CHAPTER 2: THE GILDED CAGE

The car was cold, silent—felt more like a cell than anything else. June pressed herself against the door in the back seat, holding Leo tight. He glanced up at her, all confusion in his eyes. Out the window, her life faded away: the bakery, her tiny apartment, her peace—gone in a blur.

Dante sat across from her. The man she once loved was long gone. He used to be warm, quick to smile. Now, he was all ice and expensive suits. He stared at Leo, not with love, but the way a general might study a map.

“The boy needs new clothes,” Dante said, voice cutting. “He needs a doctor. I want a full report on his health by tomorrow morning.”

“He’s healthy, Dante,” June whispered. Her words just evaporated in the huge car. “He doesn’t need your doctors. He needs his home. He needs his toys.”

Dante’s eyes flashed. “This is his home now.” He jabbed a finger at the window as they rolled through massive iron gates. “And don’t forget—I own your old home. It’s nothing but bricks now. This? This is a palace.”

The car stopped in front of a marble mansion. June’s stomach dropped. The Romano Estate was beautiful, sure, but it reeked of prison. In that moment, she got it—if she stayed, Dante would own her, down to her last breath. If she ran? She had nothing. No money, no phone. Her own father had sold her out.

Displease Dante and she lost everything. Not just her dignity—her son. Dante had the power to take Leo and erase him from her life. He could call the cops, claim she was a criminal, make her vanish. It was simple: her son’s future was the prize. Her freedom was the price.

“Get out of the car,” Dante ordered.

Inside, the floors gleamed—cold, hard stone. A tall, thin woman waited in the hallway, hair yanked back so tight it looked painful. Eleanor Romano, Dante’s mother. She looked June up and down like she was something stuck to her shoe.

“So, this is the girl who stole five years from us?” Eleanor’s voice chilled the air. “And this is the bastard child?”

“He’s not a bastard,” Dante said. His voice dropped low, dangerous. “He’s a Romano. He carries my blood. And her,” he said, yanking June close, “she’s my wife. You will show her respect.”

June’s stomach twisted. Dante’s grip on her waist burned, but inside, he was pure ice.

Dante led her into a huge room lined with books. He slid behind a massive desk and shoved a single sheet of paper at her. Not a marriage license—a contract.

“Sign this,” he said.

June read each word, heart pounding. The contract was brutal: if she left the house without Dante’s say-so, she’d lose Leo. If she told anyone about the secret baby, she’d be thrown out of the country—never allowed to see her son again.

“You want me to sign away my rights?” June’s voice cracked, tears sliding down her cheeks. “You want to own me like a dog?”

“I want to make sure you never lie to me again,” Dante said, leaning in. “Sign, and Leo gets the best. Best schools, best food, everything. Refuse, and I call the judge. I’ll tell the court you’re unfit. You know I can win, June. Don’t push me.”

June stared at the pen. Her hand shook. She felt hollow, ready to scream. Then she saw Leo standing in the hall, looking lost in that giant house. If she didn’t sign, they’d take him tonight. If she did, she’d be trapped—caged in gold.

Her hand moved on its own. She signed.

The moment she set the pen down, a man in a suit burst in, eyes wide with panic. He rushed over, whispered in Dante’s ear. Dante’s face hardened, eyes going dark.

“What’s going on?” June asked, dread crawling up her spine.

“Your father’s worse than I thought,” Dante said, staring at his computer. “He didn’t just owe me money. He sold Leo’s secret to my enemies—the Vancent family. They know I have a son now. If they kill the heir, they get my company.”

The lights flickered. Then, darkness. An alarm blared, loud and sharp. Red lights flashed on the walls, like the house itself was bleeding.

A crash exploded from the floor above—a window shattering. That was Leo’s floor. A maid had taken him to see his new room.

“Leo!” June screamed. Fear wiped out everything else. She ran for the door.

But Dante was faster. He grabbed her arm, yanking her back. Dante reached into his jacket and yanked out a heavy black gun, its weight ominous in his grip. His eyes practically burned, fierce and wild with a determination June had never seen before.

“Stay behind me, June!” he shouted over the relentless blare of the alarms that filled the corridor, red lights flashing across the walls. “If you want him alive, do exactly what I say. They aren't here for money. They're here for the only thing that matters,” he said, his voice hard as steel, leaving no room for doubt.

June stared at the gun in his hand, her breath catching in her throat. The man she’d always feared—the so-called monster whispered about in dark corners—was suddenly the only one standing between her son and death. She never imagined relying on him, but now, there was no choice. They started running for the stairs, their footsteps pounding on the cold tile, but then the door at the end of the hall flew open with a crash that echoed above the alarms. A man in a mask appeared, his face hidden but his intent unmistakable, clutching a small boy—her son, Leo—who was crying and struggling in his captor’s grasp.

“Don’t move, Romano!” the masked man yelled, his voice sharp and commanding, cutting through the chaos.

June froze in place, terror rooting her to the floor. The masked man pressed a knife right against Leo’s throat, the blade glinting under the emergency lights, and her heart nearly gave out as she realized how close she was to losing everything.