Chapter 9 - The Clearing of the Board
The fallout was swift and absolute.
Before the sun rose over the city, Marcus Moretti and six of his senior lieutenants were picked up by federal agents in a series of coordinated raids, using the financial evidence and illegal wiretap logs provided directly by Dominic's legal team.
The Moretti syndicate collapsed overnight.
Two days later, the rain had cleared from North Hill, leaving the estate bathed in crisp, bright autumn sunlight.
I sat on the porch of the guest cottage, watching Lily run through the rose garden with a golden retriever that Dominic had brought home for her yesterday. She was laughing—a loud, clear, beautiful sound that I hadn't heard in years.
Footsteps sounded on the gravel path.
Dominic walked up the steps, wearing a plain grey sweater and dark jeans. He carried a thick leather portfolio in his hand.
He sat on the wooden bench beside me, looking out at the garden.
"Marcus Moretti will spend the rest of his life in a federal penitentiary in Colorado," Dominic said quietly. "His organization is dismantled. The streets are clean."
I looked at him, feeling a sudden, heavy ache in my chest. "So... it's over?"
"It's over," Dominic confirmed.
He laid the leather portfolio on my lap.
"What's this?" I asked.
"The deed to a four-bedroom house in Boston," Dominic said softly. "Along with a fully funded trust account for Lily’s college education, and a deed to a small accounting firm downtown. It is all under your name. No ties to the Salvatore family. No debts. No shadows."
I looked down at the documents, my eyes stinging with tears. "Dominic... this is millions of dollars..."
"It is freedom, Emma," he said, turning his face to look at me, his dark eyes filled with a quiet, lingering sorrow. "You dragged a man out of a burning car because you had a good heart. You shouldn't have to live in a gilded cage because of it. A car is waiting to take you to Boston whenever you are ready."
He stood up, turning to walk down the porch steps.
"Dominic," I called out.
May you like
He stopped, his back turned to me.
"What if I don't want to go to Boston?" I asked, my voice steady and clear in the crisp morning air.
