Chapter 10 - The Unbroken Circle and the Final EclipseThree months later, the old North River Foods packaging plant was a distant memory.
In its place stood Morning Grace Bakery, reopened in the heart of Manhattan with lines stretching down the block every single morning. The windows fogged with the scent of fresh cinnamon rolls and warm bread, and neighborhood children pressed their faces against the glass, laughing as they watched cupcakes being decorated.
Inside the bakery office, Emma adjusted her apron, smiling as she looked over the daily accounts.
The door chimed. Footsteps echoed across the wooden floor—heavy, measured, and entirely familiar.
Gabriel walked in, carrying a small bouquet of fresh wildflowers picked from the Hudson estate. He wore his usual sharp suit, but his tie was slightly loosened, and the hard edge in his eyes had softened completely when he looked at her.
"How are the morning numbers?" Gabriel asked, leaning against the counter.
"We sold out of cinnamon rolls by eight o'clock," Emma said, stepping around the counter to take the flowers. "At this rate, I might actually have to hire an assistant."
"I can send a few of my capos," Gabriel joked dryly. "They’re surprisingly good at inventory."
Emma laughed, reaching up to adjust his collar. "I think I'll pass on the mob-run bakery staff, thank you very much."
Gabriel caught her hand, kissing her bandaged knuckles—though the cuts had long since healed, leaving only smooth skin. His dark eyes locked onto hers, filled with a quiet, fierce devotion that he reserved for no one else in the world.
Outside, across the sunlit street, a black sedan sat parked by the curb. A pair of binoculars watched the bakery window from the tinted interior.
Marcus, sitting in the front seat, tapped his comm-link. "Target is secure. Perimeter is clean."
Inside the car, a secure phone buzzed. A deep, cold voice from a rival syndicate crackled through the speaker: Is Moretti still vulnerable through her?
Marcus looked out the window, watching Gabriel smile and pull Emma into a warm, protective embrace as Sophie ran into the bakery with a school backpack bouncing against her shoulders.
May you like
Marcus smiled faintly, hanging up the phone without a word.
Let them try. The underworld had tested the king, and the king had found his queen. They were untouchable now.
