Chapter 4 - BENEATH THE SURFACE
Over the next week and a half, Chloe’s life turned into a surreal balancing act. By day, she still worked her shifts at Il Canto, but her interactions with Gabriel had changed entirely. Whenever he dined at the restaurant—which he did three times a week now—he no longer sat in the VIP alcove ignoring his surroundings. He sat at a corner table where he could watch her, occasionally catching her eye and giving a subtle, respectful nod.
And twice a week, she visited the sprawling Costello estate on the outskirts of the city to spend afternoons with Beatrice.
Their first official meeting at the mansion had been awkward, but it quickly blossomed into something warm and profound. Beatrice was sharp, witty, and fiercely independent, possessing a dry sense of humor that kept Chloe constantly on her toes.
My son is paying you an exorbitant amount of money, isn't he? Beatrice had signed during their second afternoon together, sitting in the sunlit conservatory while sipping Earl Grey tea.
He’s paying me enough to cover rent and groceries, Chloe signed back with a grin.
He’s an idiot, but he has a good heart, Beatrice signed, her eyes twinkling with affection. He carries the weight of the entire city on his shoulders and thinks he has to protect everyone by himself. It’s exhausting to watch.
You raised him, so you only have yourself to blame, Chloe teased through her fingers.
Beatrice had thrown her head back and let out a rich, booming laugh that echoed off the glass walls of the conservatory.
As the days passed, Gabriel joined them whenever his schedule permitted. He would sit quietly in a corner chair, watching their hands move with rapid, silent fluidity. At first, he only observed. But by the fourth session, he brought a legal pad and a pen, asking Chloe to slow down and teach him the alphabet, then basic phrases.
Thank... you... Ma, Gabriel signed awkwardly, his large hands feeling clumsy and stiff as he formed the gestures.
Beatrice had stared at her son in absolute shock, her hands flying to her mouth. Then, a tear slipped down her cheek, and she reached across the small table, pulling Gabriel’s large head down into her embrace.
Chloe had turned away, busying herself with her teacup, a sudden tightness constricting her throat as she watched the powerful mafia boss holding onto his mother like a little boy.
It was during one of these private tutoring sessions in the study that Chloe learned the darker currents running beneath the surface of the Costello family.
Gabriel was standing by the window, watching a pair of armed guards patrol the perimeter gardens, while Chloe reviewed vocabulary words with Beatrice across the room.
“Vance is making moves again,” Dante muttered, stepping into the study and handing a encrypted tablet to Gabriel.
Gabriel’s face darkened instantly. Julian Vance—an exiled capo from a rival syndicate who had been quietly building alliances while in hiding—was testing the boundaries of Moretti and Costello territory.
“He thinks because we’ve been quiet this month, we’re vulnerable,” Gabriel said coldly, scrolling through the intelligence report.
“He’s planning something for the night of your mother’s birthday party,” Dante warned, glancing briefly toward Chloe and Beatrice. “An ambush near the north gate. He knows half the security detail will be distracted by the guests.”
Chloe’s heart skipped a beat. She lowered her hands, looking up at Gabriel. “A party? With hundreds of people here? If Vance attacks—”
“Vance won't reach the gates,” Gabriel interrupted, his voice cutting through the room with absolute, lethal certainty. He looked directly at Chloe, his blue-gray eyes locking onto hers. “Nothing will disrupt my mother’s party. And no one will touch anyone inside this house.”
Beatrice noticed the sudden tension in the room. She tapped Chloe’s arm, signing rapidly: What is happening? What are they talking about?
Chloe hesitated, glancing at Gabriel. He gave her a microscopic nod, communicating a silent trust.
Chloe turned back to Beatrice and signed carefully: There are men who want to cause trouble at your birthday. But your son is taking care of it.
Beatrice watched her hands, then looked at Gabriel. She didn't look scared; she looked fiercely proud. She signed back to her son across the room, her fingers moving with steady authority: Don't let them ruin my party, Gabriel. And make sure you wear the blue tie.
Gabriel let out a short, genuine bark of laughter—a sound that completely dissolved the dark tension in the room.
“I’ll wear the blue tie, Ma,” Gabriel signed back, his hands surprisingly fluid.
May you like
Chloe watched them, feeling a strange, profound warmth settle into her chest. The silent walls that had kept this family fractured for years were finally crumbling down, brick by brick.
But as the date of the grand celebration drew closer, the storm clouds gathered outside the estate walls, and everyone in the house knew that the night of the party would test them all to their absolute limits.
