Chapter 10 - NEW EMPIRE
Three years later.
The sun was setting over the hills of Tuscany, casting a golden hue over the sprawling vineyards that surrounded our farmhouse. It wasn't a fortress. It didn't have bulletproof glass or armed guards patrolling the perimeter. It just had dogs—two massive, goofy Golden Retrievers named Cannoli and Meatball.
"Leo! Dinner!" I called out from the rustic outdoor kitchen, tossing a salad of tomatoes we had grown ourselves.
"Coming!"
A nine-year-old Leo sprinted around the corner of the house, followed closely by his father. Storm was wearing faded jeans and a white t-shirt covered in dirt. He had a smudge of grease on his cheek from fixing the vintage tractor.
He looked nothing like the Mafia King of Manhattan. He looked happy.
"Wash your hands, both of you," I commanded, pointing a wooden spoon at them.
"Yes, ma'am," Storm chuckled, grabbing Leo by the waist and hoisting him over his shoulder. Leo laughed, a bright, uninhibited sound that healed a part of my soul every time I heard it.
We ate dinner under a pergola wrapped in grapevines. We talked about Leo’s soccer game, about the new tile I was installing for a client in Florence, about the upcoming harvest for our small, boutique wine label.
Carmichael-Moretti Estates. We kept our names in Italy. The feds said it was safe enough here, far removed from the ashes of the American syndicates.
After Leo went to bed, Storm and I sat on the porch, sharing a glass of our own red wine. The night was peaceful, filled with the sounds of crickets and the rustling wind.
Storm reached over, taking my hand and tracing the simple gold wedding band on my finger.
"Do you ever miss it?" I asked softly, looking out at the dark hills. "The power. The city."
Storm didn't hesitate. He looked at me, his dark eyes reflecting the soft amber light of the porch lantern.
"I used to think power was about control," he said quietly. "About making people fear you so they couldn't hurt you. But I was miserable, Juliet. I had the whole world, and I was starving to death."
He lifted my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.
"I don't miss it. Not for a second. The only empire I care about is sitting right here."
I smiled, leaning my head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me. The past was finally a ghost, buried beneath the Tuscan soil, replaced by a love that had survived the dark and fought its way into the light.
May you like
I had hid his baby. He had paid me to disappear.
But in the end, we had found each other, and we were never letting go again.
