Beautifully dangerous

Blood and Promises

Ivy's POV

The Moretti estate had become strangely familiar.

Every morning, I woke before sunrise, dressed in my black uniform, and began preparing for Dante's day.

His coffee.

His schedule.

His office.

Everything had to be perfect.

Mrs. Eleanor often joked that Dante could notice a picture frame moved half an inch.

After living here for nearly a week…

I believed her.

I balanced a tray with a cup of black coffee and walked toward his office.

Just as I reached the door, loud voices echoed from inside.

"…they crossed the line."

Marco's voice.

Another unfamiliar man answered.

"They're refusing to pay."

"They're testing you."

Silence.

Then Dante spoke.

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

"If they want war…"

"They'll have one."

A chill ran down my spine.

I gently knocked.

"Come in."

I stepped inside.

Three men immediately stopped talking.

Maps and photographs were spread across Dante's desk.

Several streets were circled in red.

A warehouse.

A shipping port.

Stacks of documents.

The room suddenly felt colder.

I placed the coffee in front of Dante.

"Your meeting starts in twenty minutes."

He nodded without looking away from the map.

"Leave the tray."

I did.

As I turned to leave, another man entered hurriedly.

"Boss!"

Everyone looked toward him.

"We found one of our men."

"What happened?"

"He was attacked last night."

"He's alive…"

"…barely."

Dante slowly stood.

His expression never changed.

"Where is he?"

"The infirmary."

"I'll see him."

He walked past me, his expensive shoes clicking against the marble floor.

Without thinking….

I followed.

The mansion had its own private medical wing.

I hadn't known that.

When we entered, a man lay unconscious on a hospital bed.

His face was bruised beyond recognition.

Bandages covered his chest.

Machines beeped steadily beside him.

I gasped softly.

"He…"

"….he's so young."

"He is," Mrs. Eleanor whispered beside me.

The doctor looked up.

"Boss."

"Will he survive?"

"If the next twenty-four hours go well…"

"Yes."

Dante walked to the bedside.

The injured man couldn't even open his eyes.

Dante adjusted the blanket that had slipped from his shoulder.

Such a small gesture…

Yet unexpectedly gentle.

"His family."

"They've been informed."

"Good."

"They'll never have to worry about hospital bills."

The doctor nodded.

"I've already taken care of it."

I looked at Dante in surprise.

He had paid again.

Just like he had Emma.

He turned to Marco.

"Find whoever did this."

Marco's expression hardened.

"We already have leads."

Dante's voice became ice.

"I don't want leads."

"I want names."

"And when you find them…."

He looked once more at the unconscious man.

"…make sure they understand exactly what they've done."

No one questioned him.

No one argued.

Everyone simply nodded.

The room became silent as Dante left.

That evening…

Rain poured against the mansion window.

I stood in the kitchen making tea for Mrs. Eleanor when the front doors suddenly burst open.

Several guards rushed inside.

Two of them supported Dante between them.

Blood stained the sleeve of his white dress shirt.

My heart stopped.

"Dante!"

The word escaped before I could think.

He looked at me.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine!"

Marco sighed.

"It's only a graze.

"Only?"

Blood dripped onto the marble floor.

The doctor hurried downstairs.

"Take him to his room."

Without thinking…

I followed.

Dante sat on the edge of his bed while the doctor cleaned the wound on his upper arm.

"It'll sting."

"I've had worse."

"I know."

I stood near the doorway.

Unsure whether I should leave.

Dante glanced at me.

"You can go."

"I…"

I looked at the blood soaking through the bandages.

"…I'd rather stay."

He didn't answer.

The doctor finished wrapping the wound.

"You'll need to rest."

"I don't have time."

"You'll make time."

The doctor packed his equipment and left.

Silence settled over the room.

I picked up the bloodstained shirt lying on the floor.

"You should throw this away."

"It's just a shirt."

I laughed softly.

"You really like saying that, don't you?"

He looked at me.

"What?"

"It's just a shirt."

"It's just a suit."

"It's just money."

I folded the ruined fabrics carefully.

"You make everything sound unimportant."

He watched me quietly.

"Because those things are unimportant."

I looked into his icy eyes.

"What is important, then?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Finally, he said,

"The people I choose to protect."

The room became very still.

I swallowed.

"And… am I one of those people?"

He stood.

Even injured, he towered over me.

He stepped closer.

"So is your sister."

My chest tightened.

"I gave you my word."

"I don't break my promises."

For the first time since meeting him…

I believed him completely.

Not because he was kind.

But because Dante Moretti treated his word like law.

He reached past me to take a clean shirt from the wardrobe.

His injured arm made the movement awkward.

Without thinking, I spoke.

"Let me help."

He looked at me.

"You don't have to."

"I know."

Slowly, I helped him slide the fresh shirt over his shoulders, careful not to touch the bandage.

Neither of us spoke.

The silence felt… different.

Less uncomfortable.

More intimate.

When I finished buttoning the last button, I realized how close we were.

I stepped back quickly.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I don't know."

A ghost of smile touched his lips.

"Neither do I."

Before I could answer, his phone rang.

The warmth in the room vanished instantly.

He answered without looking away from me.

"Speak."

His expression hardened.

"I'll deal with it."

He ended the call.

"Marco is waiting."

His voice was cold again.

"The men who attacked my soldier have been found."

I looked down.

He was leaving.

Again.

To do things I didn't want to imagine.

As he walked toward the door, he paused.

Without turning around, he said,

"Lock your bedroom door tonight."

A shiver ran down my spine.

"Why?"

His answer came without hesitation.

"Because my enemies now know you exist."

The door closed behind him.

I stood frozen in the middle of the room.

For the first time…

I understood what it truly meant to belong to Dante Moretti.

If he had enemies…

Then they could become mine too.

And suddenly, the mansion that had begun to feel like home…

Felt like a battlefield.