CHAPTER 3
Rules of the Rossi House
The Rossi estate had always been governed by rules.
Some were written.
Most were not.
The written rules covered business.
Loyalty.
Confidentiality.
Punishment for betrayal.
The unwritten rules were simpler.
Never interrupt Dante Rossi while he was working.
Never lie to him.
Never bring unnecessary problems to his door.
For fifteen years, every man and woman under his roof had followed those rules without question.
On the third morning after the wedding...
Dante added a new one.
And it changed everything.
The staff assembled quietly in the grand foyer.
Housekeepers stood beside chefs.
Gardeners beside chauffeurs.
Security officers lined the marble staircase.
Even Marco looked curious.
Dante descended from the second floor wearing a navy suit, his expression unreadable.
He stopped at the foot of the staircase.
"I'll keep this brief."
Everyone straightened instinctively.
"Mrs. Rossi is now the lady of this house."
No one reacted.
Everyone already knew that.
But Dante continued.
"From today forward, there are three rules concerning her."
He held up one finger.
"No one enters her private rooms without her permission."
A second finger.
"No one raises their voice at her."
Then the third.
"And no one questions her decisions inside this house."
Silence.
One of the older housekeepers exchanged a surprised glance with another servant.
Dante noticed.
"If anyone has a problem with those rules..."
His voice remained calm.
"...they're free to leave."
Nobody moved.
Marco almost smiled.
There it was.
The quiet warning that carried far more weight than shouting ever could.
Dante looked across the room one last time.
"Understood?"
"Yes, Mr. Rossi."
The answer echoed through the foyer.
From the second-floor hallway, Aria had heard every word.
She stood hidden behind a partially opened door.
Her hands trembled.
No one had ever defended her before.
Not publicly.
Certainly not in front of dozens of employees.
She couldn't understand it.
There had to be a reason.
People were never kind without expecting something in return.
Later that morning, Rosa knocked gently before entering with fresh flowers.
"May I come in, Mrs. Rossi?"
Aria hurried to open the door herself.
"You don't have to ask."
Rosa smiled warmly.
"Mr. Rossi insists."
She placed the vase beside the window.
"The roses are from the south garden."
"They're beautiful."
"You like flowers?"
Aria nodded.
"My mother loved white roses."
For a brief moment, sadness softened her face.
"I used to help her in our greenhouse."
"What happened to it?"
"My father had it demolished."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
She immediately lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
Rosa frowned gently.
"For what?"
"I spoke too much."
The older woman reached over and adjusted one of the roses.
"You'll learn."
"Learn what?"
"That nobody here wants you to be afraid."
Aria looked away.
"I don't know how."
After Rosa left, Aria wandered through the estate.
The mansion felt more like a museum than a home.
High ceilings.
Ancient paintings.
Crystal chandeliers.
Grand staircases.
Yet beneath the luxury, something unexpected existed.
Laughter.
Two young gardeners joked while trimming hedges.
The kitchen staff chatted as they baked fresh bread.
Security guards greeted each other by name.
There was discipline.
But there wasn't fear.
It confused her.
Inside the Sterling mansion...
Silence had always meant survival.
She eventually found herself in the estate library.
It was enormous.
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stretched toward the painted ceiling.
Rolling ladders.
Leather chairs.
Sunlight poured through stained-glass windows.
Thousands of books.
History.
Medicine.
Philosophy.
Poetry.
She slowly ran her fingers along the spines.
"You like books."
The deep voice startled her.
She spun around.
Dante stood in the doorway.
"I-I'm sorry."
He sighed almost imperceptibly.
"What are you apologizing for now?"
"I entered without asking."
"You live here."
"I thought..."
"There are no forbidden rooms."
She blinked.
"No forbidden rooms?"
He shook his head.
"Except my security office."
A tiny smile almost appeared.
"Even Marco isn't allowed to rearrange my paperwork."
Before she realized it...
Aria smiled.
Just for a second.
It was so brief she didn't notice.
Dante did.
It completely transformed her face.
For one heartbeat...
She looked twenty-two instead of someone who had lived a lifetime of fear.
He walked toward one of the bookshelves.
"What do you read?"
She hesitated.
"Classics."
He pulled a worn leather volume from the shelf.
"Jane Eyre."
Her eyes widened.
"That's my favorite."
"I know."
She looked confused.
"You know?"
"You paused in front of it three times."
A faint blush colored her cheeks.
"I didn't realize."
He handed her the book.
"It belonged to my grandmother."
She accepted it carefully.
As though it were something priceless.
Perhaps it was.
Meanwhile...
Marco entered Dante's study carrying another folder.
"Our surveillance team finished interviewing the Sterling household staff."
Dante looked up.
"And?"
Marco's expression hardened.
"They're terrified."
"Of Charles?"
"Of speaking."
He placed several photographs on the desk.
"Three maids quit within the last year."
"One disappeared."
"Another signed a non-disclosure agreement worth half a million dollars."
Dante examined the files.
"Did anyone actually talk?"
"One gardener."
"What did he say?"
Marco took a slow breath.
"He said Mrs. Sterling used to scream."
Dante frowned.
"Vivian?"
"No."
"Aria."
Silence filled the room.
"The gardener heard screaming almost every week."
"What kind?"
Marco looked away.
"The kind people make when they're being hurt."
Dante's jaw tightened.
"Did anyone call the police?"
"They tried."
"What happened?"
"The calls were canceled before officers arrived."
Dante leaned back slowly.
Political influence.
Money.
Connections.
Charles Sterling had buried every trace.
Almost.
That afternoon, Dante attended a meeting with senior members of the Rossi organization.
The conference room overlooked Boston Harbor.
Around the polished oak table sat men whose names filled FBI files.
They discussed shipments.
Territories.
Investments.
Everything proceeded normally.
Until one captain laughed.
"So..."
He grinned.
"How's married life?"
Several men chuckled.
Dante remained expressionless.
"My marriage isn't a topic for entertainment."
The room immediately fell silent.
Another captain cleared his throat.
"Of course, Boss."
Dante looked around the table.
"One more thing."
Everyone listened.
"If any of you..."
He paused.
"...or anyone working under you..."
"...shows disrespect toward my wife..."
"...you're showing disrespect toward me."
No one dared speak.
Marco noticed the subtle change.
Dante wasn't merely protecting Aria.
He was establishing something far more dangerous.
She was now under the absolute protection of the Rossi name.
Anyone who threatened her...
Threatened the entire syndicate.
That evening...
Rain fell steadily over the estate.
Aria sat beside the bedroom window reading Jane Eyre.
She hadn't realized how much she had missed reading without interruption.
Without someone snatching the book from her hands.
Without being told she was wasting time.
A soft knock sounded.
"Mrs. Rossi?"
It was Rosa again.
"Dinner is ready."
"I'll come."
When Aria entered the dining room, she found only one place set.
She looked around.
"Mr. Rossi?"
"He'll eat later."
"Oh."
She immediately stepped backward.
"Then I'll wait."
Rosa smiled.
"He specifically instructed us not to."
"But wives should eat with their husbands."
"According to whom?"
"My father."
Rosa almost laughed.
"Mr. Rossi said something else."
"What?"
She repeated his exact words.
"If my wife is hungry, she eats. She doesn't wait for anyone's permission."
Aria stood frozen.
Then she quietly sat down.
For the first time in years...
She ate until she was full.
Not because someone ordered her.
Not because she feared punishment.
Because she was hungry.
Late that night...
Dante finally returned from work.
The mansion was quiet.
Most lights had been turned off.
As he walked past the library, he stopped.
The lamp beside the fireplace still glowed softly.
Aria had fallen asleep in the armchair.
The book rested open in her lap.
One hand still held the corner of the page.
A loose strand of chestnut hair had slipped across her face.
She looked younger in sleep.
Peaceful.
Untouched by nightmares.
At least for tonight.
Dante stepped closer.
Carefully...
Very carefully...
He removed the book from her hands.
She stirred.
For one terrifying second, he thought she would wake in panic.
Instead...
She simply sighed softly.
Without opening her eyes.
He draped a cashmere blanket over her shoulders.
As he turned to leave...
A sleepy whisper reached him.
"...Thank you..."
She was still asleep.
The words had escaped unconsciously.
Dante stood motionless for a long moment.
Then, for the first time since becoming head of the Rossi Syndicate, he found himself smiling.
It was faint.
Almost imperceptible.
But it was real.
He quietly switched off the lamp and walked away, leaving the library in peaceful darkness.
Upstairs, hidden behind the walls of another wing of the mansion, Marco received an encrypted message from one of his investigators.
He read the first line.
His expression changed instantly.
He grabbed his phone and called Dante.
"Boss."
"What is it?"
Marco's voice was unusually tense.
"We found the man who signed all of Mrs. Rossi's hospital reports."
Dante's eyes narrowed.
"And?"
"He's dead."
A long silence followed.
"Officially..."
Marco continued.
"...he died in a boating accident six months ago."
Another pause.
"Our investigator doesn't believe it was an accident."
Dante slowly looked out the rain-covered window.
May you like
Someone wasn't just hiding Aria's past.
Someone had been killing to keep it buried.
