Chapter 5 - The Silver Locket
"Sit down, Isabella," Salvatore growled, his voice vibrating with absolute, terrifying authority.
Isabella clamped her mouth shut and sank furiously back into her chair, her face burning with public humiliation. Gabriel offered Tessa a small, apologetic look, but Tessa’s eyes were locked entirely on the mafia patriarch.
"Come here, girl," Salvatore commanded, gesturing with a trembling, heavily ringed hand.
Tessa stepped around the shattered glass, standing just inches from the most powerful crime boss in New York. Her white apron was stained completely red, but her posture was unbreakable.
Salvatore wasn't looking at the wine stain. His sharp, intense eyes were fixed on Tessa’s neck.
When Isabella had knocked into her, the top button of Tessa's uniform had come undone. Resting against her collarbone, glittering under the crystal chandeliers, was a heavy, antique silver locket.
Salvatore’s breath hitched violently in his chest. All the color violently drained from his weathered face.
He reached out with a shaking hand. He didn't touch her skin, but he gently flipped the locket over with the tip of his finger. Engraved on the back of the silver pendant was a very specific, intricate crest—a roaring lion holding a broken sword.
It was the private family crest of the Rossi bloodline. There were only two of those lockets in existence. Salvatore wore one.
And he had given the other to Antonio on his eighteenth birthday.
"Where did you get this?" Salvatore choked out, his eyes welling with hot, agonizing tears. The fierce mafia boss completely melted away, leaving only a broken, desperate father.
Tessa reached up and unclasped the locket. She placed it gently onto the pristine white tablecloth right in front of Salvatore.
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"My father placed it around my neck the night before he died," Tessa said, her voice ringing clear and steady through the silent restaurant.
👉 What absolute bombshell is Tessa about to drop on the syndicate?
