Chapter 23
That evening, a grand dinner was held in the primary dining room of the Sterling Estate to celebrate our new beginning.
My mother sat at the head of the long mahogany table, looking healthy, vibrant, and completely free from fear.
William sat across from her, holding baby Leo, while Maya and I sat between them laughing and eating homemade pasta.
The dark clouds that had hung over our lives for two long years had completely vanished into the sea breeze.
Evelyn walked into the dining room, holding a sleek silver envelope stamped with an official wax seal.
“Pardon the interruption, Mr. Sterling,” Evelyn spoke smoothly, handing the envelope directly to William.
“This was just delivered by diplomatic courier from the Italian Embassy in Washington D.C.”
William set his fork down, breaking the red wax seal and sliding the parchment document out onto the table.
As his eyes scanned the Italian text printed on the page, his warm expression instantly faded into total shock.
My mother stopped laughing, looking across the table at William with immediate concern.
“What is it, William?” my mother asked softly.
William slowly raised his eyes, looking directly at my mother, then at Maya and me.
“The distant cousin in Rome that Lily was flying to see…” William whispered, his voice laced with sudden tension.
May you like
“He didn’t just offer you a couch to sleep on, Clara.”
“He just filed an emergency international custody claim for Lily and Maya in the High Court of Europe.”
