Chapter 9 - The New Ledger
Later that night, after the guests had departed and the children were tucked safely into their heavy mahogany beds upstairs, Roman and I sat in his private study.
The room was lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, dark leather armchairs, and a massive mahogany desk overlooking the snowy grounds outside.
I sat behind his desk, an open leather-bound ledger resting in front of me.
Roman stood by the fireplace, pouring two glasses of aged scotch. He walked over, setting one glass beside my hand, and leaned against the edge of the desk, looking down at the book.
"What are you auditing at one in the morning, Mrs. Duca?" Roman asked with an amused arch of his dark eyebrow.
I picked up a fountain pen, dipping it into dark blue ink.
"I'm opening a new ledger," I said, looking up at him. "Six years ago, the Betrayal File destroyed our family's trust. I’m replacing it."
I turned the page. Written at the top in neat, precise calligraphy was a new title:
THE DUCA FAMILY TRUST: FOUNDATION FOR RECOVERY AND PROTECTION.
Below the title, I had itemized every asset, every legitimate enterprise, every trust fund, and every educational foundation we had established for our children and the families of our loyal employees over the last two months.
Roman looked at the neat lines of text, his expression growing deeply reflective.
"You're turning our empire into something clean," Roman said softly.
"I'm turning it into something that will last," I corrected, reaching out to take his hand. "Our children aren't going to spend their lives hiding from federal indictments or rival hits, Roman. We are going to build a legitimate legacy so strong that nobody can ever pull the rug out from under them."
Roman squeezed my hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a firm kiss to my knuckles.
"Whatever you want, Elena," Roman swore. "The kingdom is yours. I am just the man standing at the gate with a sword."
"And you do it very well," I teased, smiling as I closed the heavy leather ledger with a satisfying thud.
Roman reached out, grabbing my waist, and pulled me out of the leather chair into his lap as he sat on the edge of the desk. My gown spilled over his trousers as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me tight against his chest.
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"I love you, Elena," Roman whispered, his dark eyes searching mine with a intensity that made my heart race just like it did ten years ago. "I loved you when I married you. I loved you when I hated you. And I will love you until my last breath."
"I know," I murmured, leaning in, pressing my lips against his jaw, feeling the warm beat of his pulse beneath his skin. "I always knew. That's why I came back."
