Chapter 23 Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Chapter 23

Elara’s POV. 

The morning light was aggressive, cutting through the high windows of the estate’s private clinic wing.

I shifted, the surgical site in my abdomen screaming in protest. Dante was there, slumped in a chair beside the bed. His silk shirt was wrinkled.

"You look terrible," I muttered, my voice raspy and thin.

Dante opened one eye. The exhaustion in his gaze was extremely evident. "You almost died."

"You’ve said that before, too many times."
He stood immediately, moving to the side of the bed. "You lost a lot of blood. The surgeons said if we were five minutes later—"

"You locked me in a basement, Dante.”

Before either of us could let out another word, the heavy oak door opened. A small woman stepped into the room. She had silver hair pulled back into a tight, elegant bun and wore a charcoal suit. She leaned on a silver-headed cane, but she didn't seem to need it for support. 

The two guards at the door snapped to attention. Even Dante stood up straight, his shoulders squaring instinctively.

Nonna Moretti.

She ignored her grandson, walking toward the foot of my bed. 

"So," she said. "This is the girl who started a war in my house."

I didn't look away. "I didn't start it."

Nonna’s lips twitched. A faint, dangerous smile touched her face. "Good answer. Only a fool admits to lighting the match."

"Out," Nonna commanded. "Everyone. Out."

"Nonna, she's still recovering," Dante started.

The silver cane slammed against the marble floor. 

"Did I stutter, Dante? Out. Now."

Dante stiffened, his jaw working, but he didn't argue. He turned and walked out, the guards following like scolded dogs. 

The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with the matriarch of the Moretti bloodline.

She moved to a small table and slowly poured herself a cup of tea from the tray. 

"My grandson runs an empire," she said calmly, not looking at me. "He commands thousands of men, moves billions in currency. And yet, his house has turned into a circus of lies, sirens, and wives in freaking basements."

"Nonna—" I started.

"Don't call me that," she snapped, finally looking at me. "You haven't earned the title. You are a Vance. A girl from a gutter who thought she could play with lions."

She sat in the chair Dante had vacated. "He put a pregnant woman in a basement. A Moretti heir, left in the dark like a rat."

"He was listening to Isabella," I said.

"And whose fault is it that every snake in New York lives under your roof?" she asked, though she wasn't asking me. "He has no peripheral vision. He sees the target, but he doesn't see the grass moving beside him."

She leaned forward, "Tell me honestly, Elara. Do you intend to destroy my grandson?"

“If he gives me a reason."

Nonna paused. Then, she laughed. "Good," she said, wiping a corner of her eye. "At least one of you in this marriage has teeth. Dante has become soft with his obsession. He thinks love is a weakness he can't afford, so he turns into a tyrant to prove he's strong. It’s pathetic."

The room felt smaller as she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Do you remember your first year of medical school, Elara? The anonymous grant that covered your tuition when your housing aid fell through?"

I froze. I remembered the letter. "How do you know about that?"

"Because I sent it," she said.

I blinked, my heart rate increased. "Why? You didn't even know me then. Dante hadn't even found me."

"I knew who you were," Nonna said. "I’ve been watching the potential 'candidates' for years. Dante needed a match, not a victim."

"You paid for my education just to... scout me?"

"I paid for it because I knew one day you might be the only person capable of stopping him," she said, her expression turning somber. "A man with that much power needs a hand on his throat. Isabella wanted to be his shadow. I wanted him to have a mirror. Someone who would burn him if he got too close to the sun."

I didn't know what to say. 

"You're a doctor, Elara," she said, standing up and smoothing her suit. "You know that sometimes you have to cut out the infection to save the body. This family is infected."

"What are you saying?"

"The board has called an emergency council," she said. "They meet tonight at the downtown headquarters."

"About Isabella’s betrayal?"

"No," Nonna said, heading for the door. "About Dante. They are voting on his removal as the head of the Syndicate. They believe he is compromised. Too emotional and too distracted by you."

She stopped at the door and looked back at me.

"And they are voting on the child. There is a faction that believes a child born of this... chaos... is a liability. They are discussing 'terminating' the Moretti interest in your pregnancy to ensure a clean slate for a new boss."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "They can't do that."

"They are the board, Elara. They can do anything they want." She gripped her cane and walked out of the room.