Chapter 5 - The Last Ledger
By midnight, the Cross Tower was completely silent. The storm had cleared, leaving a brilliant canopy of stars glittering above the Chicago skyline.
I sat alone at Gabriel’s massive mahogany desk, the final financial reconciliation report glowing softly on my laptop screen. My leg throbbed with a dull, persistent ache, but the work kept my mind anchored.
The door to the private office opened.
Gabriel walked in, carrying two crystal tumblers filled with amber whiskey. He set one down on the desk beside my laptop without a word, then walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the illuminated city below.
“The federal marshals took Evelyn into custody thirty minutes ago,” Gabriel said, his voice carrying easily across the quiet room. “Marcus’s private jet is currently crossing the Canadian border. Cross Logistics is officially clean.”
I picked up the crystal glass, swirling the dark liquid, but didn't drink. “And my audit?”
“Flawless,” Gabriel turned around, leaning back against the glass window ledge. He crossed his arms over his chest, his dark eyes fixing on me with an intensity that made my breath catch. “As always, Miss Harper. You have a remarkable talent for uncovering things people try very hard to bury.”
“It’s just accounting, Gabriel,” I murmured, looking down at my hands. “Numbers don't lie. People do.” q “Indeed,” he replied softly, stepping closer.
He stopped just beside my chair, looking down at the white bandage still visible beneath the hem of my borrowed trousers.
“You took a terrible risk coming up here last night,” he said, his voice dropping into a register so low and intimate it sent shivers down my spine. “You could have run. You had your passport. You had your brother back.”
“I couldn't run,” I whispered, looking up to meet his gaze. “If I didn't deliver that drive, your enemies would have hunted me down anyway. And… I couldn't leave you owing a debt to a ghost.”
A slow, rare smile touched the corners of Gabriel’s mouth—not the cold, predatory smirk he wore in boardrooms, but something genuine, warm, and entirely disarming.
“You are a stubborn, infuriating woman, Harper,” he said quietly.
“I take after my employer.”
He reached out, his warm fingers brushing against my chin, tilting my face upward just a fraction of an inch. The air between us suddenly felt charged, thick with an unspoken tension that had been building quietly through every tense meeting, every late-night interrogation, and every averted disaster.
“The audit is finished,” Gabriel murmured, his eyes dropping briefly to my lips before rising back to meet my gaze. “Which means your contract with Cross Logistics has officially expired.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. “Is that an eviction notice?”
“It’s an offer,” Gabriel corrected, his thumb gently tracing the line of my jawline. “Permanent position. Chief Financial Officer. Double your previous salary, full security detail, and an office with a much better view.”
I stared up at him, the weight of the last two weeks—the fear, the blood, the betrayal, and the survival—finally lifting from my shoulders.
“Does the job come with health insurance?” I asked, a faint smile breaking through.
“Full coverage,” Gabriel replied, his gaze softening completely. “And a boss who will never let anyone lay a finger on you again.”
May you like
I raised my crystal glass, clinking it lightly against his. “Deal.”
And as the city lights flickered below us in the cool Chicago night, I knew I had finally found a place where I didn't need to run anymore.
