Chapter 34 Enzo
Three weeks after the harbor, my shoulder has healed enough that I can move without wincing, and Madison has settled into life at the villa with surprising ease.
She's claimed the library as her office, spreading tourism plans across the antique desk and filling the shelves with books about sustainable development and cultural preservation.
Every morning, she makes coffee for both of us and updates me on her progress while I handle the darker aspects of my business from my study.
It's domestic in a way I never expected to want.
I find her in the village this afternoon, sitting in the main square with Signora Ricci and two other elderly women, taking notes in that careful way she has when she's trying to understand something completely.
Signora Ricci has been helping Madison navigate the more subtle aspects of village politics.
"Good afternoon, ladies," I say as I approach their impromptu meeting.
The older women greet me with the mixture of respect and genuine affection I've come to expect. Being shot protecting one of their own has shifted something in how the village sees me. I'm still dangerous, still someone to be careful around, but I'm also proven protector of their community.
Madison looks up with a big smile. "Perfect timing. We were just discussing the festival proposal."
"What about it?"
"Whether we should revive the harvest celebration that used to happen every October. Signora Ricci says it was the highlight of the year until about fifteen years ago."
Signora Ricci launches into enthusiastic Italian about traditional foods and dancing and the way the whole village used to come together. Madison translates the parts she catches, her eyes bright with the kind of excitement she gets when she sees potential for bringing people together.
"It would be perfect for tourism," she continues. "Authentic cultural experience, seasonal timing for when people want to travel to Italy, showcasing local traditions that are disappearing. But more importantly, it would give the village something to celebrate again."
Something to celebrate.
I watch her explain her vision to the elderly women, watch them nod and smile and offer suggestions, and I realize what she's done here goes far beyond tourism revenue.
She's given them hope.
When she walked into Giuseppe's broken house months ago, this village was dying. Young people leaving, traditions disappearing, the slow decay that comes when a place loses its sense of purpose. The one-euro house program was a desperate attempt to bring new life to Monte Vento.
What they got was Madison Sullivan. What they got was someone who looked at their fading community and saw possibility instead of decline.
And what I got was someone who could transform my territory from a place ruled by fear into a place worth protecting for reasons beyond power and control.
"The festival sounds like an excellent idea," I tell them. "You have my full support for whatever resources you need."
The women beam at this official endorsement, and Madison gives me a look that suggests she knows exactly how significant that statement is. My support means permits will be approved, vendors will participate, and nothing will interfere with their celebration.
After the women disperse to spread the news, Madison and I walk slowly back toward the villa as the sun sets over the water.
"You realize what you've done here?" I ask.
"Made plans for a party?"
"Given them something to plan for again."
She's quiet for a moment, considering this. "Is that what I've done?"
"My control of this village has been about territory. Strategic location, useful harbor, population small enough to manage. I kept people safe and they stayed out of my business. It was functional."
"But?"
"But it wasn't thriving. It was just... surviving. Maintaining the status quo while everything slowly deteriorated."
"And now?"
"Now I see what it could be. What we could build together."
We've reached the villa, but instead of going inside, I lead her to the terrace that overlooks the village. The lights are starting to come on in the houses below, warm and golden in the gathering dusk.
"Madison," I say, turning to face her. "I need to ask you something."
Something in my tone makes her go very still. "Okay."
"When you came here, you were looking for something. A life that meant something. A place where you belonged. A chance to build something real."
"Yes."
"Have you found that?"
"I think so. With you. With this place. With what we're creating together."
"Then I have a proposition for you."
She laughs nervously. "Another proposition? Haven't we covered most of the major ones already?"
"Marry me."
The words hang between us in the warm evening air. Madison stares at me like I've just spoken in a language she doesn't recognize.
"Marry you," she repeats finally.
"Yes."
"As in, actual marriage. Wedding, rings, legal documents marriage."
"As in, be my wife. My partner. Help me build something here that's worth more than just power and control."
She's quiet for a long moment, and I can see her processing what I'm asking. Not just the romantic gesture, but the practical implications.
"In your world, what does marriage mean?" she asks.
"It means you're mine, legally and completely. It means my protection extends to you officially. It means anyone who threatens you threatens my wife, which carries different consequences than threatening my girlfriend."
"And for you? What would it mean for you?"
"It means I get to call you my wife instead of explaining what you are to me. It means we build this empire together instead of you helping me with mine. It means when people look at Monte Vento, they see something we created, not something I control."
"An empire?"
"A home."
She turns to look out over the village, at the lights in the houses where people are settling in for dinner, where children are being called inside, where life continues in the peaceful rhythms that our protection makes possible.
"The tourism project?"
"Would be yours to run however you think best. With my resources, my connections, my complete support."
"And the other aspects of your business?"
"Would remain mine to handle. But the village, the community, the future we're building here - that would be ours together."
She's quiet for so long I start to wonder if I've miscalculated. If the proposal is too much too soon, if she needs more time to adjust to this life before committing to it permanently.
"Madison?"
"I'm still thinking."
"About what?"
"About how not so long ago, I was a marketing coordinator in Seattle who had never taken a real risk in her life. And now you're asking me to marry you and help run a village in Sicily."
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"It's a 'how did my life become so completely insane that this feels like the most natural thing in the world?'"
"And?"
"And yes." She turns back to me with that smile that makes me feel like I could conquer countries for her. "Yes, I'll marry you. And yes, I'll help you build something beautiful here. Yes, I'll be your partner in all of it."
I pull her against me and kiss her as the last light fades from the sky above Monte Vento. When we break apart, she's laughing.
"What's funny?"
"I came here for a one-euro house and a fresh start."
"And now?"
"I'm getting a husband and a village and a life I never could have imagined wanting. That one euro was well spent."
"Regrets?"
"About which part? The husband who kills people, the village that needs saving, or the life that comes with more complications than a soap opera?"
"Any of it."
She looks at me seriously for a moment, and I see her considering the question honestly.
"No," she says finally. "No regrets. This is exactly where I'm supposed to be."
"Even if our children grow up knowing their father isn't exactly a conventional businessman?"
The mention of children makes her eyes go wide. "Children?"
"Yes, eventually. If you want them."
"In this world? This life?"
"Yes, protected, loved, raised to understand both the beauty and the complexity of what we're building here."
She considers this, and I can see her imagining it. Little voices speaking Italian and English, learning to appreciate both the culture we're preserving and the protection that makes it possible.
"Yes," she says finally. "Yes, I want that. All of it."
"Then it's settled."
She laughs and shakes her head. "Most people date for years before getting engaged."
I reach into my jacket and pull out the ring I've been carrying for a week, waiting for the right moment.
It's not traditional. Instead, it’s a deep blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds, set in platinum.
Beautiful, but practical enough for a woman who's going to be working with her hands to build something real.
"Oh my God," she breathes as I slip it onto her finger. "It's perfect. You were carrying this in your pocket?"
"You sound surprised."
"I am. It’s perfect. How did you know what I liked?"
"I pay attention."
She holds up her hand, admiring the way the stone catches the light from the villa. "When do we get married?"
"As soon as you want. Tomorrow, is good with me."
"Tomorrow?" She laughs. "Don't we need to plan something? Invite people? Make arrangements?"
"Madison, I own this village. If you want to get married tomorrow, we can get married tomorrow."
"But what about our families? Our friends?"
The question makes me pause. Madison's family and friends exist in a world completely separate from this one. A world where her marrying me would be seen as either the ultimate romantic adventure or the most dangerous mistake of her life.
"We'll figure that out," I say. "Whatever kind of ceremony you want is fine with me. I’ll make it happen.”
“Even if I invite my friends back to Sicily?”
“Would there be a wedding without them?” I reply.
When we finally go inside, Madison immediately starts making lists for the wedding, guest accommodations, ceremony locations, menu planning. The same focused energy she brought to her tourism project, now applied to our wedding.
I watch her work and realize that this is what I've been missing my entire adult life. Not just love, not just partnership, but someone who sees potential where I see problems. Someone who believes we can build something beautiful together.
Madison Sullivan came to Monte Vento to start over.
Instead, she's going to help me create something entirely new.
And soon, she'll be my wife.