Chapter 8 - The Price of Freedom
The morning sun broke through the coastal fog, casting golden light across the ocean and illuminating the grand drawing room of Falcone Manor.
The broken glass had been cleaned, the bullet holes patched, and the thick velvet drapes replaced. For the first time in twenty years, the manor didn't feel like a fortress or a crime scene. It felt peaceful.
Sitting around the mahogany dining table was a team of top-tier, legitimate corporate attorneys whom Roman had flown in from Washington D.C.
On the table sat the decrypted bank files. Using the coordinates from my mother’s recipe cards, the attorneys had successfully unlocked the offshore accounts. The fifty million dollars had been completely transferred into a legal, tax-exempt trust fund under the names of Maeve Carter and Daisy Carter.
“It’s done, Miss Carter,” the lead attorney said, sliding the final paperwork toward me. “The trust is officially active. Your sister’s medical care, college education, and living expenses are secured for the rest of her life. You are a very wealthy young woman.”
I looked down at the pen in my hand, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that made my hands shake. I signed my name at the bottom of the page, officially closing the chapter of poverty and fear that had defined my entire life.
Once the attorneys packed up their briefcase and left, the room fell quiet.
Gabriel walked over to the sideboard, pouring three glasses of orange juice and setting them on the table. He slid one over to me.
“To the newest heiress in New England,” Gabriel teased, raising his glass with a warm smile. “No more double shifts for you, Maeve.”
“I don't even know what to do with myself,” I admitted, leaning back in my chair, holding the cool glass. “For five years, my entire life has been waking up, panicking about money, working twelve hours, and going to sleep. I don't know who I am without the struggle.”
Declan walked in from the patio, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. “First thing you do is get your sister out of that hospital and buy her a house with a huge garden. That’s what Elena would have wanted.”
“I will,” I smiled up at him. “And what about you three? Is the Syndicate really going to let you go legitimate?”
“They don't have a choice,” Roman said, stepping into the room from his study. He had shed his usual dark suit jacket, wearing a comfortable white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked younger, lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. “We’ve sold off the shipping routes to legal freight companies. The Falcone family business is green logistics now. Clean, legal, and quiet.”
He walked over to my chair, leaning down slightly. “And Vance?” I asked softly.
“Vance is currently in federal custody,” Roman replied, a cold smirk touching his lips. “We delivered a thick package of his personal accounting files to the FBI this morning. He will spend the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison.”
I took a deep breath, looking around the grand room. Everything was settled. My sister was safe, my mother’s honor was restored, and the money was secured.
There was no reason for me to stay in Falcone Manor anymore.
The realization brought a sudden, unexpected pang of sadness to my chest. Over the past week, these three terrifying men had become my protectors, my allies, and my family. Leaving them felt harder than leaving anything ever had.
“I guess... I should pack my things,” I said quietly, looking down at my hands. “I need to go back to Boston, find an apartment near the clinic, and prepare for Daisy’s discharge.”
Gabriel’s smile faded slightly. Declan shifted uncomfortably against the doorframe.
Roman stood up straight, his gray eyes darkening with a complex emotion I couldn't quite decipher.
“You don't have to leave today, Maeve,” Roman said softly.
“I have to start my life, Roman,” I said gently, standing up from the table. “You gave me everything I ever prayed for. But I can't stay in your house forever as a guest.”
Roman stepped closer to me, his presence magnetic and commanding. “Who said anything about a guest?”
I looked up at him, puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Roman reached out, taking my right hand in his. His thumb stroked the back of my knuckles gently. “This manor was built as a fortress to keep the world out, Maeve. For twenty years, it was a prison for my brothers and me. But when you walked through that door with twelve dollars in your pocket and brushed off Declan’s blood like it was nothing... you brought light back into this place.”
“Roman...” I whispered, my heart pounding against my ribs.
“I know who I am, Maeve,” Roman continued, his voice low and raw with emotion. “I am a man with a dark past, and I’ve done things I’m not proud of. But I know that I will spend the rest of my life protecting you if you let me. Don't go back to Boston alone.”
Gabriel stepped forward, catching my other hand with a grin. “He’s terrible at expressing himself, Maeve. What he’s trying to say is... we bought the cliffside estate next door. We’re building a medical recovery wing for your sister Daisy so she can receive the best care right here by the ocean.”
I gasped, looking back and forth between the brothers. “You... you built a medical wing for Daisy?”
“Declan picked out the garden design,” Gabriel added, winking at his brother.
Declan rubbed the back of his neck, looking away awkwardly. “She likes yellow roses, right? You mentioned that once. I had fifty bushes planted along the southern wall yesterday.”
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. They hadn't just saved my life—they had embraced my family completely.
May you like
“You three are insane,” I laughed through my tears, wiping my eyes.
“Probably,” Roman agreed softly, pulling me closer to him until there was no space left between us. “So... what do you say, Maeve Carter? Will you stay?”
