Chapter 12 - A New Order
Three months later.
The Chicago wind whipped across the balcony of my new penthouse.
Ashford House had been demolished, the land sold. I didn't want the memories, or the hidden bloodstains, haunting my girls.
Inside the living room, I could hear the sound of the piano.
Ava, her leg fully healed save for a nasty scar, was playing a classical piece.
Beside her, Emma was singing along, her voice bright and full of life.
I took a sip of my scotch, watching the city lights flicker below.
The cartel was different now. The old guard was gone. The traitors were buried. The business had been restructured into legitimate logistics and real estate, hiding the darker elements deeper underground.
The sliding glass door opened, and Claire stepped out into the cold night air.
She wasn't wearing a maid’s uniform. She wore a tailored black suit, a concealed holster resting perfectly on her hip.
"The perimeter is secure, Mr. Vale," she said, her tone professional, but a warm smile touched her eyes. "And the board members have agreed to your new terms."
"Thank you, Claire," I said, turning to face her.
She was no longer the quiet woman scrubbing floors. She was my head of security, my most trusted advisor, and the protector of my family.
"You know," I said, glancing back at my daughters inside. "You could have taken your cut of Marcus's accounts and disappeared. Started a new life anywhere."
Claire stepped up to the railing beside me, looking out at the empire we had reclaimed together.
"I tried disappearing once," she said softly. "It didn't suit me. Besides..."
May you like
She looked back at me, her gaze steady and unbroken.
"Someone has to keep this house clean."
