Chapter 7 - The Gala of Shadows
By spring, the tension in New York’s underworld reached a boiling point.
To demonstrate strength and settle rising disputes among the five crime families, Rico hosted the annual Moretti Spring Charity Gala at the grand Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. It was a high-society event where politicians, billionaire businessmen, and underworld capos rubbed shoulders under glittering chandeliers.
Rico insisted that Clara and Leo attend.
“You are part of this household now, Clara,” Rico had told her two days prior, shutting down all her protests. “You will not sit in the shadows.”
He had hired a renowned fashion designer to visit the estate. Clara was dressed in a breathtaking floor-length dark emerald silk gown that clung to her curves, her dark hair styled in an elegant updo, with subtle diamond earrings gifted by Rico sparkling at her ears.
When she stepped down the grand staircase of the Plaza ballroom, carrying three-year-old Leo who was looking sharp in a mini tuxedo, the entire room went silent.
Rico, standing near the bar with three high-ranking syndicate leaders, turned his head.
His drink halted halfway to his lips. His blue eyes darkened with an intense, burning passion that made Clara’s breath catch in her throat. He walked away from his associates without a word, stepping across the ballroom floor straight toward her.
“You are magnificent, Clara,” Rico murmured, taking her gloved hand and raising it to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently.
“I feel like an imposter,” Clara whispered, blushing softly as wealthy socialites stared at them.
“You belong here more than any snake in this room,” Rico replied softly, offering her his arm.
For two hours, the night was a fairytale. Leo was on his best behavior, charming elderly society women with his polite smiles before Dante took him up to a secured penthouse suite on the top floor with a private nanny team to go to sleep.
Left alone on the dance floor, Rico pulled Clara into his arms as a slow jazz orchestra played.
They moved together effortlessly, as if they had been dancing together for a lifetime. Clara rested her cheek against Rico’s dark wool tuxedo, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart.
“Stay with me, Clara,” Rico whispered into her hair as they glided across the floor. “Not just as Leo’s nanny. Stay as mine.”
Clara looked up into his eyes, her heart overflowing. “Rico… your life is so dangerous. I’m scared.”
“I will build a wall of steel around you,” Rico swore, his eyes burning with intense devotion. “I am liquidating the last of the street operations next month. I am stepping down as capo. I am giving the territory to my cousin Lorenzo. I’m doing what I couldn't do for Elena. I’m walking away from the darkness, Clara. For you. For Leo.”
Clara tears filled her eyes. “You’d give up your empire?”
“It’s not an empire, Clara,” Rico murmured, leaning down until his lips brushed against hers in a tender, breathless kiss. “It’s a cage. You and Leo are my freedom.”
Suddenly, the ballroom lights flickered and died.
May you like
Panic erupted across the floor as women screamed.
A split second later, a deafening blast echoed from the upper floor where the guest suites were located.
