Chapter 6 - The Quiet Room
By evening, the brownstone was quiet again. The rain had stopped, leaving the historic brick of Society Hill washed clean and glittering under the streetlamps.
Gianni was sitting in the leather armchair by the study fireplace, a glass of scotch in his hand, staring into the flames. When I walked into the room, he looked up, his expression a mix of awe, exhaustion, and deep, hard-earned respect.
"Kieran tells me the federal filings were intercepted before they hit the public ledger," Gianni said, his voice low. "And Joanna?"
"Joanna is currently taking an extended, unannounced vacation to a private residence in the Finger Lakes managed by Kieran's security team," I replied, walking over to the bar cart to pour myself a glass of bourbon. "She’ll have plenty of time to reflect on the finer points of corporate governance."
Gianni stood up, crossed the room, and stopped just inches away from me. He didn't try to touch me, but the heat radiating from him was unmistakable.
"You let her think she was winning," he said, realization dawning in his dark eyes. "You let her run all the way to the edge of the cliff so she’d expose every single rat in the syndicate who was helping her."
"A house built on rotted wood has to be torn down from the inside, Gianni," I said, taking a small sip of the amber liquid. "If I had stopped her six months ago, you would have spent the rest of your life wondering if she was right. Now, every single traitor in your organization has revealed themselves by trying to jump onto her sinking ship."
He stared at me for a long, silent moment, then let out a slow, gravelly laugh that turned into a shake of his head.
"I married a mob boss's daughter," he murmured, half to himself.
May you like
"No, Gianni," I corrected, looking him straight in the eye with a calm, unyielding smile. "You married the person who owns the mortgage on your entire world. Don't ever forget it."
He reached out, his warm, calloused hand gently cupping the side of my face, his thumb brushing my cheekbone. For the first time in eleven years, the invisible barrier between his world and mine vanished completely, leaving only two partners standing in the dark, ruling the city together.
