Chapter 10 - The Flight to Geneva
Forty-eight hours after the summit in Oyster Bay, a private Gulfstream jet cut through the midnight clouds high above the Atlantic Ocean, its nose pointed eastward toward Europe.
Inside the cabin, the lighting was dim and warm. The hum of the jet engines provided a soothing white noise against the silence of the luxury cabin.
Sophie sat by the window, watching the endless sea of stars glittering above the cloud line. She wore a simple cashmere sweater and jeans, her hair falling naturally around her shoulders. The heavy diamond engagement ring still sat on her left ring finger, catching the cabin light.
Across the aisle, Alessandro was reviewing a stack of international flight manifests on his tablet. He looked up, noticing her reflection in the triple-paned window.
"You haven't touched your champagne," Alessandro noted, gesturing to the crystal flute sitting untouched on the mahogany table between them.
"I'm still processing that I'm on a private jet bound for Switzerland," Sophie admitted, turning her head to look at him. "Forty-eight hours ago, I was scrubbing grease off the back door of L’Étoile Noir and wondering if Mr. Henderson was going to padlock my apartment door."
"Mr. Henderson won't be bothering you anymore," Alessandro said smoothly. "My property management firm bought your building this morning. Your rent has been paid for the next fifty years. Though I doubt you'll be living in Astoria much longer."
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think that?"
"Because once we land in Geneva, retrieve your father from Saint-Martin, and bring him back to New York, you will have a choice to make," Alessandro said, setting his tablet aside and leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his dark eyes locked onto hers.
"A choice?" Sophie asked.
"My uncle’s faction has been dismantled. The Moretti family syndicate is unified under my command, and the transition into legitimate international shipping and real estate is already underway," Alessandro explained, his voice softening just a fraction. "New York is a dangerous city for someone with your mind and your pedigree. But a partnership—a real one, not just a fake arrangement for a dinner party—might just survive the transition."
Sophie looked down at the diamond ring on her finger. It sparkled brilliantly against her skin.
"You're proposing a real marriage to a waitress you met in a French restaurant two days ago?" Sophie asked, a faint, disbelieving smile touching her lips.
"I am proposing a partnership with a woman who stared down the most dangerous men in New York without blinking, read a wine list like a codebreaker, and outsmarted my entire family," Alessandro corrected quietly. "I don't make mistakes, Sophie. And I rarely miss what I want."
May you like
Sophie held his gaze for a long moment. The fear that had defined her life since her father’s disappearance four years ago was finally gone. In its place was something entirely new—freedom, power, and an unshakeable certainty.
"Let's find my father first," Sophie said softly, lifting her champagne flute and clinking it gently against his. "Then we can talk about the future."
