Chapter 28 - The Final AccountingBack in New York, three days later, the Federal grand indictments against Evelyn and Silas Vance were officially unsealed. Stripped of their wealth, their offshore shell companies, and their protection, they faced life imprisonment without parole in a maximum-security federal penitentiary.
The syndicate had adapted seamlessly to our leadership. The ports were clean, the logistics flawless, and the enemies scattered to the winds.
I sat at my executive desk in the Falcone estate, reviewing the final clearance reports.
The door opened softly. Gabriel walked in, holding two crystal flutes of champagne. He handed one to me, sitting down on the edge of the desk.
"The federal prosecutor just called," Gabriel said, a faint smile touching his lips. "Evelyn pled guilty in exchange for avoiding a Supermax facility. She'll spend the rest of her life behind gray concrete walls."
I took a slow sip of the champagne, letting the cool bubbles wash over my tongue. "And Silas?"
"Extradited to Russia on arms-trafficking charges. He won't last a month in a Siberian labor camp."
I nodded slowly, feeling an immense, profound weight lift off my shoulders. The ghosts of my mother's past had finally been laid to rest.
Gabriel reached out, taking the glass from my hand and setting it aside. He gently pulled me up from my chair, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me flush against his chest.
"You did it, Maya," Gabriel whispered, his dark eyes softening as he looked down at me. "You closed the final account."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, looking up into the face of the man who had gone from a feared mafia boss to my fiercest protector and partner.
May you like
"We did it," I corrected softly.
Gabriel leaned down, capturing my lips in a passionate, lingering kiss that sealed our unbreakable bond.
