Chapter 5 - The Reading of the Vow
An hour later, Sophia stood nervously in the center of Lorenzo’s grand study on the third floor.
The heavy mahogany desk had been cleared, and the smell of cigar smoke and aged leather filled the warm room. Lorenzo sat in his high-backed leather chair, wearing an unbuttoned black silk shirt over his chest bandages.
Beside Sophia stood Emma, wearing a fresh yellow corduroy dress and holding a brand-new box of colored pencils.
Lorenzo looked at the young mother and child. For seven years, he had seen Sophia as merely a quiet, efficient presence in his home—a maid who kept the estate immaculate and stayed out of sight. He had seen Emma as just a little girl who occasionally hid behind her mother's skirts.
He had been blind.
"Sophia," Lorenzo said, his voice deep and solemn. "Three weeks ago, my closest lieutenant betrayed me for money and power. Men I paid millions to protect me stood by and let it happen."
Sophia lowered her head. "I only did what anyone would do, Don Lorenzo."
"No," Lorenzo interrupted firmly. "You could have run. You could have walked out the kitchen door with your daughter and never looked back. Instead, you called Dr. Ricci, you identified the traitor, and you gave Marco the evidence needed to take down Vincent."
He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out two items.
The first was a heavy velvet box. He opened it, revealing a pair of custom-made, high-precision craft scissors forged from pure titanium, with smooth handles lined in soft pink enamel.
Emma’s eyes went wide. "Pink scissors!"
Lorenzo smiled—a genuine, warm smile that transformed his intimidating face into that of a loving uncle. "The best scissors in the world for the bravest girl in this city."
He handed the box to Emma, who accepted it with a breathless "Thank you, Uncle Lorenzo!"
Then, Lorenzo pulled a thick stack of legal documents from his drawer and pushed them across the desk to Sophia.
"What is this?" Sophia asked, her voice trembling.
"This is the deed to the Duca seaside villa in Naples," Lorenzo said calmly. "Along with a trust fund established in Emma’s name that will cover her education, her life, and her children's lives for generations to come."
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Sophia gasped, stepping back. "Don Lorenzo, I can't accept this! It's too much—"
"It is not enough," Lorenzo said, standing up slowly and walking around his desk until he was standing right in front of them. "From this day forward, you are no longer a maid in this house, Sophia. You and Emma are family. Under my personal protection, forever."
