Chapter 10 - The New Dawn at Rossi Manor
Spring arrived in Chicago with a sudden, beautiful explosion of green across the manicured lawns of the Rossi estate. The snow melted away, revealing beds of tulips and daffodils planted along the stone pathways by Beatrice and Lily.
On a warm Saturday afternoon, the heavy iron gates stood wide open.
Children from the local neighborhood—invited by Beatrice and approved by Leo—were running across the backyard grass, playing tag while Lily laughed hysterically, her dark curls bouncing in the sunlight as she outran a little boy with a red balloon.
On the wide stone terrace, Beatrice sat at a wrought-iron table, sipping iced tea and grading a spelling worksheet.
Leo walked out of the French doors, carrying a tray with two fresh glasses of lemonade. He wore a simple white linen shirt and sunglasses, looking more like an ordinary father enjoying a weekend afternoon than the most feared man in the Midwest.
He set the tray down and sat opposite her, watching Lily chase her friends across the lawn.
“She hasn't used her inhaler once in two months,” Leo said quietly, a proud smile touching the corners of his mouth.
“Children heal quickly when they feel safe,” Beatrice replied, looking up from her papers with a warm, easy smile that reached her eyes. “It’s amazing what a little fresh air and a lot of love can do.”
Leo reached across the table, taking her hand in his. This time, she didn't pull away. Her fingers intertwined naturally with his, the rough calluses of a life of hard work meeting the hardened scars of a life of power.
“You know,” Leo murmured, his dark eyes softening as he looked at her, “when you walked into my kitchen two years ago, I thought you were just another temporary face in a revolving door.”
“And I thought you were just another wealthy monster who wouldn't notice if I disappeared,” Beatrice countered, her voice teasing yet tender.
“Turns out,” Leo said, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss against her knuckles, “we both needed to be saved.”
Lily suddenly appeared at their table, out of breath and grinning from ear to ear, holding a daisy she had picked from the garden.
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“Bee! Papa! Look what I found!”
Both of them smiled, turning their attention entirely to the little girl who had brought them together, knowing that whatever storms might rage outside the iron gates, the house of Rossi was finally, truly, a home.
