Chapter 10 - The Empire’s HeartSix months later, the rain was coming down hard against the windows of Gina’s All-Day Breakfast, just like it had that Tuesday night a lifetime ago.
The diner had been completely renovated—new leather booths, polished chrome counters, state-of-the-art espresso machines, and a plaque by the door reading Rosetti-Callahan Community Fund, dedicated to keeping local family businesses afloat.
Gina was sitting in the corner booth, sipping gourmet coffee and smiling as she watched the morning rush.
Adelaide sat at the back table, wearing a charcoal-gray Chanel pantsuit, her laptop open before her, reviewing the quarterly logistics report for the newly expanded Rosetti-Callahan shipping terminals across the entire eastern seaboard. Her mother, Clara, was sitting comfortably in a cushioned chair nearby, humming softly while flipping through a photo album with a peaceful, happy smile.
The bell above the door rang—not jingled, but rang, sharp and final.
A tall man in a dark gray tailored suit stepped inside, shaking the rain from his broad shoulders. His dark eyes swept the diner before landing immediately on Adelaide.
Maxim Rosetti walked across the gleaming floor, ignoring the whispered murmurs of the morning customers, and pulled out the chair opposite her. He didn't sit down right away. Instead, he reached into his pocket and placed a single, heavy porcelain coffee mug on the table between them—clean, white, and smelling faintly of expensive espresso.
Adelaide looked up from her laptop, a slow, knowing smile touching her lips.
"You're late for our meeting, Mr. Rosetti," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge was impossible," Maxim replied smoothly, finally sliding into the chair across from her, his dark eyes burning with that familiar, intense heat. "Besides, I wanted to see if the best Director of Supply Chain Logistics in New York was still working too hard."
Adelaide closed her laptop, leaning back in her chair, her gaze locking onto his with unyielding confidence.
"I never work too hard, Maxim," she murmured, reaching across the table to tap her finger against his chest, right over his heart. "I just make sure everything runs the way it's supposed to."
Maxim caught her hand in his, turning her palm upward and pressing a warm, lingering kiss against her wrist, right where the pulse beat fast and strong.
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"And here I thought," Maxim whispered with a slow, wicked smile, "you were just here to keep me out of trouble."
"Never," Adelaide smiled back, her eyes shining with power and triumph. "Trouble is much too boring without us."
