Chapter 6 - The Gold-Plated Prison
The Vitali estate in Lincoln Park was less of a home and more of a fortress disguised as an architectural masterpiece.
Wrought-iron gates swung open automatically as the Maybach approached, rolling up a long, heated cobblestone driveway flanked by manicured boxwood hedges and towering stone fountains. The mansion itself rose against the skyline like a limestone palace, its tall arched windows gleaming under the darkening Chicago sky.
When the car stopped, a driver in a crisp uniform opened my door.
I stepped out, my boots crunching softly on the stone. I looked up at the towering double doors of the entrance, feeling an overwhelming wave of claustrophobia wash over me.
“Welcome home,” Alessandro murmured, appearing at my side, his hand resting lightly and possessively against the small of my back.
“This isn't a home, Alessandro,” I whispered, my voice trembling as I looked around at the silent, imposing grounds. “It’s a cage.”
“It’s safe,” he corrected quietly. “And that’s all that matters right now.”
He led me inside through a grand foyer lined with Italian marble floors, crystal chandeliers that rivaled the ones at the Obsidian Hotel, and priceless oil paintings hung along curving staircases. An elderly woman with silver hair tied in a neat bun and wearing a pristine black dress waited at the foot of the stairs.
“Mr. Vitali,” she greeted with a polite, formal nod. Then her dark eyes shifted to me, softening slightly. “And you must be Miss Miller. I am Mrs. Gable, head housekeeper. I’ve prepared the west wing suite for you.”
“West wing?” I echoed, looking at Alessandro. “You gave me an entire wing?”
“You need space to rest, and quiet to study,” Alessandro stated matter-of-factly. “Your nursing textbooks and clothes have already been retrieved from your friend Liam’s apartment.”
My eyes widened in shock. “You searched Liam’s apartment?!”
“My men packed your belongings safely while you were at work,” Alessandro corrected smoothly. “I also left a cashier’s check for your friend to compensate him for your sudden departure and ensure his rent is covered for the next two years.”
“You didn't have the right to do that!” I shouted, a flash of pure fury overtaking my fear. “Liam is like a brother to me! You can't just buy people out of my life like they’re corporate shares!”
Alessandro’s jaw tightened. He stepped closer, towering over me, his amber eyes flashing with warning.
“I didn't buy him out of your life; I protected him,” Alessandro said, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. “The moment my enemies realize I have a woman carrying my child, everyone in your orbit becomes a target. By moving you here and securing your friends, I am keeping you alive. Do you understand me?”
The harsh reality of his words hit me like a physical blow.
For all my anger, for all my desperate desire for independence, I knew he was right. The moment I took that pregnancy test in Liam’s bathroom, my old life had ceased to exist. I was tied to a man whose enemies played dirty, whose world was built on blood, concrete, and billions of dollars.
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“Go up to your suite, Elizabeth,” Alessandro commanded softly, his hand lingering on my shoulder before he stepped back. “Mrs. Gable will bring you dinner. A private OB-GYN will arrive at eight o’clock for your initial examination.”
I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears stinging my eyes. I turned around and walked up the grand staircase behind Mrs. Gable, leaving the billionaire standing alone in the marble foyer—a king guarding his fortress, whether I wanted to be protected or not.
