Chapter 9 - Shadows on the RiverOne month later, the Chicago riverfront hummed with life.
From the top-floor executive suite of the Kane Corporation tower, the city looked like a sprawling circuit board of lights and motion.
Willa stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, sipping a cup of hot black coffee. Her hair was styled professionally, and she wore a tailored crimson blazer that commanded just as much respect as any man in the room.
The door behind her opened softly.
Everett walked in, carrying a fresh dossier. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin comfortably on her shoulder.
"The federal prosecutors just indicted Whitfield and Sterling," Everett murmured into her hair. "Money laundering, conspiracy, and attempted medical murder. They won't see daylight for twenty years."
Willa leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes with a quiet sense of closure. "Good. The medical board also reinstated my nursing license this morning. They reviewed the old files and realized Whitfield framed me."
Everett tightened his embrace, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. "I told you, Willa. In this city, nobody touches what belongs to me."
"I'm not property, Everett Kane," she teased lightly, turning around in his arms to face him.
"No," Everett smiled, his gray eyes sparkling with genuine warmth. "You're my equal."
Suddenly, the intercom on the desk chimed. Crowley’s replacement’s voice crackled through the speaker.
"Mr. Kane? There's a visitor downstairs. A reporter from the Chicago Tribune asking for an interview about the 'fairy tale wedding' between the city's most powerful man and his former nurse."
May you like
Everett glanced at Willa, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.
"Tell them," Everett said into the desk mic, "that Mr. and Mrs. Kane are unavailable. We're too busy rewriting the rules."
