Chapter 16 - The Silence After the StormWe returned to Vance Manor just as the first pale light of dawn began to paint the snowy peaks of the Hudson Valley in shades of lavender and gold.
The nursery was quiet. When I pushed the door open, Chloe and Claire were still sound asleep, curled together like two little kittens under their quilted blankets, entirely unaware of the storm that had raged around their names just a few hours before.
I sat in the rocking chair by the window, watching the rise and fall of their small chests, feeling the residual adrenaline slowly drain from my veins.
The door creaked open. Elias walked in, having changed out of his blood-spattered tactical gear into a simple black cashmere sweater. He held two mugs of steaming black coffee, extending one toward me.
“They’re sleeping like they own the world,” Elias murmured softly, leaning against the doorframe.
“They do,” I replied, taking the mug and wrapping my hands around the warm ceramic. “At least... as long as you’re protecting it.”
Elias walked over, kneeling down beside my chair and looking up into my eyes. The harsh, ruthless kingpin of the New York underworld was gone, replaced by the man who had wrapped his coat around my babies beneath a freezing overpass five years ago.
“Julian confessed before we hit the bridge,” Elias said quietly. “He wasn't working alone. There’s a faction in Zurich—old-guard Swiss bankers who used to handle the Rossi accounts—they’re the ones who funded his operation.”
My heart tightened again. “Will they come after us?”
“Let them try,” Elias said, his voice steady and absolute. “I’ve already liquidated every remaining asset connected to the Swiss accounts and transferred the capital into secure holdings in Singapore and Tokyo. The Rossi syndicate is dead, Ava. Buried so deep no one will ever dig it up again.”
He reached up, his warm fingers brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
May you like
“From now on, there are no ghosts. No secrets. Just us.”
I smiled, leaning down to press my lips against his forehead. “Just us.”
