Chapter 8 - THE ASHES OF YESTERDAYThe morning after Senator Julian Dante’s arrest, the front pages of every major newspaper in the country screamed with headlines that shook Wall Street and City Hall to their foundations.
SENATOR JULIAN DANTE ARRESTED IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MUNICIPAL FRAUD SCANDAL. WHISTLEBLOWER FILES REVEAL COVER-UP BEHIND 7-YEAR-OLD WORKSHOP FIRE.
Down in the kitchen of the Manhattan penthouse—a kitchen twice the size of my old apartment in New Jersey—I stood by the marble island, pouring boiling water over a cup of chamomile tea. Cerberus lay sprawled across the heated tile floor, snoring softly, completely at peace for the first time in his long, scarred life.
The private elevator chime chimed.
I didn't turn around, because I already knew the heavy, measured footsteps walking across the floor.
Enzo stepped up behind me, resting his hands lightly on the marble counter on either side of my hips, trapping me in the safest, warmest cage imaginable. He rested his chin on my shoulder, breathing in the scent of lemon and tea leaves.
"The federal prosecutor called an hour ago," Enzo murmured, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of my neck, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. "Julian’s network is completely dismantled. All shell accounts frozen. His campaign is dead in the water, and he’s facing twenty years in a maximum-security facility."
I closed my eyes, letting the warmth of his body sink into mine. "And the workshop property?"
"Already bought out by my legal team," Enzo replied softly, turning my head so our eyes met. "The deed is in your name. You can rebuild it, sell it, or pave it over. Whatever you want."
I reached up, my fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw, feeling the slight stubble there. "I don't want to sell it. I want to build something new there. A veterinary clinic. A safe haven for animals that need a second chance—just like Cerberus."
Enzo smiled—a real, genuine, breathtaking smile that softened the hard lines of his face and made his dark eyes shine with a fierce, quiet pride.
"Then we'll fund it," Enzo said. "Every last cent."
He leaned in, capturing my lips in a kiss that wasn't born of mafia desperation or shared danger, but of a quiet, unshakable future. It was slow, deep, and tasted like victory and new beginnings.
Cerberus let out a muffled snort from the floor, as if reminding us he was still there, prompting us both to pull back with quiet, breathless laughter.
"You know," Enzo whispered, his thumb gently stroking my cheek, "when you dropped that catering tray on my marble floor three weeks ago, I thought you were just another clumsy civilian who wandered into the wrong room."
May you like
"And instead, I turned your entire life upside down," I teased, a bright smile breaking across my face.
"You didn't turn it upside down, Elena," Enzo corrected me softly, pulling me just a little closer against his chest. "You finally set it right."
