CHAPTER 3: The Ring Of Protection
CHAPTER 3: The Ring Of Protection
Two days later, Lily regained consciousness.
The entire Moretti family seemed to breathe again.
Matteo refused to leave her side.
Every morning he climbed into the hospital bed beside her.
Every night he fell asleep holding her hand.
Vincent watched quietly.
Something inside him was changing.
Then Lily identified the woman.
Bianca Romano.
The sister of a rival mafia boss Vincent had defeated years earlier.
Officially, Bianca worked as a charity director.
Unofficially, she controlled a criminal network stretching across three states.
The red bracelet was her signature.
The attack had been revenge.
But revenge wasn't enough.
Bianca wanted the Moretti empire.
And she wasn't finished.
Three nights later, Vincent attended a charity gala.
Lily insisted on accompanying him despite still recovering.
"I owe you nothing," Vincent told her.
"I know."
"Then why are you here?"
Lily smiled faintly.
"Because somebody still wants your son dead."
Hours into the event, Lily noticed something.
A waiter.
Wrong shoes.
Wrong posture.
Wrong eyes.
The same instinct that saved Matteo screamed inside her.
"Duck!"
She shoved Vincent aside.
A knife flashed through the air.
Guests screamed.
Panic erupted.
The assassin lunged again.
Before security could react, Lily stepped directly between Vincent and the blade.
The knife slashed her arm.
Blood splattered across the ballroom floor.
The assassin was immediately tackled.
But Vincent barely noticed.
He was staring at Lily.
Again.
Again she had risked her life.
Not for money.
Not for reward.
For them.
Something broke inside the Iron Wolf.
In front of two hundred guests, politicians, judges, and business leaders, Vincent pulled a ring from his finger.
The platinum ring he had worn since Isabella's death.
The symbol of his family.
The symbol he had never allowed anyone else to touch.
Then he slid it onto Lily's trembling hand.
Gasps echoed throughout the room.
"From this moment on," Vincent said, his voice carrying through the ballroom, "anyone who harms Lily Sinclair harms the Moretti family."
The room fell silent.
Because everyone understood exactly what that meant.
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But hidden among the crowd, Bianca Romano smiled.
The final stage of her plan had already begun.
