Chapter 8 - THE PROPOSAL ON THE TERRACE
They walked away from the shade of the oak tree, strolling along the gravel path that led toward the marble fountain at the center of the formal gardens.
The air was fresh, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth.
Nora kept her hands in her pockets, looking up at the high stone walls surrounding the estate.
“It feels different today,” she noted quietly.
“How?” Vincent asked, walking beside her, matching her slow pace.
“The shadows feel gone,” she said, turning her head to look at him. “The armed guards at the gate aren't looking at the trees like they expect a bomb to go off.”
“Because there are no bombs coming,” Vincent said. “The Gallows are gone. The city is quiet.”
Nora stopped near the fountain, watching the water cascade over the carved marble tiers. “So... my house arrest is officially over?”
Vincent stopped beside her. He looked down at her face, his expression unreadable for a long moment.
“You’re free to go back to Queens if you want,” Vincent said, his voice dropping an octave. “Your apartment has been renovated. My men installed new locks, a security system, and paid your rent for the next five years.”
Nora blinked in surprise. “Vincent... you didn't have to do that.”
“It’s the least I could do,” Vincent said, looking away toward the distant tree line. “You did your job. You kept my mother safe. You survived a war you had no business being dragged into.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a clean white envelope—the same kind he had offered her weeks ago in the east wing.
He held it out to her.
Nora looked at the envelope, then looked up into his dark eyes. A cold, sudden ache settled in her chest.
“What’s this?” she asked quietly.
“Your final payment,” Vincent said. “And a severance package. Enough for you to go back to school, finish your nursing degree, and live comfortably without ever standing on your feet for twelve hours again.”
Nora stared at the envelope.
Six weeks ago, this offer would have been everything she had ever dreamed of. It would have been freedom from poverty, security, and a future free of strain.
She looked at Vincent’s rigid profile. He looked distant, controlled, returning to the cold mob boss persona he used to shield himself from the world.
Nora let out a short, quiet laugh.
She reached out, took the envelope from his hand, and without opening it, tossed it directly into the water of the marble fountain.
The paper soaked up the water instantly, sinking to the bottom among the coins.
Vincent’s eyes widened in genuine shock. “Nora! What are you doing?”
Nora stepped directly into his space, standing toe-to-toe with him, her dark eyes flashing with absolute fury and passion.
“You idiot,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion.
Vincent stared at her, completely Speechless. No one had called him an idiot in fifteen years.
“You think I stayed here for five times my salary?” Nora challenged, poking her finger firmly against his chest. “You think I stood in front of Beatrice Gallow, knelt on broken glass, and hid your mother in a closet during a gunfight for a severance package?”
“Nora—”
“I stayed because of you, Vincent!” she shouted softly, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes. “I stayed because I watched a man carry the weight of an entire world on his back without complaining! I stayed because beneath all your guns, your guards, and your terrifying reputation, you’re the most decent, fiercely loyal man I’ve ever met!”
Vincent’s jaw dropped slightly. The rigid composure he had maintained for a decade shattered into a thousand pieces right there beside the fountain.
Nora took a deep breath, wiping a single tear from her cheek.
“If you want me to leave because I’m a liability to your business, tell me right now, and I’ll walk out that gate and never come back,” she declared, her voice trembling but steady. “But don't you dare try to buy me off and pretend this was just a job.”
Vincent stared at her for three long, agonizing seconds.
May you like
Then, with a low, desperate sound, he reached out, pulled her by her waist into his arms, and lifted her off her feet, burying his face in her neck as he held her tight against his heart.
“I don't want you to leave,” Vincent choked out, his voice raw with an intensity that shook his entire frame. “God help me, Nora... I never want you to leave.”
