
Mrs. Gable’s eyes softened instantly as she looked at the little girl. She had worked for the Moretti family for twenty years and knew the dark history of the house. Seeing a child in these halls was a miracle.
"Hello, little lady," Mrs. Gable said warmly. "Would you like chocolate chips in your pancakes?"
Annie gasped, looking up at Aleandro. "Can I? Grandma only lets me have chocolate on my birthday!"
Aleandro looked at Mrs. Gable and gave a brief nod. "Double the chocolate chips."
Annie clapped her hands in delight as she was seated in a high chair that Marco had rushed to buy at 5 AM from a local boutique.
As Annie happily devoured her breakfast, Marco entered the room, holding a encrypted phone. He gave Aleandro a brief glance that signaled business.
Aleandro patted Annie on her head. "Eat your breakfast, small one. I'll be back in a minute."
Aleandro stepped into his private study, closing the heavy soundproof doors behind him.
"What is it?" Aleandro asked.
"Donato Valenti accepts the invitation for tonight's Commission meeting," Marco reported. "He thinks you're going to negotiate. He believes he has you backed into a corner because he knows Julian is making moves from Europe."
"And Julian?"
"Julian’s private jet just took off from Rome," Marco said, his voice grim. "He’ll be in New York by sunset. He’s coming for the child, boss. He knows Ruth was brought to Presbyterian, and he knows Annie is with you. He’s going to demand custody of her at the Commission meeting, claiming that as her biological father, he has the ultimate legal and blood right."
Aleandro’s eyes burned with a deadly fire. He walked over to his desk, pulling open a hidden compartment beneath the mahogany wood. Inside lay a thick, leather-bound journal—the private journals of his late father, Don Carmine Moretti.
"Julian has no rights," Aleandro said coldly. "He abandoned that child and her mother to die. He sent a sniper to eliminate an old woman in cold blood."
"The Commission operates on old rules, Aleandro," Marco reminded him gently. "If a biological father claims his child, and the family bosses agree, refusing to hand her over could trigger a full-scale mafia war among all five families. You’d be fighting Valenti and Julian’s faction simultaneously."
Aleandro closed the journal with a loud snap. "Then let them bring war. I have burned down empires for far less."
Suddenly, the study door creaked open. Annie stood there, holding a half-eaten strawberry, her face smeared with chocolate. She looked up at the two men, sensing the heavy, dark energy in the room.
"Aleandro?" she asked quietly. "Are you mad at me?"
The icy rage in Aleandro’s heart melted away instantly. He walked over, kneeling down before her, completely ignoring the fact that chocolate was getting on his custom silk tie.
"I could never be mad at you, Annie," he said, taking a napkin from his pocket and gently wiping her cheek.
"You look scary," she whispered softly, touching his cheek with her small hand. "Like the big bear in my book."
Aleandro took her tiny hand in his massive, scarred palm. "Bears protect their family, Annie. That's my job."
Annie smiled, wrapping her small arms around his neck, hugging him tight. "I like my new home, Just Aleandro."
Aleandro closed his eyes, holding his niece tightly against his chest. For twenty years, he had lived in a world of violence, deception, and loneliness. He had believed that power was the only thing worth fighting for.
But holding this innocent child, he realized the truth. Power was meaningless unless you used it to protect the innocent.
"Marco," Aleandro said over Annie’s shoulder, his voice cold as steel.
May you like
"Yes, boss?"
"Prepare the Commission meeting at the Grand Midtown Hotel tonight. And tell our men to mobilize the entire family heavy infantry. Tonight, we end Julian and Valenti once and for all."
