Chapter 17 - The Audit
Three hours later, back in the pristine boardroom of the Castiano building, the federal oversight committee sat around the mahogany table reviewing the final digital signatures.
The chief auditor, a stern middle-aged woman named Director Vance, adjusted her glasses and looked up at Berto and Anna, who sat side-by-side across the table.
"Well, Mr. Castiano," Director Vance said, closing the leather-bound dossier. "Given the unexpected disruption at Terminal 4 this morning—and the subsequent apprehension of a high-value fugitive—our counter-terrorism and financial crime division has fully reviewed your portfolio. All legacy accounts have been legally dissolved. Your corporate charter is fully reinstated."
Berto nodded evenly. "Thank you, Director."
"Don't thank us," Vance added with a rare, approving smile, looking directly at Anna. "Your chief operations officer provided the encrypted override codes and system diagnostics that allowed our tactical team to neutralize the threat before it escalated. She essentially saved downtown Manhattan."
"I told you," Anna whispered to Berto with a smug grin as the committee began packing their briefcases. "I'm good for the resume."
Once the conference room had emptied out, leaving just the two of them in the quiet warmth of the penthouse office, Berto stood up, walked around the table, and pulled Anna straight out of her chair, pressing her back gently against the glass wall overlooking the city.
"You realize," Berto murmured, his voice thick with an emotion he rarely allowed himself to show, "that you could have been killed today. Dante was unstable."
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"I know," Anna replied softly, her hands resting on his chest, feeling the steady, powerful beat of his heart. "But in this life, Berto... safety is an illusion. We only get to choose who we stand next to when the storm hits."
Berto leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep, fierce, unhurried kiss that erased every lingering shadow of the past.
