Chapter 5 - The Trap in the GallerySerena strode down the dimly lit corridor with Leo trailing closely behind her, his small hand instinctively gripping the edge of her sleeve.
When they reached the second-floor landing overlooking the grand foyer, the scene unfolding below was nothing short of chaotic art installation.
Marcus Rinaldi was standing in the center of a massive Persian rug, covered head-to-toe in shimmering, multi-colored craft glitter and sticky pancake syrup. A string of plastic jingle bells was tangled securely around his ankles, and an upturned metal wastebasket sat like a dunce cap squarely on top of his designer haircut.
“WHO DID THIS?!” Marcus roared, his voice bouncing off the marble pillars of the foyer. He swung his arms wildly, sending a cascade of pink and gold glitter flying into the air. “VITTORIO! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW AND CONTROL YOUR SPAWN!”
From the top of the grand staircase, Vittorio appeared. He was wearing a dark silk robe loosely tied at the waist, his dark hair slightly tousled from sleep. He leaned against the carved banister, looking down at his brother with an expression of profound, unbothered amusement.
“I told you to use the front door, Marcus,” Vittorio said, his voice laced with dry mockery.
“They rigged the chandelier pulldown! There was maple syrup in the pulley mechanism!” Marcus shrieked, wiping blue glitter from his eyelashes. “They’re feral, Vittorio! They need military school, not a nanny!”
Marco, Julian, and Toby suddenly popped their heads out from behind a marble pillar near the library, stifling giggles behind their hands.
Serena walked to the edge of the landing, leaning over the wrought-iron railing.
“If you’d used a flashlight instead of stumbling around in the dark like a burglar, you would have seen the tripwire, Mr. Rinaldi,” Serena called down coolly.
Marcus snapped his head up, glaring daggers at her through a coating of sticky syrup. “This is your fault! You’re supposed to be watching them!”
“It’s midnight,” Serena replied with a polite, razor-sharp smile. “My shift officially ends when they go to sleep, and my contract doesn't cover rescuing grown men from kindergarten traps. Goodnight, Mr. Rinaldi.”
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She turned around, hiding her own smile, and gently ushered Leo back toward the west wing.
Behind them, Vittorio’s deep, resonant laughter echoed up through the foyer—the first real, genuine laugh Serena had heard since she walked through the front gates.
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