Chapter 1
“EITHER THAT MAID LEAVES THIS HOUSE, OR I DO!” THE MAFIA BOSS'S FIANCÉE SCREAMED IN FRONT OF EIGHTY ENGAGEMENT GUESTS. BUT BEFORE HE COULD ANSWER, HIS SIX-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER RAN INTO THE ROOM, CLUNG TO THE CRYING MAID, AND BEGGED HIM NOT TO SEND HER AWAY. THEN THE LITTLE GIRL HANDED HER FATHER A NOTEBOOK THAT EXPOSED WHAT HAD BEEN HAPPENING BEHIND HIS BACK.
“Get rid of her, Dominic. Right now!”
Vanessa Sterling slammed her champagne glass onto the table.
Across the ballroom, Sophie Bennett stood frozen in her black-and-white maid's uniform.
She was twenty-four, quiet, and had worked for the Moretti family for nearly two years.
“I haven't done anything wrong, ma'am,” she whispered.
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“Nothing wrong? You've been turning his daughter against me!”
Dominic Moretti slowly looked up from his chair.
“Vanessa, what are you talking about?”
“Every time I try to spend time with Emma, she runs to Sophie!”
Vanessa pointed at the maid.
“She tells that child to hate me!”
Sophie's eyes filled with tears.
“That's not true.”
“SHUT UP! YOU'RE JUST A SERVANT!”
The entire ballroom fell silent.
Dominic stood.
“Vanessa. That's enough.”
But his fiancée stepped directly in front of him.
“No, Dominic. I'm going to be your wife. I refuse to compete with a maid for your daughter's affection!”
She pointed toward the entrance.
“EITHER SHE LEAVES, OR I DO!”
Dominic's expression hardened.
He opened his mouth to answer.
Then a small voice interrupted.
“NO! PLEASE DON'T!”
Six-year-old Emma Moretti ran into the ballroom.
Her little pink dress swayed as she rushed past the guests.
She threw both arms around Sophie's waist.
“Please don't send her away, Daddy!”
Sophie immediately knelt beside her.
“Emma, sweetheart…”
The little girl was sobbing.
“She didn't do anything!”
Vanessa marched toward them.
“Emma! Come here!”
She grabbed the child's wrist.
Emma cried out and tried to pull away.
Dominic crossed the room and gently removed Vanessa's hand.
“DON'T PULL MY DAUGHTER LIKE THAT.”
Vanessa stared at him.
“Dominic, she's being dramatic!”
Emma hid behind Sophie.
Her little shoulders trembled.
Dominic knelt.
“Princess, look at Daddy.”
Emma slowly raised her tear-streaked face.
“Are you going to make Sophie leave?”
Dominic brushed a tear from her cheek.
“Why are you so frightened?”
Emma looked toward Vanessa.
Then lowered her eyes.
“I don't want to be alone again.”
Dominic froze.
“Again?”
Sophie gently placed a hand on Emma's shoulder.
Vanessa immediately interrupted.
“She's making things up! Sophie has been filling her head with lies!”
Dominic looked at the maid.
“Sophie. What's going on?”
Sophie hesitated.
“Sir, I tried to tell you last week.”
“Tell me what?”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“DON'T YOU DARE!”
Sophie flinched.
Emma suddenly reached into the pocket of her dress.
She pulled out a small blue notebook.
Its cover was decorated with crooked yellow stars.
“Daddy…”
She held it toward him.
“Sophie helped me write it.”
Dominic accepted the notebook.
“What is this, sweetheart?”
Emma whispered:
“The days I had to stay in my room.”
The room went completely silent.
Dominic slowly opened the first page.
MONDAY — VANESSA HAD FRIENDS OVER. I HAD TO STAY UPSTAIRS UNTIL THEY LEFT.
He turned the page.
THURSDAY — I WANTED TO EAT DINNER WITH DADDY. VANESSA SAID I WOULD EMBARRASS HIM.
Another page.
SATURDAY — I CRIED BECAUSE I WAS SCARED. SOPHIE CAME AFTER EVERYONE WENT HOME.
Dominic stopped reading.
His jaw tightened.
“Emma… who told you to stay in your room?”
The little girl pointed toward Vanessa.
Vanessa forced a smile.
“Darling, children need boundaries.”
Dominic looked up.
“You locked my daughter away while I entertained guests?”
“I didn't lock her away! I simply asked her to stay upstairs!”
Sophie spoke quietly.
“Sir, sometimes the door was locked from the outside.”
Dominic turned toward her.
“What?”
“I found Emma crying behind it twice. Mrs. Sterling told the staff she was being punished.”
Vanessa screamed:
“YOU'RE FIRED! GET OUT!”
Dominic stood.
“SOPHIE ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE.”
Vanessa stepped backward.
He looked down at the notebook.
There were dates covering nearly three months.
Three months during which Dominic had been away on business, attending meetings, or entertaining investors.
Three months when he believed his daughter was sleeping peacefully upstairs.
He turned to the last page.
The handwriting was larger and shakier than the others.
SHE SAID DADDY WOULD STOP LOVING ME IF I TOLD.
Dominic couldn't move.
He read the sentence again.
Then once more.
His daughter had been afraid to tell him she was lonely.
Because someone had convinced her that telling the truth would cost her his love.
He slowly knelt in front of Emma.
“Sweetheart…”
His voice broke.
“Who told you Daddy would stop loving you?”
Emma began crying harder.
“Vanessa.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
For a moment, he couldn't speak.
Then he pulled Emma into his arms.
“Listen to me, princess. There is nothing you could ever tell me that would make me stop loving you.”
Emma clung to his neck.
“Even if I'm bad?”
His heart shattered.
“Even then. But you haven't done anything bad.”
Sophie wiped her tears.
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Dominic, you're seriously going to believe a six-year-old over your future wife?”
He slowly stood, holding Emma.
“I'M GOING TO BELIEVE MY DAUGHTER WHEN SHE TELLS ME SHE'S AFRAID.”
Vanessa's face hardened.
“You're letting a maid destroy our engagement!”
Dominic looked at Sophie.
“Why didn't you tell me sooner?”
The young maid lowered her head.
“I tried, sir. Mrs. Sterling said she'd have me fired before I could finish explaining.”
“Then why did you keep the notebook?”
Sophie looked at Emma.
“Because she asked me to.”
Emma nodded against her father's shoulder.
“I wanted you to know, Daddy. But I was scared.”
Dominic looked at Vanessa.
His voice became dangerously quiet.
“YOU MADE MY DAUGHTER AFRAID OF HER OWN FATHER.”
Vanessa began crying.
“I was trying to teach her to behave!”
“By threatening that I wouldn't love her?”
“She misunderstood!”
Dominic shook his head.
“No. You understood exactly what you were doing.”
He turned toward his head of security.
“Caleb, escort Vanessa out of the house.”
Vanessa gasped.
“Dominic!”
“The engagement is over.”
The guests stared in disbelief.
Vanessa grabbed his arm.
“You can't throw away our future because of a child's notebook!”
Dominic gently removed her hand.
“MY DAUGHTER IS MY FUTURE.”
Vanessa's face twisted with anger.
She turned toward Sophie.
“This is all your fault!”
Emma tightened her arms around Dominic's neck.
“Daddy, please don't let her hurt Sophie.”
Dominic looked down.
“Has Vanessa hurt Sophie before?”
Emma hesitated.
Sophie immediately shook her head.
“Sir, it's all right—”
But Emma interrupted.
“No, Sophie. You said we shouldn't hide things anymore.”
Dominic went still.
He looked at the maid.
“Sophie?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Mr. Moretti, there's something else.”
Vanessa stopped moving toward the door.
Her face suddenly went pale.
Dominic noticed.
“What else?”
Sophie reached into her apron.
She removed a folded sheet of paper.
“Mrs. Sterling made me sign this yesterday.”
Dominic unfolded it.
It was a written statement accusing Sophie of neglecting Emma and deliberately interfering with the child's relationship with Vanessa.
At the bottom was Sophie's signature.
Dominic frowned.
“Why would you sign something that isn't true?”
Sophie swallowed.
“Because Mrs. Sterling threatened to send Emma away if I refused.”
Dominic looked up sharply.
“Send her where?”
Sophie hesitated.
Then pointed toward the final paragraph.
Dominic read it.
The statement was intended to support an application for Emma's placement in a private residential school.
Far from the Moretti estate.
Vanessa had already selected the school.
And the proposed enrollment date was three days after their wedding.
Dominic stared at the document.
“YOU WERE PLANNING TO SEND MY DAUGHTER AWAY?”
Vanessa began shaking.
“Only temporarily! So we could have time to ourselves!”
Dominic looked at Emma.
She had buried her face against his shoulder.
Then Sophie quietly spoke.
“Sir… that's why Emma started keeping the notebook.”
Dominic turned.
“What do you mean?”
The maid's voice broke.
“She heard Mrs. Sterling talking about the school. She thought if she could show you how much she missed you, you might let her stay.”
Dominic looked down at his daughter.
“Emma?”
The little girl slowly raised her head.
Tears filled her eyes.
Then she whispered the words that silenced the entire ballroom.
“DADDY… IF I PROMISE TO BE GOOD, CAN I PLEASE KEEP LIVING WITH YOU?”
Dominic held her tighter.
Across the room, Vanessa stood frozen.
May you like
And for the first time, the most feared man in the city couldn't find a single word to say.
Read Chapter 2 in the first comment to discover how far Vanessa had gone to remove Emma from Dominic's life—and what Sophie risked to protect the little girl when nobody else was watching. Thank you for reading!
