Chapter 7 - The Lincoln Park Sanctuary
The Moretti estate in Lincoln Park was a breathtaking stone mansion surrounded by fifteen-foot wrought-iron fences, mature oak trees, and discreet security cameras hidden among the ivy.
When Sal led Sophie through the grand oak front doors, she expected a cold, intimidating fortress. Instead, she found a warm, elegant home filled with rich hardwood floors, burning fireplaces, classical artwork, and the faint, pleasant scent of leather and old books.
A kind, elderly woman named Maria met them in the foyer, handing Sophie a warm cashmere throw blanket and leading her upstairs to a guest suite overlooking the gardens.
“Mr. Moretti doesn't bring guests here,” Maria mentioned with a warm smile as she set a tray of tea and fresh cookies on the bedside table. “In ten years, you are the first person who isn't family to enter this house, child.”
Sophie sat on the edge of the plush four-poster bed, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. “He’s in danger, isn't he?”
Maria’s smile faded slightly, replaced by a quiet, maternal sadness. “Gabriel has lived in danger since the day he was born, Miss Sophie. But tonight... tonight he has something real to fight for.”
At eleven o'clock that evening, the heavy front doors downstairs opened and closed.
Sophie, who had been sitting by the bedroom fireplace unable to sleep, immediately stood up and walked down the grand mahogany staircase.
Gabriel stood in the foyer.
He had discarded his tie and unbuttoned his top two shirt buttons. His dark hair was messy, and his eyes looked exhausted, but when he looked up and saw Sophie standing on the stairs, the tension in his broad shoulders visibly dissolved.
“You’re awake,” he said softly, walking toward the staircase.
“I couldn't sleep,” she replied, coming down the remaining steps until she stood on the marble floor before him. “Did you find out who breached the system?”
Gabriel reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black USB drive.
“Our IT director found a backdoor program installed on the security server three weeks ago,” Gabriel explained, his voice low and dangerous. “It was used to clone your administrator account the moment I signed your promotion paperwork.”
Sophie’s breath caught in her throat. “Victor?”
“Victor,” Gabriel confirmed with a cold nod. “He’s been taking payments from the Falcone family for eighteen months. He helped them organize the warehouse fire to destroy our shipping manifests and frame you, knowing I would be forced to eliminate your department.”
“Oh God,” Sophie whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. “What are you going to do?”
Gabriel stepped closer, taking her face in both of his hands. His touch was so gentle, so contrasting against the dark reality of his world, that tears pricked the corners of Sophie’s hazel eyes.
“I am going to handle Victor,” Gabriel promised softly. “And then I am going to make sure no one ever threatens you again.”
“Gabriel, please be careful,” she sobbed softly, resting her hands against his broad chest, feeling the heavy, steady thud of his heart beneath his shirt. “I don't care about the promotion. I don't care about the corporate office. I just... I don't want anything to happen to you.”
Gabriel looked down at her, his dark eyes blazing with a powerful, overwhelming emotion.
He didn't answer with words. Instead, he slid his hand behind her neck, pulled her gently toward him, and pressed his lips against hers.
The kiss was deep, passionate, and filled with years of unspoken longing. Sophie gasped into his mouth, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, sinking into his strength as he pulled her broad, soft frame flush against his solid body.
For Gabriel, holding her felt like coming home after a lifetime in the desert. She wasn't an asset or a business partner. She was his warmth, his light, his sanctuary.
When he finally pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, both of them were breathing heavily.
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“I spent my whole life thinking I had to be stone to survive, Sophie,” Gabriel whispered against her lips. “Then you walked into my life with a cart full of stolen chicken and showed me what I was actually living for.”
Before Sophie could reply, a deafening explosion rocked the front gates of the estate.
