Chapter 4
The crisp, natural sunlight caught the expensive fabric of the tailored suit as Victor Carter stepped out from the shadows of the adjoining dining room. At forty-one years old, Evelyn’s nephew was a high-ranking associate within the Mafia family, a man who built his reputation on ruthless, unthinking violence. He wore a luxury wristwatch that glinted sharply in the cinematic light, his fair and rosy skin flushed with sudden, aggressive anger.
"You talk too much, you little bitch," Victor snarled, his American accent thick with aggressive malice.
Before anyone could react, Victor lunged forward across the bright nursery carpet. He reached past Daniel and violently grabbed Marissa by her hair. The twenty-seven-year-old housekeeper let out a piercing, terrified shriek as Victor yanked her backward, her flats skidding helplessly across the floor. He intended to drag her back into the service corridor to silence her permanently.
Daniel did not shout. He did not issue a warning.
With fluid, terrifying grace, Daniel slowly rose to his full, imposing height. He shifted Noah effortlessly higher on his chest, ensuring the newborn was perfectly shielded beneath his broad shoulder and the lapel of his dark suit. He turned his head, his cold, calculating eyes locking onto his cousin.
"Let her go," Daniel commanded. His voice was not raised, yet it carried the undeniable, crushing weight of an absolute ruler.
Victor sneered, tightening his grip on Marissa’s hair. The housekeeper sobbed, clutching at Victor’s heavy, masculine hands.
"She is spreading lies about your mother, Daniel," Victor argued, his chest puffing out in a pathetic display of dominance. "You’ve been soft ever since you married this outsider. I'm just cleaning up the staff. Someone needs to teach these people respect."
"I am the head of this family, Victor," Daniel said, taking one slow, deliberate step forward. The polished leather of his shoes made no sound, but the predatory intent was unmistakable. "You do not touch my staff. You do not touch my wife. And you absolutely do not raise your voice in the room where my son is sleeping."
Evelyn, sensing the shift in the room's dynamic, stepped forward from the dining table. "Listen to your cousin, Daniel! Victor is protecting the integrity of this family! Clara is weak, and this maid is a liar!"
"I told you," Daniel murmured, his eyes never leaving Victor’s face, "to let her go."
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"Or what, Danny?" Victor taunted, a cruel, overconfident smirk spreading across his fair face. He genuinely believed that Daniel, holding a newborn in one arm, was physically incapacitated. "You're going to fight me with a baby in your arms? You've lost your edge. You let a woman make you weak."
Victor made the ultimate, fatal miscalculation. Believing he held the tactical advantage, he shoved Marissa violently against the wall and turned his full attention to the Mafia boss. He raised his fists, stepping heavily into Daniel's personal space, fully intending to strike the head of the family and assert his own dominance in the bright, unforgiving light of the nursery.
