Chapter 5 - The Glass Fortress
The penthouse apartment in the Gold Coast was unlike anything Samantha had ever imagined.
It occupied the top two floors of a modern, steel-and-glass tower overlooking Lake Michigan. The walls were smooth white marble, the furniture low and elegant, and the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over a blue-gray expanse of water that seemed to stretch into the sky.
Lily had already been led to her new bedroom by a kind, older housekeeper named Teresa. Her room was three times the size of their entire previous apartment, filled with white wood furniture, a collection of brand-new art supplies, and a window seat that looked out over the harbor.
Samantha stood in the center of the massive living room, her worn beige coat still draped over her shoulders, her fingers tracing the edge of a velvet sofa.
"You can take your coat off, Samantha," Vincent said, stepping into the room from his study. He had removed his suit jacket, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms. "You live here now."
She slowly slipped the coat off, setting it on the back of the sofa. "I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Moretti. You... you saved us. Agnes would have taken her."
"You don't need to thank me," Vincent said, walking over to a small wet bar and pouring two fingers of scotch. He offered her a glass of white wine, which she took with a soft murmur of thanks. "It was a deal. And you have already delivered your side of it. The news of our marriage has already reached the papers. My family's board is... exceptionally pleased. They believe a woman of your background—a hard-working, honest girl from the South Side—is exactly what the Moretti image needs to secure the new municipal contracts."
He raised his glass to her.
"To a successful partnership, Mrs. Moretti," he said.
Samantha touched her glass to his, the crystal chiming in the quiet room. "Is it really going to be three years?"
"Unless you want to leave sooner," Vincent said, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "But I think you'll find the life here... comfortable. You don't have to work fourteen-hour shifts anymore, Samantha. You don't have to worry about the rent, or the heat, or the price of medicine. You can just be a sister. And I can just be a husband."
He stepped closer, his physical presence suddenly filling the space between them. He reached out, his hand gently lifting her chin so she had to look at him.
"But remember what I said in the diner," he whispered, his voice low and warm. "Loyalty is the only thing I ask for. The world outside this building is dangerous. There are men who will try to use you to get to me. They will offer you things, they will threaten you, and they will tell you lies about what I do."
"I don't care what they say," Samantha said, her green eyes clear and steady. "I know what you did for my sister today. That's the only truth I need."
Vincent stared at her for a long, quiet moment, his thumb brushing the soft skin of her jawline. A rare, genuine softness appeared in his eyes—a look that no business associate, union leader, or rival had ever seen.
"Good," he said, stepping back and taking a sip of his drink. "Now, go check on your sister. I believe Teresa has prepared a chocolate cake to welcome her to her new home."
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As Samantha walked down the long, sunlit corridor toward Lily's room, she looked down at the heavy gold band on her finger. It was still a little too large, but as she watched her sister laughing with the housekeeper through the open doorway, she knew she would never take it off.
The devil had given her a fortress, and for the first time in her life, Samantha Hayes felt entirely safe.
