Chapter 4 - The Shadow of the Past
The return to New York felt different. The thick, suffocating cloud of grief that had hung over Hunter’s life for two years had finally begun to dissipate, replaced by a deep, quiet peace. But peace in the world of the Rossis was always short-lived.
It was late August. The estate in the Hamptons was warm, the ocean breeze carrying the scent of salt and blooming hydrangeas. Leo was nine months old now, crawling with terrifying speed across the hardwood floors of the main house, his target usually being the family dog—a massive, lazy German Shepherd named Bear that Anthony had brought to the estate to serve as a glorified rug and nanny.
Hunter sat at the kitchen island, a cup of green tea between her hands, watching Lorenzo try to feed Leo a bowl of mashed sweet potatoes.
It was an absurd sight: a man who had once controlled a multi-million-dollar criminal enterprise, wearing a grey cashmere sweater with airplane noises coming out of his mouth as he tried to coax a stubborn infant into opening his mouth.
“He’s not buying the airplane, Lorenzo,” Hunter said, a faint smile touching her lips. “Try the train.”
“The train is ridiculous,” Lorenzo grumbled, though his eyes were warm. “Why would a train carry sweet potatoes?”
“Why would an airplane carry them?”
Lorenzo paused, looking at the spoon, then at Hunter. A rare, genuine laugh broke from his chest—a sound that still sent a strange, pleasant shiver down Hunter’s spine.
“Point taken,” he said. He tapped the spoon against the bowl. “Choo-choo, Leo.”
Leo giggled hysterically, slamming his chubby palms onto the tray of his high chair, opening his mouth wide. Lorenzo quickly inserted the spoon, looking exceedingly proud of himself.
The moment was broken by the quiet chime of the estate’s security system.
Marco stepped into the kitchen. His face was pale, his usual calm demeanor replaced by an edge of sharp anxiety.
“Boss,” Marco said, dropping the formal title he had been trying to abandon for months. “We have a problem at the gate.”
Lorenzo set the spoon down immediately, his relaxed posture instantly vanishing. “Who is it?”
“A woman,” Marco said, his eyes darting briefly to Hunter before returning to Lorenzo. “She has a legal team with her. She has a court order signed by a New York State Supreme Court judge.”
Hunter felt her stomach drop. “Who is she, Marco?”
Marco swallowed hard. “It’s Victoria. Victoria Vance.”
Hunter frowned. “Vance? Is she related to Julian?”
“She’s his daughter,” Lorenzo said, his voice turning icy. “And... she is Leo’s biological mother.”
The room went dead silent. The only sound was Leo happily babbling as he smeared sweet potato across his cheek.
Hunter felt as if the air had been kicked from her lungs. She looked from Lorenzo to the baby, then back to Lorenzo. “What do you mean, his biological mother? You told me Leo’s mother died in childbirth!”
Lorenzo stood up, his face grim. “That is what I was told by the clinic in Chicago. The records were forged, Hunter. When Matteo arranged for Leo’s birth, he used a surrogate agency owned by Julian Vance’s holding company. I was told the mother was an anonymous donor who passed away due to complications.”
“And she wasn't?” Hunter’s voice rose, panic lacing every word.
“She wasn't,” Marco supplied quietly. “Victoria Vance signed away her parental rights under duress eighteen months ago. Julian forced her into it to create leverage over Lorenzo. Now that Julian is in prison, Victoria is claiming the surrender agreement was illegal—and she’s here to take Leo back.”
Hunter stood up so fast her stool scraped loudly against the floor. She stepped between the kitchen door and Leo’s high chair, her hands curling into tight fists.
“She’s not touching him,” Hunter said, her voice shaking with a terrifying intensity. “She left him! She let Matteo try to kill him!”
“She’s claiming she didn't know where he was,” Marco said softly. “And with her father in prison, she’s trying to use the child to secure a settlement from the estate.”
Lorenzo walked over to Hunter, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders. “Listen to me,” he said, his eyes burning with absolute conviction. “No one is taking Leo out of this house. Not Victoria, not the courts, not the entire US Marshals service. Do you understand me?”
“Lorenzo, if she has a court order—”
“I don't care about the order,” Lorenzo said coldly. “Marco, get the legal team on the phone. Tell Arthur to file an emergency injunction staying the order based on fraud and child endangerment. And tell Miss Vance that if she steps one foot past the outer gate without my permission, I will personally see to it that her father’s remaining assets are seized by the federal government by nightfall.”
May you like
Marco nodded once and turned to leave.
Hunter stood frozen, her eyes wide as she looked at Leo, who was now holding a piece of sweet potato like a trophy. The peace they had fought so hard for had lasted less than a month. The ghosts of the Rossi and Vance families were back, and this time, they were coming for the boy she had raised as her own.
