Chapter 10
The heavy silence of the room was broken only by the sharp intake of Mara’s breath. The warm golden light from the remaining candles illuminated the stark, intense devotion burning in Dante's observant eyes. The line between mafia boss and housemaid had been irrevocably shattered, leaving only a man asking a woman to share his dangerous, chaotic world.
"Are you asking me to stay?" Mara whispered, her delicate fingers tightening around his heavily tattooed hand.
"Do you want to leave?" Dante countered, his deep voice softening into a quiet, vulnerable register that he reserved only for her and his son.
"No," Mara answered immediately, her expressive eyes shining with unshed tears. "I never want to leave."
"Then why would I ever let you go?" Dante asked, a genuine, breathtaking smile finally breaking across his handsome, angular face.
He pulled her gently toward him, and Mara leaned down, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin and the steady, reassuring beat of his heart. Dante held her fiercely, burying his face in her dark hair, finding a moment of absolute peace amidst the impending storm.
For a long time, they simply held each other in the quiet, luminous dining room, surrounded by the remnants of the broken engagement. The scent of white roses and candle wax mingled with the expensive cologne on his shirt.
Eventually, Dante pulled back slightly, his expression hardening back into the calculated, strategic mask of a syndicate leader.
"Do you know that the Vale family will likely strike before the sun rises?" Dante asked, his mind already shifting to the violent logistics of the coming war.
"What will we do?" Mara asked, her heart racing as she stood up straight, smoothing her apron, ready to follow his lead.
"Will you go upstairs and pack a bag for yourself and Leo?" Dante instructed, his tone brisk and commanding. "Will you ensure he is dressed and ready to move in ten minutes?"
"We are leaving the mansion?" Mara asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Do you think I would leave the two people I care about most sitting in a glass house while a war rages outside?" Dante replied, reaching for the crystal glass on the table and draining the last of the scotch. "I have a secure safehouse in the mountains. You and Leo will go there tonight with my best men."
"And you?" Mara pleaded, grabbing his hand again. "Are you coming with us?"
"Must I not stay and clean up the mess in my own backyard?" Dante asked, a dark, terrifying smirk crossing his sharp jawline. "Do you think Cressida's father will leave this city alive?"
Mara looked at the dangerous, beautiful man before her, knowing that she could not stop him from doing what he had to do. She nodded slowly.
"Will you promise to come back to us when it is over?" Mara asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
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"Have I ever broken a promise to you, Mara?" Dante asked softly, raising her hand to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
He released her hand, and Mara turned, rushing out of the dining room to prepare for the escape. Dante stood alone in the golden light, reaching for the damaged wooden cane. He looked at the deep cut, his eyes narrowing into cold, unforgiving slits. The war had begun, and the king was ready to fight.
