Chapter 1 - The Child's Embrace
Inside the dimly lit VIP section of Ristorante Orelio, nine-month-old Leo reached his small arms out, wailing hysterically as he pushed away from his father's broad chest.
The tall, imposing mafia boss, Dante Orelio, stood in a fitted black suit, his sharp cheek scar twitching with rising frustration as three burly bodyguards looked on in tense silence.
"Hold him. Now," Dante barked in an imperious, low command, stepping toward Elina Valdez, a twenty-four-year-old waitress wearing an ivory embroidered puff-sleeve dress under a black apron.
Elina’s heart hammered against her ribs, but as the crying child stretched toward her, she instinctively stepped forward and took the trembling boy into her arms.
The second Leo reached Elina's chest, his frantic sobs ceased completely. He melted peacefully against her shoulder, clutching her black apron fabric as his small eyelids fluttered shut into a deep, serene sleep.
Dante froze in utter, pale shock. His hand remained suspended in mid-air as he stared at the peaceful infant.
"He won't let anyone hold him... only his mother could calm him like that," Dante whispered in disbelief.
Elina held the sleeping child securely, her brown eyes shifting toward the wall behind the marble bar as a sudden, icy chill ran down her spine.
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"Why are you looking at me like I’m a ghost...?" Elina asked in a quiet, trembling voice.
👉 Read Part 2 to discover the terrifying secret hanging behind the bar.
