Chapter 25 #2
“If you have,” he continues, “if you’ve found someone who makes you stronger rather than weaker, someone who sees our world clearly and stands with you anyway...” He straightens his shoulders. “Then you would be a fool to let her go.”
I feel something inside me settle. I didn’t need his permission, but his understanding matters more than I’d care to admit.
“She’s remarkable, Uncle. You’ll see.”
Alessandro nods once, decision made. “I already have. The way she handled herself at Eleanor’s gala.
How she faced down Isabel. The way she looks at you—not with fear or blind adoration, but with clear-eyed acceptance.
” He moves to his desk, opening a drawer.
“She sees you, Nicolás. All of you. And she’s still here. ”
He removes a small velvet box from the drawer, holding it in his palm for a moment before extending it to me. “This belonged to your grandmother,” he says. “My mother. She was the strongest woman I’ve ever known. Until perhaps now.”
I take the box, opening it to reveal a platinum ring set with a large center diamond flanked by smaller black diamonds. It’s elegant, distinctive, and unmistakably valuable—exactly what I would have chosen myself.
“She would approve,” Alessandro says softly, “of both the ring and the woman who will wear it.”
I close the box, slipping it into my jacket pocket. “Thank you.”
Alessandro nods, then moves to refill his glass. Our intimate conversation is over. He is once again the mastermind. “Now,” he says briskly, “we need to discuss consolidating our gains. Moretti’s territory must be secured.”
I listen as he outlines his thoughts, offering my insights. But part of my mind is on the box in my pocket, on the woman waiting for me at the lake house, on the future I never expected to have.
An hour later, Alessandro walks me to the door. He places a hand on my shoulder—a rare gesture. “Your parents would be proud,” he says, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. “Not of what we’ve built. But of the man you’ve become despite it all.”
The words land with unexpected force. That he invokes my parents now tells me exactly how significant he considers this moment.
“Go,” he says, releasing my shoulder. “Don’t keep your queen waiting.”
The drive to the lake house is a test of my patience. I check the time repeatedly, an unfamiliar restlessness thrumming beneath my skin. I, who have built an empire on calculated patience, am now anxious simply to arrive.
The gates of the property appear at last, opening smoothly. I instruct the driver to stop at the main entrance and dismiss him for the night. The brief walk to the door gives me a moment to compose myself, to settle into the certainty of what I’m about to do.
I find Lea where Blake said she would be—in the living room, curled on the sofa before the fireplace. She’s wearing one of my sweaters, which is far too large for her, and her hair is damp. She looks up as I enter.
“Hi,” she says simply.
“Hi,” I reply, the greeting almost comical given everything that has happened. I remove my jacket, draping it over a chair, careful of the box in its pocket.
“Is it done?” she asks, sitting up straighter. “With Isabel and... with her?”
I nod, moving to sit beside her on the sofa. “Federal agents took custody an hour ago. They’ll be held in secure facilities.”
“And Moretti?”
“His body will never be found,” I say. There’s no need to shield her from these realities. She has chosen this world with her eyes open.
Lea nods, looking into the fire. “I should feel something, shouldn’t I? Relief, maybe. Something.” She turns to me, her eyes reflecting the dancing flames. “But I just feel... empty.”
I reach for her hand, entwining her fingers with mine. “The adrenaline is gone. Give it time. Eventually, it will pass.”
She studies our joined hands. “And then what?”
“Then you decide what comes next.”
Her eyes lift to mine. “Me? Not you? Not us?”
“I know what I want,” I tell her. “I’ve never been more certain. But you’ve had choices taken from you your entire life. By your mother. By circumstance.” I pause. “By me. I won’t do that anymore.”
A small smile touches her lips. “That’s very progressive of you, Nico.”
“Don’t get used to it,” I reply, returning her smile. “I still expect obedience in certain... contexts.”
Her face turns pink, and I feel a rush of pride at the effect I have on her. But that can wait. I need answers first.
“When you look at me,” I ask, “what do you see?”
She considers the question. “I see a man who has built his life on control,” she says finally.
“Who craves order in a chaotic world. Who will do terrible things to maintain it.” Her hand tightens in mine.
“But I also see someone who stopped when I broke. Who could have killed my mother but chose not to. Who risks his own life to save me from a bomb, while looking at me like I’m something precious and dangerous at the same time. ”
“You are,” I tell her. “Both of those things.”
She meets my gaze. “What do you see when you look at me?”
I reach up with my free hand, tracing the curve of her cheek. “I see someone who walked into my world believing she could conquer it, and who nearly did. Who saw the monster and wasn’t afraid. Who pulled the trigger to save my life.” I lean closer. “Who makes me want to be worthy of her.”
Lea’s breath catches. “Nico?—”
“I need to ask you something,” I interrupt. “And I need your honest answer.”
She nods with a new alertness in her expression.
“Do you blame me for what happened to your father?”
“No,” she says without hesitation. “I’ve seen the evidence.
I know it was her. I know you had nothing to do with it.
” She pauses. “But even before I saw that proof, I think a part of me already knew. The way you looked at me when I accused you—there was genuine confusion. You’re many things, Nico, but you’re not that good of an actor. ”
Something inside me unties. “And knowing what you know about me—about my world, what I’ve done—can you imagine a future with me in it?”
Her eyes search mine. “I don’t just imagine it,” she says softly. “I can’t imagine one without you anymore. That’s what terrifies me.”
This is the moment. I slide off the sofa, kneeling down on one knee before her. Her eyes widen. I extract the velvet box from my pocket, opening it to reveal the ring.
“Lea Song,” I say, my voice steady. “From the moment you walked into my club, you’ve challenged me, defied me, and saved me.
You’ve seen the worst of me and stayed. You survived every test I set for you, and a few I never intended.
” I hold the ring between us. “Be my wife. Rule beside me. Not as my asset, but as my equal. My queen.”
Her eyes fill with tears, but she’s smiling. “Is this how The Diplomat asks for what he wants? On his knees?”
I can’t help but laugh, the sound rich and genuine. “Only once. Only for you.”
She extends her left hand, her fingers trembling slightly. “Yes,” she says as I slide the ring onto her finger. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes, I’ll be your queen.” Her smile turns wicked. “And yes, I’ll obey you... in certain contexts.”
I rise, pulling her up and into my arms. “I’m going to hold you to that,” I murmur against her lips before claiming her mouth in a kiss that promises everything.
When we break apart, she looks down at the ring as it catches the firelight. “It’s beautiful,” she says. “Where did it come from?”
“Alessandro. It was my grandmother’s.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “He approves, by the way. Says you’re worthy of it. High praise, coming from him.”
She looks up, surprised. “Really? I thought he considered me a liability.”
“He did,” I acknowledge. “Until he saw what I see—that you make me stronger, not weaker. That we’re better together.”
Lea smiles, a slow, dangerous curve of her lips that makes my blood stir. “Well,” she says, taking my hand and leading me toward the bedroom, “we should probably test that theory. Thoroughly. Just to be certain.”
As I follow her, I feel something I’ve never experienced. Not just desire, though that is certainly present. Not just the satisfaction of a game won. But something deeper. The quiet certainty of a foundation being laid, stone by heavy stone. Our foundation.