Chapter 10 - The New EmpireFive years later, the iron gates of the Thorne estate were no longer guarded by men with cold, suspicious eyes.
The security was still there—discreet, professional, absolute—but the atmosphere had changed. The estate had become home to the Thorne-Walsh Animal Sanctuary, a sprawling, state-of-the-art rehabilitation center for abused and abandoned working dogs, funded by the legitimate, diversified assets of the newly restructured Thorne Corporation.
Inside the main courtyard, Dr. Cora Walsh—now officially a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine—sat on the grass, surrounded by half a dozen dogs of all shapes and sizes.
And standing right beside her, grayer around the muzzle but still towering over the rest of the pack, was Nero.
A black Mercedes pulled up the long stone driveway, stopping smoothly by the fountain. Dante stepped out, dressed in his familiar charcoal suit, though the tie was gone and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He walked across the lawn, bypassing the barking pups until he reached Cora.
He didn't say a word. He simply reached down, pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, and dropped it into her open hand right on top of Nero's head.
Cora blinked, looking down at the ring inside the box—a delicate silver band set with a raw, deep-blue sapphire that matched the color of Dante’s eyes on the day they met.
"It's about time you made an honest woman out of me," Cora said, a brilliant smile breaking across her face.
Dante sat down on the grass next to her, ignoring the dog hair that immediately stuck to his trousers. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against his chest.
"I checked your background," Dante murmured into her hair, a smirk playing on his lips. "Found out you're a criminal mastermind who broke into my carriage house and stole my dog."
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"Your dog stole me," Cora corrected, laughing as Nero let out a deep, rumbling bark of absolute agreement, resting his massive head contentedly across both of their laps.
In the shadows of the estate, empires rose and fell. But here, in the sunlight, surrounded by the loyal hearts they had both saved, they had built something unbreakable.
