Chapter 13 - A New Foundation
Three months later,
the spring flowers were blooming across the manicured lawns of the Gold Coast estate.
Meridian Freight was operating smoother than ever under my direct supervision,
completely purged of corruption,
blackmail,
and greed.
The regional directors and logistics heads had learned a permanent lesson about loyalty and discipline.
And Nora had moved out of the safehouse into a spacious,
sunlit penthouse apartment overlooking the lake,
custom-designed for safety,
comfort,
and peace.
I stood in the doorway of her new home,
watching as she unpacked a box of baby clothes.
She looked healthier now,
her cheeks flushed with color,
her rounded stomach evident beneath a soft cotton dress.
“You’re working too hard again,
” I said,
walking into the room and taking the box from her hands.
“I’m just folding laundry,
Dante,
” Nora laughed,
shaking her head affectionately.
“That’s not accounting work.
” “Dr.
Vance said you need to rest,
” I insisted,
placing the box on the mahogany dresser.
“Dr.
Vance is a worrier,
” she smiled,
walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window to look out at the sparkling lake.
“And so are you.
” “I have a reputation to maintain,
” I replied dryly,
stepping up beside her.
“The ruthless empire builder of Chicago doesn’t hover over pregnant accountants.
” “You stopped being ruthless the night you walked into my Lakeview apartment,
” Nora whispered,
leaning her head gently against my shoulder.
“You could have walked away.
” “You could have let Enzo handle me.
” “Instead,
you chose the truth.
” “Numbers don’t lie,
Nora,
” I murmured,
wrapping my arm gently around her waist.
“And neither do the people who stand by you when the storm hits.
” She turned in my arms,
looking up into my eyes with a depth of trust and affection I had never known in all my years atop the Chicago underworld.
“What happens now,
Dante?
” “Now,
” I said,
pressing a soft kiss to her forehead as the Chicago sun bathed us in golden light,
“we build a future.
May you like
” “Together.
”
