She Arrived at Her Blind Date Barefoot and Covered in Mud, Then the Stranger Across the Table Quietly Ordered Every Door Locked

Two weeks after the arrest of Malcolm Reed, the dust had begun to settle over Boston, though the fallout within the architectural and real estate communities was immense.

Reed Historical Preservation was placed under court-appointed receivership. Because of Nora’s clean record, absolute integrity, and crucial role in exposing the corruption, the board of trustees unanimously voted to appoint Nora Hayes as the interim Managing Director of the firm.

Her first official act in her new role was signing the historic restoration contract for Saint Agnes House.

On a bright, crisp autumn afternoon, Nora stood inside the central hall of Saint Agnes House. The dark, dusty air that had filled the building two weeks earlier was gone, replaced by fresh breezes flowing through newly secured window frames. Restoration crews were carefully setting up wooden scaffolding around the grand arched ceilings, working under Nora’s precise directions.

A light step sounded on the wooden floorboards behind her.

Nora turned to see Tessa walking in, wearing a stylish yellow trench coat and carrying two large paper cups of hot coffee.

"Look at you!" Tessa beamed, handing a cup to Nora and looking around the bustling hall with awe. "Managing Director Hayes! I always knew you were meant to run this place!"

"It's temporary until the board reorganizes, Tess," Nora smiled, taking a sip of the warm vanilla latte. "But it feels good to know every project we take on now will be built on honesty."

Tessa leaned in, nudging Nora's shoulder with a mischievous grin. "Speaking of honesty... how are things with my brother's incredibly handsome, slightly intimidating business partner?"

Nora felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks, looking down at her coffee cup. "Elias is... amazing, Tess. He's been helping the city set up a charitable trust fund using the recovered funds from the 1988 accounts."

"I knew it!" Tessa cheered quietly, clapping her hands together. "I told you he was a good guy! Sure, he commands a room like he owns the Eastern Seaboard, but he has a heart of gold!"

"He protected me when he had no reason to," Nora admitted softly, her mind drifting to the memory of Elias locking the restaurant doors with two fingers. "He made me feel safe when my whole world was collapsing."

"He didn't just protect you because he's a gentleman, Nora," Tessa said gently, her tone becoming surprisingly sincere. "Elias has spent ten years keeping people at a distance because of his family's reputation. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you at the estate last week. You saw the man he was trying to become, not just the name he carried."

Before Nora could answer, Marco stepped quietly through the front entrance of the hall, wearing his usual sharp suit and carrying a single long-stemmed dark red rose tucked inside a sleek black box.

He walked up to Nora, bowing his head respectfully.

"Ms. Hayes," Marco said smoothly, handing her the box. "Mr. Bellini sent this for you. He is waiting in the courtyard whenever you are ready for your dinner reservation."

Tessa gasped softly, wiggling her eyebrows at Nora. "Go! Managing Director orders! Take the rest of the day off!"