Chapter 3 - The Shadow Over the City
Three weeks later, the snow began to fall over Manhattan.
I was no longer staying in the servants' quarters on the ground floor. Dominic had moved me into the grand master suite on the top level of Blackthorne House, placing four armed guards outside my door around the clock.
My shoulder was healing, though my arm remained in a black silk sling.
Every afternoon, Caleb would sneak past his tutors, bringing a tray of warm tea and sugar cookies up to my room. He would sit on the edge of my king-sized bed, chattering happily about his school drawings, completely oblivious to the war brewing outside the estate's iron gates.
"Mara?" Caleb asked one snowy afternoon, looking up from his sketchpad. "Dad said you're not going to be a maid anymore."
I paused, setting my teacup down. "Did he?"
Caleb nodded vigorously. "He said you're a warrior princess who’s staying here forever to keep us safe."
A faint, bittersweet smile touched my lips. "Your dad exaggerates, Caleb."
"No, he doesn't," a low voice spoke from the doorway.
Dominic walked into the room, wearing a midnight-blue tailored suit, his dark hair neatly styled. He looked at Caleb gently. "Caleb, go down to the kitchen. Mrs. Bell made fresh apple pie."
Caleb jumped off the bed with a cheer, hugging my waist tightly before running out into the hallway.
Dominic closed the door behind him, his expression instantly turning serious as he stepped toward the desk. He pulled a heavy encrypted satellite laptop from his briefcase and opened it on the mahogany surface.
"Gideon Vance made his first move," Dominic announced, turning the screen toward me.
On the display was a series of financial news reports. Mercer Global Investments—Dominic's primary front company—was being hit by a massive, coordinated cyberattack. Stock prices were plummeting, federal regulators were opening surprise audits on his shipping docks, and three of his key syndicate allies in Brooklyn had been targeted in drive-by shootings over the last forty-eight hours.
"He's trying to starve me out," Dominic said coldly. "He knows he can't breach Blackthorne House by force, so he's dismantling my empire from the outside to force me to hand you over."
I walked over to the desk, my heart heavy with guilt. "Dominic, this is going to ruin you. The Obsidian Network has limitless funds. They control politicians, judges, and federal agents. If you keep protecting me, they will destroy everything you've built."
Dominic stepped closer to me, his presence overwhelming the small space between us. He reached out, grabbing my waist with his uninjured hand, pulling me flush against his chest.
"Let them try," Dominic whispered, his breath warm against my neck. "I spent fifteen years building this empire to protect my family, Seraphina. And whether you like it or not, you became part of this family the moment you took those bullets for my son."
I looked up into his dark, intense eyes. My breath hitched as the distance between our lips closed.
Dominic kissed me—a deep, fierce, possessive kiss that filled me with a sudden, electrifying heat. All the years I had spent running, hiding in the shadows, cold and alone, vanished in an instant. For the first time in eight years, I felt anchored, safe, and wildly alive.
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When he finally pulled back, his dark eyes were burning with lethal promise.
"Gideon Vance thinks he's fighting a maid," Dominic murmured against my lips. "It's time we show him what happens when he pokes the monster of New York."
