Chapter 10 - The Senator's Defeat
At nine o'clock that morning, three black sedans pulled up the main driveway of the Moretti estate.
Senator Arthur Cross stepped out of the lead vehicle. He was a wealthy, powerful man in his late sixties, wearing a cashmere coat, accompanied by two high-priced corporate attorneys carrying heavy leather document briefcases.
He marched up the grand marble steps of the front porch, demanding entry with the arrogant confidence of a man who believed his political stature granted him absolute power.
Caleb Stone opened the massive double doors, inviting them smoothly into the grand foyer.
"Tell Rocco I am here with a court injunction," Senator Cross barked, wiping snow from his coat collar. "I am taking temporary emergency custody of my grandson Matteo under State Child Protection Code 402, and I am serving a subpoena for his housekeeper, Clara Vance!"
"The Don is waiting for you in the library, Senator," Caleb replied smoothly, gesturing down the grand corridor. "Right this way."
Senator Cross smirked, smoothing his tie as he and his lawyers marched down the hall, expecting to find a panicked, cornered mob boss trying to negotiate a settlement.
Caleb pushed open the heavy oak doors of the grand library.
Sitting behind the massive mahogany desk was Rocco Moretti.
Beside him, sitting comfortably in a high-backed leather armchair with a sleeping baby Matteo cradled in her arms, was me. I was still wearing my ivory wedding dress, a simple gold band resting proudly on my left ring finger.
And sitting on the plush rug near the fireplace was Lily, happily coloring in a book with a box of new crayons.
Senator Cross stopped dead in his tracks, his smirk vanishing instantly as his eyes fell on my wedding dress and the gleaming gold ring on my finger.
"What is the meaning of this theater?" Cross demanded, turning to his lead attorney. "Who is this woman?"
Rocco stood up slowly from his desk, buttoning his suit jacket. His towering presence filled the room with an intimidating, absolute authority.
"Allow me to introduce my wife, Senator," Rocco said, his voice dripping with smooth, icy satisfaction. "Mrs. Clara Moretti."
The lead attorney's face went instantly pale. "Wife? You got married?"
"An hour ago," Rocco revealed, tossing a certified copy of our marriage license onto the desk between them. "Which means, Senator, that my wife is fully protected under spousal privilege. She will not be answering your questions, she will not be receiving your subpoena, and she will certainly not be testifying for your political circus."
Senator Cross gasped, his hands trembling with rage as he looked at the legal document on the desk. "This is a farce! A fraudulent sham marriage to evade justice!"
"It's a legally binding marriage certified by Federal Judge Elizabeth Vance," Rocco countered smoothly, leaning forward across the desk. "And as for your emergency custody petition, Senator... my wife and I are a legally married couple providing a stable, wealthy, two-parent home for my son. Your daughter Evelyn is currently in federal holding facing twenty years for attempted child abduction. Which home do you think a family court judge will prefer?"
Senator Cross looked at his lead lawyer.
The lawyer swallowed hard, looked at the marriage document, and shook his head slowly toward the Senator. "It's over, Arthur. We have no legal standing. The spousal privilege is absolute, and the custody claim is dead on arrival."
Senator Cross looked like a man who had just swallowed glass. His face turned a deep, furious purple as he stared at me, then at baby Matteo sleeping peacefully in my arms.
"You won't get away with this, Moretti," Cross spat out, his voice shaking with helpless fury.
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"I already have, Arthur," Rocco said coldly, sitting back down in his leather chair. "Now get out of my house before I have my security team arrest you for trespassing."
Senator Cross turned on his heel and stormed out of the library, his attorneys scrambling behind him like beaten dogs. The heavy oak doors clicked shut behind them, restoring a complete, victorious silence to the grand room.
