The Carnation on the Marble Floor

The next morning, the Moretti estate was a fortress. Gabriel had doubled the perimeter guards and locked down the main gates. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. Rachel sat in the sunroom, watching Lily play with a set of wooden blocks on the marble floor.

Bruno, the hulking head of security, stepped into the room, his face grim. "Boss wants to see you, Rachel. In the library."

Rachel nodded, a knot tightening in her stomach. She followed Bruno down the long, opulent hallways, the silence of the estate pressing in on her. She found Gabriel standing by the massive windows in the library, overlooking the front drive.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, stepping into the room.

Gabriel turned, his expression unreadable. He walked to the center table and picked up a heavy, sealed envelope. "I had my attorneys draft these this morning."

He handed the envelope to her. Rachel took it hesitantly, her eyes scanning the legal jargon on the front. "What is this?"

"It’s a transfer of assets," Gabriel explained, his voice steady. "The north docking lanes, the warehouses, the legitimate shipping fronts. I’m putting them in Lily’s name, with you as the sole executor."

Rachel stared at him, stunned. "Gabriel, no. I can't take this."

"It’s Daniel’s half of the empire," Gabriel insisted, stepping closer. "He built it with me. It belongs to his daughter."

"I don't want his daughter growing up with blood money," Rachel fired back, dropping the envelope on the table. "I don't want her tied to this world."

"She’s already tied to it," Gabriel said softly, reaching out to touch her arm. "The Bellinis know who she is. They know who you are. This money isn't a burden, Rachel. It’s a shield. It gives you the power to protect her if anything ever happens to me."

Rachel’s breath hitched. She looked at the envelope, then up at Gabriel, seeing the desperate sincerity in his eyes. He wasn't trying to buy her; he was trying to secure her future.