Chapter 8 - The Debt of Honor

Sarah backed into her living room, clutching Lily tightly. Dante stepped inside, taking off his black coat and draping it over a chair, while Marcus set the heavy briefcase on the coffee table.
"Mr. Moretti," Sarah said nervously, sitting on the sofa with Lily in her lap. "I appreciate what you're saying, but we are simple people. We don't want any trouble with your... your organization."
"You already have trouble, Mrs. Carter," Dante said frankly, taking a seat across from her. "The men who tried to kill me today are powerful and ruthless. They know a little girl foiled their plan. Even though the primary traitor has been dealt with, I cannot rule out the possibility that rival syndicates might try to target Lily out of retaliation."
Sarah’s eyes widened in horror. "Retaliation against a four-year-old?!"
"They are monsters," Dante said coldly. "Which is why you and Lily are moving tonight."
"Moving? Where?"
"To a private, high-security estate I own in Geneva, Switzerland," Dante said calmly. "It is fully staffed, equipped with top-tier medical facilities, and guarded twenty-four hours a day by men I trust with my own life. You will be provided with a permanent monthly stipend, full funding for Lily's education through university, and complete legal protection."
Sarah shook her head, overwhelmed. "Mr. Moretti, this is crazy! I have a job at the hospital! My life is here!"
Dante clicked open the latches of the leather briefcase on the coffee table and opened the lid.
Inside were neat, stacked bricks of hundred-dollar bills, totaling five million dollars in cash, alongside a set of signed legal documents transferring full ownership of a medical research foundation into Sarah's name.
"This foundation," Dante explained, pointing to the documents, "is now funded with fifty million dollars. Its sole mandate is the research and development of next-generation, affordable allergy treatments and auto-injectors for pediatric patients worldwide. You will be the Chief Executive Director."
Sarah stared at the briefcase, then at the documents, her hands trembling. "Fifty million dollars... for allergy research?"
"Your daughter saved a man worth billions with a single hundred-dollar injector," Dante said quietly. "This is not charity, Mrs. Carter. This is a debt of honor. In my world, a Moretti always pays his debts."
Lily reached out from her mother's lap, tugging gently on Dante's sleeve. "Does the house in Switzerland have a slide?"
Dante looked down at the little girl, a genuine, warm smile breaking across his face. "It doesn't have one right now, Lily. But I will make sure one is built by the time you arrive."
Lily turned to her mother, her eyes shining with excitement. "Mommy, can we go? Please? I want a slide!"
Sarah looked at her daughter’s happy, innocent face, then at the formidable man sitting across from them. She saw no deception in Dante's eyes—only a fierce, unbreakable resolve to protect the child who had saved him.
"What about Mara?" Sarah asked suddenly. "Her mother works for you..."
Dante's expression turned serious. "Mara made a bad choice today, Mrs. Carter. She saw the threat to my life and stayed silent out of fear. She will not be harmed, but she will face legal consequences for her silence. Her mother, however, will be provided for."
Sarah took a deep, shaky breath, looking around her modest living room, then down at the briefcase of money.
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"When do we leave?" Sarah asked softly.
"Right now," Dante replied, standing up. "My private jet is waiting at O'Hare."