By midnight, the storm over Montreal had cleared, leaving a sky full of cold,
brilliant stars over the quiet hills of Westmount.
The threat was over.
Using the master ledger and the digital drive retrieved from the bank vault, Aldrich’s legal team and security forces had executed a flawless, ruthless purge of Roland Vain’s faction within four hours. Roland and his primary co-conspirators were turned over to federal authorities along with twenty years of unalterable evidence detailing wire fraud, embezzlement, and racketeering. Roland would spend the rest of his natural life inside a maximum-security federal facility in Ontario.
The Ferrante family was unified, quiet, and completely under Aldrich’s control.
Inside the quiet master suite of the Ferrante estate, a soft fire crackled in the fireplace.
Anel was asleep in the wide mahogany four-poster bed, tucked under heavy down blankets, his small face peaceful, holding a wooden toy boat that Cosmo had carved years ago and left in his private desk.
Riona stood near the tall bay window, looking out over the glowing lights of the city below, holding a warm glass of wine.
The heavy oak door opened softly, and Aldrich stepped inside. He had changed out of his suit into a simple dark sweater and trousers. The hard, lethal edge that he wore like armor in front of his captains was entirely gone, replaced by a quiet, exhausted vulnerability.
He walked over to the window, stopping two feet behind her, respecting her space.
"Roland is in federal custody," Aldrich said softly, his deep voice filling the quiet room. "The council has officially recognized Anel as my sole heir. No one will ever threaten him—or you—again."
Riona didn't turn around immediately. She watched his reflection in the dark window glass. "And what about us, Aldrich?"
Aldrich took a slow, heavy breath. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, Riona. I spent eight years letting my pride and my world poison my mind. I broke your trust, and I let you carry the weight of a lie alone in the cold."
He stepped closer, standing right behind her, his warm presence radiating through the cool air of the window frame.
"If you want to take Anel and go back to Vancouver tomorrow," Aldrich whispered, his voice trembling slightly with suppressed emotion, "I will give you everything you need. I will buy you a house, set up an untouchable trust, and I will only visit when you allow it. I won't hold you hostage here."
Riona turned around slowly, facing him. She looked into his gray-green eyes—the eyes she had missed every single day for eight years, the eyes she saw every time she looked at her son.
"Eight years ago," Riona said softly, "you didn't ask me to stay. You told me to leave."
"It was the biggest mistake of my life," Aldrich said, tears glistening in his eyes. "I thought I was saving you from my world. But all I did was ruin my own."
Riona reached up, her fingers gently touching his jaw, tracing the faint silver scar near his ear. "I spent seven years protecting Anel from your world, Aldrich. But today... I saw you drop to your knees in a church aisle. I saw you stand in front of a hail of bullets to protect us. And I saw you hold your son like he was the only thing that mattered in the universe."
Aldrich closed his eyes, leaning his cheek into her soft palm, his hands coming up to gently clasp her waist.
"You're not that foolish twenty-six-year-old anymore," Riona whispered, her voice filled with a tender, healing warmth. "And I'm not running anymore."
Aldrich opened his eyes, looking at her with a raw, intense devotion that made her heart race just like it had nine years ago. "Does that mean... you're staying?"
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"It means," Riona smiled softly, a tear sliding down her cheek, "that your son needs his father. And I think... I've waited long enough to have my husband back."
Aldrich pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her neck, holding her tight against his heart as if he would never let her go again. He pressed his lips to hers in a deep, passionate, life-restoring kiss that swept away eight years of cold shadows and lonely nights.
