Chapter 5 - The Lockdown
By 4:00 AM, the entire Moretti estate was locked down under maximum security protocols. Iron gates were reinforced with steel barricades, armed guards with automatic rifles patrolled every fifty yards of the perimeter, and signal jammers were activated to prevent external electronic surveillance.
Inside the master suite, Clara sat on the edge of a massive velvet-upholstered bed, watching Lily sleep peacefully under heavy silk sheets. The room was luxurious beyond anything she had ever seen—adorned with dark mahogany furniture, bulletproof glass windows, and state-of-the-art security monitors displaying real-time feeds of the grounds.
Adrian walked into the room carrying a tray with tea and warm food. He set it down on the bedside table.
“Eat,” he said simply. “You need your strength.”
“Thank you,” Clara said softly. “I... I don't know how to repay you for this, Mr. Moretti.”
“Call me Adrian,” he said, pulling up a chair across from her. “And you don't owe me anything yet. But we have a war on our hands.”
“Is Victor coming here?”
“He wouldn't dare attack this house directly with raw force,” Adrian explained. “That would invite total retaliation from every family in the Chicago Syndicate. He will try to use leverage, blackmail, or another traitor within my ranks.”
Just then, Adrian’s secure satellite phone buzzed on his belt. He answered it, placing it on speakerphone so Clara could hear.
“Adrian,” Victor Kane’s smooth, malicious voice came through the speaker. “I hear you’ve had a busy night in the north wing.”
“Victor,” Adrian replied calmly, his posture completely relaxed despite the tension in the room. “You sent a rat into my house.”
“I was merely retrieving lost property,” Victor sneered. “Clara Vance stole sensitive corporate assets belonging to Kane Enterprises five years ago. She is a criminal, Adrian. Hand her over, along with the lockbox, and we can pretend this little boundary violation never happened.”
“And the child?” Adrian asked quietly.
A brief pause came over the line. “The child is my brother’s blood. She belongs with family.”
“She belongs with her mother,” Adrian countered sharply. “And as long as they are under my roof, they are under my protection.”
Victor’s voice turned icy cold. “Don't do this, Moretti. You’re starting a war over a housemaid and a bastard orphan. Look at your financial ledgers tomorrow morning. See how much this protection costs you.”
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“I’ve already looked,” Adrian said with a cold, terrifying smile. “And I’ve decided I can afford it. If I see another one of your men within five miles of my property, I won't just kill them, Victor. I will release every drive in this lockbox to the Department of Justice.”
The line went dead with a sharp click.
