Chapter 5 - The Lion’s Den
The Moretti estate on Long Island was a sprawling, stone fortress surrounded by ten-foot wrought-iron gates, high-voltage security grids, and seventy armed men patrolling the grounds.
For three days, Emma lived inside the grand, sunlit mansion.
Her mother was settled into a luxurious guest suite on the ground floor, cared for by two full-time private nurses who treated Margaret with gentle reverence.
And upstairs, in a sun-drenched bedroom overlooking the ocean, little Sophie was recovering.
Emma sat on the edge of Sophie’s bed, holding a sketchpad while the seven-year-old girl used colorful pencils to draw a picture of a giant bakery filled with smiling cupcakes.
“Dad told me you gave me your blood,” Sophie said softly, looking up with big, dark eyes that perfectly mirrored her father’s. “Does that mean we’re sisters now?”
Emma laughed—a soft, warm sound that filled the room. She reached out, gently smoothing a lock of dark hair away from the girl’s bandaged temple. “It means a piece of my heart is always going to be keeping you safe, sweetheart.”
Standing in the open doorway, Gabriel watched them.
He had spent fifteen years surrounding himself with ruthless men, weapons, and ironclad legal contracts. He had forgotten what warmth felt like. Watching Emma—with her soft, generous curves, her fierce bravery, and her gentle heart—interact with his daughter made something cold and frozen inside his chest shatter into pieces.
He walked into the room, setting a silver tray with fresh tea and warm pastries on the nightstand.
“Sophie,” Gabriel said gently. “It’s time for your afternoon medicine. Let me speak with Emma for a moment.”
Sophie giggled, taking her teddy bear. “Okay, Dad. Don't scare her with your stern voice!”
Gabriel offered a rare, genuine laugh before gesturing for Emma to follow him down the corridor into his private library.
The library was lined with floor-to-ceiling mahogany bookshelves and dominated by a large stone fireplace where a warm fire crackled.
Emma stood near the fire, rubbing her arms. “Gabriel... you can’t keep us here forever. I appreciate everything you’ve done for my mother, but I have a life. I have a job—”
“You don't work at the packaging plant anymore, Emma,” Gabriel said softly, stepping closer to her. He pulled a fresh document from his desk. “I bought the plant yesterday. I shut it down and gave every worker a six-month severance package.”
Emma’s mouth fell open. “You bought the plant just to fire my boss?!”
“He worked you sixty hours a week for minimum wage while you bled for my daughter,” Gabriel said, his voice dropping into a low, intense tone. “He was an insect.”
He stopped inches from her. The heat radiating from his broad body was overwhelming. He reached out, his long, calloused fingers gently lifting her chin so she was forced to look directly into his dark, burning eyes.
“I am taking care of Vance tonight, Emma,” Gabriel whispered, his thumb lightly tracing the soft curve of her jawline. “By tomorrow morning, the men who threatened you and your mother will no longer exist in this city.”
Emma’s breath hitched. She could feel the lethal danger surrounding this man, yet standing this close to him, she felt safer than she had in her entire life.
“Why are you doing all of this for me, Gabriel?” she asked softly, her green eyes searching his face. “It was just a pint of blood.”
“It wasn't just blood, Emma,” Gabriel said, his voice thick with raw emotion. “You ran into the fire when everyone else ran away. You gave your life force to save my daughter without asking for a single cent in return. In a world full of monsters... you are a miracle.”
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He leaned down, pressing his lips gently against her forehead, a gesture of profound, sacred reverence that made Emma’s heart race like a wild drum.
“Stay with me, Emma,” he murmured against her skin. “Let me give you the world you deserve.”
