LOGINCassandra stared at the baby's rattle.
It was small—pink and white, with tiny bells that jingled when she moved it. The kind of thing you'd buy for a newborn. The kind of thing that should have been innocent.
But it wasn't innocent. Nothing was innocent anymore.
The note was simple. You're pregnant. Aren't you?
She wasn't pregnant. She couldn't be. She'd been careful. But the fact that someone thought she was—that someone was watching her closely enough to speculate—terrified her.
She didn't show Dante. Not yet. He was still healing. Still fragile. She didn't want to add more weight to his shoulders.
She tucked the rattle into a drawer, buried it under a pile of old papers. Then she took a breath and went to find Jane.
---
Jane was in the kitchen, preparing lunch.
She looked up when Cassandra entered, her expression soft with concern. "Miss Cassandra? What's wrong?"
Cassandra hesitated. Then she told Jane about the rattle. About the note. About her suspicions.
Jane's face went pale. "Who would do something like that?"
"I don't know. But I have a feeling."
"Big Aunty?"
Cassandra nodded. "She's been quiet. Too quiet. I think she's planning something."
---
They started investigating.
Jane had connections—friends who worked in other households, people who owed her favors. She made calls, asked questions, gathered information.
Within hours, they had a lead.
Big Aunty had been seen in the city. She'd been meeting with people—old associates, disgruntled employees, anyone who might help her get revenge on Dante and Cassandra.
"She's planning something," Jane said. "Something big."
---
Cassandra confronted Dante that evening.
She found him in his study, going over paperwork. He looked up when she entered, his brow furrowing at her expression.
"What's wrong?"
She told him. About the rattle. About the note. About Big Aunty.
His jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists.
"I'll find her," he said. "I'll stop her."
"No." Cassandra stepped forward. "We'll find her. Together."
---
Dante didn't want to involve her.
He wanted to lock her in the mansion, surround her with guards, keep her safe. But he knew she wouldn't let him. She was too stubborn. Too brave.
"Fine," he said. "But you do exactly what I say. No risks. No heroics."
"I promise."
---
They made a plan.
They would set a trap for Big Aunty—draw her out, catch her in the act. Cassandra would be the bait.
Dante hated it. Every fiber of his being screamed against it. But he agreed.
---
The trap was set.
Cassandra waited in a public place—a small café downtown, near the flower shop. She sat by the window, a cup of tea in front of her, her phone on the table.
She didn't have to wait long.
Big Aunty appeared, her smile cold and cruel. She slid into the seat across from Cassandra, her eyes glittering.
"Hello, Cassandra," she said. "I've been waiting for this."
Cassandra didn't flinch.
"I know you sent the rattle," she said quietly.
Big Aunty laughed. "Did you like it? I thought it was a nice touch."
"Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Because you took everything from me." Big Aunty's smile faded. "My family. My home. My place in the world. You destroyed it all."
"You destroyed it yourself." Cassandra's voice was steady. "You betrayed us. You worked with Marcus Kane. You tried to kill me."
"I tried to protect myself." Big Aunty's eyes blazed. "And now I'm going to finish what I started."
---
She pulled out a gun.
Cassandra's heart stopped. Her body froze. She'd been trained—Marco had taught her what to do. But in this moment, she couldn't move.
"You should have stayed away," Big Aunty said.
But before she could pull the trigger, Dante appeared.
---
He moved like lightning. He grabbed Big Aunty's wrist, twisting it until the gun clattered to the floor. He pushed her against the table, pinning her down.
"It's over," he said. "You're done."
Big Aunty laughed—a bitter, hollow sound. "You think this is over? You have no idea what's coming."
Dante couldn't sleep.He sat in the hospital waiting room, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead. The vending machine whirred. The night nurse shuffled past, her footsteps soft against the linoleum.He didn't look up.The memory played on a loop in his mind—Donald's face, the gunshot, the body falling. He'd killed before. He'd killed his own father. He'd killed men who deserved it. But this time, it felt different.He didn't want to do it.He'd stood there, his finger on the trigger, his hand trembling. He'd listened to Donald's apologies, his regrets, his broken words. He'd seen the fear in his eyes. And he'd pulled the trigger anyway.He stood abruptly.He needed air. He needed to get out of this room, out of this hospital, away from the beeping monitors and the antiseptic smell. He walked through the automatic doors and stepped outside.The night air was cold against his skin. The parking lot was empty—just a few cars, a few streetli
Cassandra stared at the text.Congratulations on the baby. Too bad she won't live to see her first birthday.Her blood ran cold. Her hands trembled. Her heart stopped.She showed Dante. His face went pale—then dark with fury."He's not going to touch her," Dante said. His voice was ice. "I won't let him."---Dante made a decision.No more waiting. No more traps. He was going after Donald. Tonight. And this time, he wasn't coming back until Donald was dead or in custody.Cassandra insisted on coming.Dante refused. He told her it was too dangerous. He told her she needed to stay with Grace. He told her he couldn't risk her.She wouldn't back down."I'm not letting you face him alone," she said. "Not after what he said about Grace.""Cassandra—""I'm coming."They devised a strategy.Marco, Evan, Adrian, and Daniel would provide backup. Samantha would stay with Grace at the hospital. Dante and Cassandra would confront Donald together.---Evan tracked Donald to an abandoned warehouse o
Dante stared at the text."You want the records? Come and get them. Bring Cassandra. Or I'll release everything." His jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists around the phone.Cassandra stood beside him, her hand on his arm. "What does it say?"He showed her.She read it twice. Her face went pale. "It's a trap.""I know.""But if you don't go—""He'll release the records." Dante's voice was flat. "Every crime. Every secret. Every murder. The Moretti name will be destroyed. And he'll keep hunting us."Cassandra insisted on coming.Dante refused. He told her it was too dangerous. He told her she needed to stay with Grace. He told her he couldn't risk her.She wouldn't back down."I'm not letting you walk into a trap alone," she said. "We face this together. Or not at all."Before Dante could respond, Grace's cry cut through the house.It wasn't her usual hungry wail. It was weak. Feeble. A thin, reedy sound that made Cassandra's blood run cold.She rushed to the nursery.Grace was p
Dante took Cassandra to look at properties by the lake.They'd been searching for weeks—ever since that night on the porch when he'd promised her a real home. He'd made calls, talked to real estate agents, narrowed down the list. Now, finally, they were here.The first house was too big. A sprawling mansion with more rooms than they could ever fill. Cassandra walked through it, her footsteps echoing against the marble floors, and shook her head."Too cold," she said. "Too empty."Dante nodded. He didn't argue.---The second house was too small.A tiny cabin with one bedroom and a kitchen that barely fit two people. Cassandra stood in the doorway, looking at the cramped space, and laughed."We'd kill each other within a week."Dante grinned. "Probably."---The third house was perfect.It was a small cottage on the edge of the water—wooden, warm, surrounded by trees. The paint was peeling. The floors creaked. The roof needed work. But it had something the other houses didn't.It had s
Cassandra stared at the photograph.It was Grace—sleeping in her crib, her tiny fists curled against her chest, her face peaceful. The photograph was taken from outside the window. From the garden. From the darkness.Her blood ran cold.She showed Dante. His face went pale. His jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists at his sides."Who sent this?" he demanded."I don't know." Her voice was shaking. "There's no return address. No name. Nothing."Dante ordered a full security sweep.Marco and his men searched the property—the garden, the fence line, the trees. They found footprints outside the nursery window. Fresh. Someone had been there. Recently.Dante doubled the security. Tripled it. He told Cassandra she wasn't to leave the house. No exceptions.She didn't argue.---Evan dug into the letter that afternoon.He examined the handwriting. The paper. The photograph. He cross-referenced everything with old files, old records, old enemies.He found something.A name. Someone connecte
Grace wouldn't sleep.She'd been crying for hours—not the soft, hungry cry from before, but a piercing, relentless wail that seemed to echo through the entire house. Cassandra had tried everything. Feeding. Changing. Rocking. Singing. Nothing worked.She was exhausted. Her body still ached from the birth. Her eyes burned with fatigue. Her mind was foggy.Dante was beside her, just as exhausted. He'd been taking turns with her—walking Grace around the room, singing softly, begging her to sleep. His voice was hoarse. His eyes were red."She hates us," he muttered."She doesn't hate us. She's a baby.""She's a tyrant."---At 5 AM, Cassandra broke down.She was sitting on the floor of the nursery, her back against the wall, tears streaming down her face. Grace was still crying in her arms. The sound was like a knife through her skull."I can't do this," she whispered. "I can't. I'm not strong enough."Dante found her there. He sat beside her, his back against the wall, his shoulder brush







