Chapter 3
Ava sniffled, her small hands trembling as she pulled back slightly from her father's shoulder. The bright, natural light illuminated her fair, rosy cheeks, which were stained with fresh tears. In her tiny hands, she still clutched the small, dark velvet pouch.
"Daddy," Ava cried, her sweet American accent breaking through the heavy, oppressive silence of the hotel foyer. She pressed the velvet pouch firmly against the dark fabric of Matteo’s tailored suit shoulder.
"What is it, little bird?" Matteo murmured, his voice softening only for her, though his cold eyes never left Celeste’s face. "What do you have?"
Ava looked down at the pouch, her lower lip trembling. "Daddy… the man in Grandpa’s coat gave me this."
The entire foyer seemed to stop breathing. Matteo froze. His thick, wavy hair shifted slightly as his head snapped down to look at the velvet pouch. The words "Grandpa's coat" hit him like a physical blow. His father had died weeks ago, and today was the official memorial reception. The coat had been buried with him.
"What did you just say?" Matteo asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous, breathless whisper.
Celeste’s eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated panic. Recognizing the catastrophic danger of the pouch being opened, she lunged forward like a cornered animal, her manicured claws reaching desperately for the velvet bag in the child’s hand.
"Give me that!" Celeste shrieked.
Before Matteo could intercept her, rapid footsteps echoed from behind him. Nolan Graham, Celeste’s thirty-nine-year-old brother and a trusted Mafia-family associate, charged out from the crowd of stunned guests. Nolan wore a formal suit, his polished leather shoes skidding slightly on the marble. His fair, rosy skin was flushed with adrenaline.
"Get away from her!" Nolan roared, his American accent loud and aggressive.
Nolan grabbed Matteo roughly from behind, his hands clamping down on the shoulders of Matteo’s tailored suit. With a violent jerk, Nolan yanked the Mafia Boss backward and struck his shoulder with a heavy, closed fist, attempting to knock him off balance so Celeste could snatch the pouch.
Matteo stumbled half a step, the sudden impact jarring him. But the Boss of the Savelli family was not an easy man to topple. He immediately steadied his masculine frame, his jaw clenching as the artistic tattoos on his hands flexed.
"June," Matteo commanded, his voice a low, lethal hum that sliced through the chaos.
"Yes, sir!" June responded instantly.
Matteo smoothly placed Ava safely on the ground beside the young employee. June immediately wrapped her arms around the three-year-old, pulling her back toward the heavy wooden doors of the ballroom, completely shielding the child from the erupting violence.
Matteo slowly turned around to face Nolan. The charming, romantic look of the loose strands falling over his forehead now framed the face of an absolute apex predator.
"You put your hands. On me," Matteo said slowly, measuring every syllable with cold, terrifying precision.
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"You're out of control, Matteo!" Nolan shouted, bouncing on the balls of his feet, raising his fists. "My sister is your fiancée! You don't get to threaten her in public!"
"I am going to do. Much more than threaten," Matteo whispered.
