Chapter 5
"It belongs to me!" Celeste shrieked, her voice pitching into a hysterical, grating register.
Abandoning all logic, Celeste lunged past Matteo, her diamond heels skidding on the marble floor. She reached desperately for Ava’s velvet pouch, her manicured fingers extending like claws toward the terrified three-year-old.
"No!" June cried out, turning her body to completely shield the child.
Matteo moved with blinding, ruthless efficiency. He intercepted Celeste before she could even take a second step. His heavily tattooed hand clamped around her wrist like a steel vice, stopping her forward momentum instantly. He forcefully yanked her backward, pulling her violently away from the child and the maid.
"Let me go!" Celeste screamed, thrashing wildly.
In her blind panic, she swung her free hand at Matteo’s face, her heavy engagement ring flashing in the bright, natural light.
Matteo effortlessly blocked her incoming arm with his forearm. Without a fraction of hesitation, he opened his hand and delivered a thunderous, punishing slap across her face.
The impact cracked through the silent foyer like a whip.
The force of the blow sent Celeste spinning violently backward. She stumbled out of control, her expensive gown twisting around her legs as she hurtled toward the perimeter of the room. She crashed back-first into a tall, freestanding coat rack loaded with heavy garment bags belonging to the memorial guests.
The metal coat rack tipped sideways under her weight and collapsed completely. Thick, black garment bags spilled wildly across the polished floor, burying the area in a chaotic heap of fabric and brass hangers. Celeste fell hard beneath its lightweight frame, entirely pinned by the falling coats. She gasped for breath, holding her rapidly bruising cheek, staring up at the ceiling in complete shock.
Once again, no dialogue was spoken in the immediate aftermath. The guests held their breath, terrified by the sheer, unapologetic violence their Boss had just unleashed upon his own fiancée and her brother. The bright, cinematic lighting cast harsh, unforgiving shadows over the ruined displays and the fallen woman.
Matteo smoothed the lapels of his tailored dark three-piece suit. He slowly reached up and adjusted his cuffs, making sure his family signet ring was perfectly aligned. He looked at Celeste buried under the coats, his expression entirely devoid of human empathy.
"You strike me," Matteo said, his voice dropping into a deadly, measured whisper that carried perfectly in the quiet room. "You attack my men. But you never. Touch my blood."
He turned his back on her, dismissing her existence entirely. He walked slowly back to where June was kneeling on the floor, holding a weeping Ava.
"You did well, June," Matteo murmured, his cold eyes softening by a fraction as he looked at the young employee. "You protected her."
"I would never let them hurt her, Mr. Savelli," June replied shakily, her fair face pale but resolute.
Matteo knelt down, bringing himself to eye level with his daughter. He extended his large, tattooed hand, palm facing upward.
May you like
"Show me, Ava," Matteo whispered gently. "Show Daddy what the man gave you."
Ava sniffled, wiping her rosy nose with the back of her sleeve. She slowly opened her tiny fingers, revealing the small, dark velvet pouch.
