Chapter 6 - The Cleansing of the Estate
By 9:00 p.m., the estate was completely silent once again.
The storm that had been brewing over the Arizona mountains finally broke, heavy rain washing over the stone courtyard, cooling the desert air and cleansing the heat of the day.
Inside the main house, every security breach had been patched. The lieutenants who had shown hesitation during the board meeting had been stripped of their authority and reassigned to minor administrative roles in Texas. Marcus’s security team had quadrupled the perimeter patrols, turning the Reyes estate into an impenetrable fortress.
Damon walked slowly down the long, carpeted hallway of the residential wing.
He had showered, changed into a fresh black shirt and dark trousers, and carried a tray with a bowl of hot chicken soup, fresh bread, and two glasses of warm milk.
He knocked softly on the door of the primary guest suite.
"Come in," Selena’s quiet voice called out.
Damon pushed the door open with his foot.
The room was dimly lit by a single bedside lamp. Selena was sitting up against a pile of plush white pillows, wearing a soft grey sweater that belonged to Damon. Her bruised face looked pale in the soft light, but her eye was open, and her posture was relaxed.
Beside her, fast asleep beneath a heavy down comforter, was Ruby. Her dark curls were spread across the pillow, her breath coming in slow, peaceful rhythms. Shoved under her arm, as always, was Bunny.
On the floor beside the bed sat the little pink suitcase, still packed with her nightgown and toothbrush.
Damon set the tray quietly on the bedside table.
"How is she?" Damon whispered, pulling up a chair beside the bed.
"She collapsed the second her head hit the pillow," Selena said softly, a faint, fond smile touching her lips as she smoothed a strand of hair from her daughter's forehead. "She spent three hours telling Dr. Mercer how she 'saved Mr. Damon' from the mean man."
Damon looked down at the sleeping child, his expression softening completely. "She did save me, Selena. If she hadn't come into that room, Victor’s men would have hit the perimeter at midnight, and I wouldn't have known who was driving the knife into my back."
Selena looked up at him, her dark eyes filled with a complex mixture of gratitude, fear, and lingering pain.
"What happens now, Damon?" she asked quietly. "The ledger... Victor... the cartel... is it over?"
"Carlos Valdes and Victor Lane are currently in federal custody in Phoenix," Damon replied, his voice firm and absolute. "Their network is being dismantled as we speak. My legal team has already seized every corporate asset Victor tried to transfer to Delaware. There is no one left to threaten you. No one left to threaten Ruby."
Selena looked away, her fingers nervously picking at the edge of the blanket.
"Then... we should pack our things properly tomorrow," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "We've caused enough chaos in your life. I know children don't belong in a house like this."
Damon froze.
He looked at her—at the dark bruises on her face, at the quiet strength in her posture, at the woman who had suffered torture to protect her child and had still thought of warning him first.
He reached out, his long, calloused fingers gently taking her small hand, stopping her frantic picking at the blanket.
"Who told you children don't belong here?" Damon asked softly.
Selena swallowed hard, looking down at their joined hands. "It's... it's your world, Damon. It's dangerous. It's full of men with guns, spreadsheets, and blood on their hands. Margaret told me when I started that you liked your house quiet."
Damon let out a soft, low breath.
"My house was quiet because it was dead, Selena," Damon said, his voice raw with an honesty he had never shared with another living soul. "For six years, since my father and sister died, I built these walls to keep everyone out. I thought if I didn't let anyone in, I would never have to bleed again."
He looked toward the sleeping toddler, then back into Selena’s eyes.
"And then a three-year-old girl walked onto my patio with a dandelion," he continued, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand. "And today, she dragged a plastic suitcase into my board meeting and called me 'our man'."
Selena’s eyes filled with fresh tears, her lips trembling.
"You aren't going anywhere, Selena," Damon said, his tone shifting from gentle to an absolute, unyielding command—not the command of a mafia boss, but of a man claiming his heart. "You and Ruby belong in this house. Not as staff. Not in the staff quarters."
May you like
Selena’s breath hitched. "Damon... what are you saying?"
"I am saying that this estate is big enough for seventeen rooms," Damon whispered, leaning closer to her, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "And I want to hear laughter in every single one of them."
