Chapter 6 - The Dragon’s Ledger
The master study on the top floor was lined with floor-to-ceiling leather books, dark mahogany furniture, and a roaring stone fireplace that cast long, golden shadows across the room.
Alina sat on a plush velvet sofa, wrapped in a soft white blanket, sipping a cup of hot chamomile tea. Dante sat across from her in a leather armchair, having removed his burgundy suit jacket and rolled up his white silk shirt sleeves, exposing the dense dragon ink covering his forearms.
He laid a weathered, dark leather notebook on the table between them.
"This belonged to your mother," Dante said quietly.
Alina’s hand stopped halfway to her cup. "My mother's diary?"
"It's not a diary. It's a syndicate ledger," Dante explained, resting his broad hands on his knees. "Twenty years ago, my father—your grandfather—ruled this city. When he died, the Moretti family attempted a violent coup. Your mother, Elena, was the lead accountant for our family's legitimate real estate holdings."
He tapped the leather cover gently. "Before she went into hiding, she encrypted the entire Moretti network’s illegal transaction files into this ledger. She didn't run because she was afraid of me, Lena. She ran because she held the single most dangerous piece of evidence in North America."
Alina reached out with trembling fingers, touching the worn leather cover of her mother's notebook. She recognized her mother's neat, elegant handwriting on the inner cover.
"She kept this locked in our old wooden chest," Alina whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "She told me it contained family recipes."
"She protected you the only way she knew how," Dante said softly, his voice full of genuine respect. "She sacrificed a life of luxury and power so you would never be dragged into this blood sport."
"Then why did you bring me here?" Alina asked, looking up at him. "If she wanted me away from this world... why bring me into your house?"
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Dante leaned forward, his cold dark eyes burning with unshakeable conviction. "Because Moretti discovered who you were three days ago. He found your employment records at the restaurant. If I hadn't found you tonight, Lena, he would have used you as leverage to destroy everything your mother bled to protect."
He reached out, placing his large, tattooed hand flat on the table near hers. "I brought you here because as long as I am breathing, no one in this city will ever lay a hand on Elena's daughter."
