Chapter 8 - A New Rhythm
The transformation of the Russo estate over the next six months astonished everyone who knew Dominic.
The private jets sat idle on the tarmac. The endless business trips to Vegas and Miami were canceled or handled entirely over video calls from his home study. The cold, intimidating billionaire who used to terrify boardrooms now spent his afternoons sitting on the living room floor building Lego castles with Mia, or listening to Valentina practice reading simple picture books.
Elena became the heart of the home. She didn't leave her position as housekeeper—though Dominic tried a dozen times to promote her to estate manager or co-owner of the property, she refused.
"If I'm just the housekeeper, Dominic," she teased him one evening over dinner, "it gives me the right to boss you around when you leave your papers on the dining table."
Dominic laughed—a deep, rich sound that the mansion hadn't heard in years. "You already boss me around, Elena. Half my security team is terrified of you."
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"Good," she smiled, handing a cup of warm milk to Lucia. "Someone needs to keep you all in line."
The girls were thriving. They talked constantly now, filling the wide hallways with chatter, giggles, and endless questions about the stars, the trees, and why dogs chased squirrels. The silence that had haunted the mausoleum was gone, replaced by the chaotic, beautiful noise of a real family.
