Chapter 10 - The Vow
Six months later.
The early autumn sun shone down over the rolling green hills of the Old Westbury estate, painting the grounds in brilliant shades of gold, amber, and deep crimson. The scent of crisp morning air and fresh ocean breeze filled the warm day.
The front of the mansion had been completely restored. The shattered windows were replaced with reinforced bulletproof glass, the gardens were immaculate, and the stone facade showed no trace of the violence that had taken place six months ago.
Viktor Romanov’s syndicate in Brooklyn was gone, dismantled entirely within forty-eight hours of Vance’s death in a swift, ruthless campaign led by Ricardo that reshaped the underworld of New York forever.
In the sunlit conservatory at the back of the mansion, Matteo sat at a small wooden table, painting a picture with bright watercolors.
He was four years old now. He wore a simple yellow t-shirt and shorts, his face smeared with a spot of blue paint on his cheek.
"Look, Daddy!" Matteo shouted happily, his voice clear, bright, and full of life as he held up his paper. "I painted the ocean!"
Ricardo, sitting in a wrought-iron chair beside him, took the painting with carefully detailed interest. He was dressed in a casual black linen shirt, his sleeves rolled up, looking younger, relaxed, and entirely at peace.
"It's a magnificent ocean, Matteo," Ricardo praised, his voice rich with paternal pride. "The best I've ever seen."
Matteo beamed, picking up his paintbrush to add a yellow sun in the corner.
I stepped out onto the conservatory patio, holding a tray with fresh lemonade and glasses. I wore a simple white summer dress, my hair tied back in a loose braid. On my left hand, the black diamond ring caught the warm sunlight, sparkling brilliantly.
Ricardo stood up as I set the tray down, walking over to meet me. He reached out, wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me gently against his side.
"You're late," he murmured against my ear, his breath warm and sweet. "Madame Laurent said you were supposed to be reviewing the foundation papers twenty minutes ago."
"Madame Laurent can wait," I smiled, turning in his arms to wrap my hands around his neck. "I was on the phone with Columbia University. My nursing degree transfer went through. I start my master's program in pediatric care next month."
Ricardo looked down at me, his amber eyes filled with a deep, quiet warmth that still made my heart skip a beat every single day.
"I know," he said softly. "I paid the tuition three weeks ago."
"You are infuriatingly overprotective, Ricardo Moretti," I laughed softly, tracing the line of his jaw with my thumb.
"I am a Don, Maya," he replied, a dark, beautiful smirk touching his lips. "It's my job to protect what belongs to me."
He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, thick parchment document stamped with the official seal of the state of New York, laying it on the table beside the lemonade.
I looked down at the document. It wasn't a contract. It wasn't a fake engagement agreement.
It was an official marriage certificate, completely filled out, waiting only for my final signature.
"The year is almost up, Maya," Ricardo said softly, his voice dropping into a serious, tender register. "The five hundred thousand dollars is in your account. The clean identity is ready. The house in California is bought in your name. If you want to leave... if you want to take your money and walk away from this life... the car is ready to take you to the airport."
I looked at the marriage certificate, then at little Matteo, who was giggling as he painted a red bird in the sky, and finally up into the eyes of the man I had promised myself I would never fall in love with.
Rule number four: You must never, ever fall in love with me.
I had broken that rule three months ago.
I reached out, took the pen from the table, and signed my name—Maya Lin Moretti—in clear, elegant cursive across the bottom line.
I set the pen down, looked up at Ricardo, and smiled.
May you like
"I think I'll stay," I whispered. "The rules in this house were terrible anyway."
Ricardo let out a deep, low laugh—a sound full of pure, unadulterated joy—and pulled me into his arms, dipping his head to press his lips to mine in a deep, passionate kiss that sealed our real future together under the unbroken sky.
