Chapter 9 - A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Three months later, the Falcone estate was quiet, bathed in the warm golden light of late afternoon.
The heavy, oppressive atmosphere that had choked the house during Sloane’s brief reign was gone. The security staff had been entirely replaced, strictly vetted by Nico himself.
Elena was in federal custody, awaiting trial for fraud and accessory to murder. Marcus was buried in an unmarked grave. And Sloane... Sloane had quietly accepted a minimal severance and vanished, too terrified of Nico’s reach to ever show her face in the city again.
I was in the dining room, setting the table for dinner.
I placed a crystal water glass down, making sure it aligned perfectly with the silver cutlery.
"You don't have to do that anymore, Jenna."
I turned and smiled as Nico walked into the room. He wasn't wearing a rigid suit today; he was in a comfortable sweater and slacks. He looked lighter, as if a ten-year burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Old habits, Mr. Falcone," I teased lightly.
He smiled, a genuine, warm expression that actually reached his eyes. "I thought we agreed on 'Nico'."
I was no longer wearing a white apron. I was wearing a tailored navy dress. Nico had promoted me from housekeeper to estate manager, with a salary that allowed me to pay off my student loans in a single afternoon.
More importantly, I was respected.
Ella ran into the room, tossing her backpack onto a chair. She was wearing jeans and a comfortable t-shirt. She hadn't worn a cardigan to hide her body in weeks.
"Jenna, look!" Ella beamed, pulling a piece of paper from her bag.
It was a math test. An A-.
"That's amazing, Ella!" I cheered, giving her a high-five.
She pulled out her sketchbook next. "And I finished the new drawing."
She showed it to me. It wasn't a dark picture of a woman in a red coat. It was a bright, colorful drawing of the three of us—Nico, Ella, and me—standing in the estate's garden, laughing.
My heart swelled. She felt safe. She felt loved.
Nico walked over and looked at the drawing, wrapping an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. "That's beautiful, principessa."
He looked at the place settings I had arranged. Two plates at the head of the table.
Nico picked up a third plate from the sideboard and placed it directly across from Ella, right next to him.
"Will you be joining us for dinner, Jenna?" Nico asked.
I looked at the empty chair. A seat at the table. Not as staff, but as family.
I looked at Ella, who was smiling brightly, silently begging me to say yes.
I untied the imaginary apron I had worn for years, leaving the past behind for good.
May you like
"I'd love to, Nico," I said.
I took my seat, and for the first time in my life, I felt exactly where I belonged.
