Chapter 10 - The Five-Minute Hug
Six months later.
The grand marble corridor of the Duca estate was packed with people.
Twenty senior capos, business associates, and high-ranking lieutenants stood in two neat lines, dressed in sharp black suits, holding leather folders, waiting for the weekly syndicate briefing to begin.
Matteo and Luca stood near the massive mahogany doors of the master office, checking security manifests on their tablets.
The heavy double doors opened.
Clara Duca—looking stunning in a emerald silk dress, her diamond engagement ring sparkling under the crystal chandeliers—stepped out into the hallway. Behind her came Lorenzo, wearing a bespoke black suit, looking every bit the sovereign ruler of Chicago's underworld.
The capos immediately bowed their heads in deep respect. "Don Duca. Mrs. Duca."
Before Lorenzo could address the room, a tiny pair of footsteps pattered rapidly down the marble floor.
Four-year-old Mia—wearing a bright yellow dress and shiny black shoes, clutching her worn plush rabbit—came running around the corner, ignoring the twenty hardened mobsters entirely.
She stopped right in front of Lorenzo.
She held up four fingers.
"Lorenzo!" Mia declared in her clear, loud voice. "You promised!"
The capos froze. A few of the newer lieutenants looked terrified, expecting the Don to snap at the interruption.
Matteo smiled quietly into his tablet. Luca chuckled under his breath.
Lorenzo looked down at his stepdaughter. The cold, intimidating aura of the most feared mob boss in Chicago dissolved in less than a second.
Without an ounce of hesitation, in front of twenty of the most dangerous men in the city, Lorenzo Duca dropped onto both knees on the cold marble floor.
He opened his broad arms wide.
Mia stepped straight into his embrace, wrapping her small arms tightly around his neck. Lorenzo pulled her close against his chest, resting his chin on her soft shoulder, closing his eyes as a look of absolute, profound peace settled over his face.
Clara stepped beside them, leaning down to place a loving hand on Lorenzo’s shoulder, looking down at her husband and daughter with a heart full of boundless love.
Lorenzo looked up at his capos from the marble floor, his eyes steady, proud, and completely unbothered.
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"The meeting will begin in five minutes," Don Lorenzo Duca commanded quietly. "I have an important debt to pay."
And on the marble floor of his fortress, surrounded by his empire, the man who had built walls for eleven years held his family tight, knowing he would never be lonely again.
