Chapter 10 - EPILOGUE: THE TWENTY-SEVEN-CENT EMPIREMidnight.
The gala had ended hours ago, the glittering guests had departed, and the sprawling halls of Sterling Manor had returned to their quiet, majestic peace.
Out on the massive stone balcony overlooking the crashing waves of the North Atlantic, the fog rolled softly beneath a canopy of brilliant, diamond-like stars.
Nathan stood leaning against the stone railing, holding a warm mug of coffee, watching the dark horizon. Footsteps approached softly behind him, accompanied by the familiar, comforting rustle of a silk dress.
Elelliana stepped out beside him, wrapping a thick woolen blanket around her shoulders against the crisp night air. She leaned her head against his shoulder, exactly the way she had ten years ago in the back of the black sedan.
"You know," Nathan murmured, sipping his coffee, "technically, accounting-wise, you still owe me four dollars and seventy-nine cents for that milk."
Elelliana laughed—a bright, ringing sound that carried out over the dark ocean waves. She reached into the pocket of her gown, pulled out a single, gleaming quarter and two shiny dimes, and dropped them neatly into his open palm.
May you like
"Interest included," she smiled wickedly. "Paid in full."
Nathan looked down at the coins in his hand, closed his fingers tightly around them, and smiled into the dark, limitless horizon. The storm was over. The cold was gone. And the legacy of register seven would burn brightly for a thousand lifetimes.
