Chapter 6 - The Voice in the Garden
Two weeks later, the spring weather had fully blossomed across the coastal estate of Marblehead.
Evelyn was finally allowed out of bed, though she still moved slowly, wearing a soft wool sweater over her bandages.
She sat in a comfortable wheelchair on the sunlit terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a warm blanket draped over her lap.
The heavy glass doors behind her opened, and two small figures came running out onto the patio.
“Evie!” Lily cheered, holding a bright yellow drawing in her hands.
Noah ran right beside her.
Over the past two weeks, a miracle had taken place inside the Moretti household. Noah had not stopped talking. His voice, once hidden behind a wall of trauma, was now filled with energy, questions, and laughter. He read books aloud to Evelyn while she recovered, and Lily painted endless pictures to hang on her bedroom walls.
Noah ran up to Evelyn’s chair, carefully setting a small wooden box onto her lap.
“What’s this, Noah?” Evelyn asked, her eyes shining with warmth.
“It’s my treasure box,” Noah said proudly, leaning his chin on her knee. “I only put super important things inside it. Like my rare dinosaur card, Mommy’s silver button... and this.”
Noah reached into the box and pulled out a small, smoothed piece of dark bronze.
It was a piece of the bronze statue from the conservatory—the piece that had shielded them while Evelyn took the shot.
“Dad said this bronze kept us safe,” Noah whispered, looking into Evelyn’s eyes with absolute seriousness. “But I told him the statue didn't do anything. It was you. You’re our guardian angel, Evie.”
Evelyn felt a lump form in her throat. She pulled Noah into a gentle, one-armed hug, kissing the top of his dark curls. “I’m just your Evie, sweetheart. And I’m never going anywhere.”
Standing by the glass doors of the terrace, Adrian watched the scene silently.
He wore a dark blue suit, his hands tucked into his pockets. He looked at Evelyn laughing with his children, the warm sunlight catching the golden highlights in her dark hair.
Marco stepped up beside Adrian, holding a leather briefing folder.
“Boss,” Marco reported quietly. “The federal investigators have officially closed their inquiry into the conservatory attack. With Dragunov’s entire network destroyed in New York, there are no remaining threats to the family. The docks are completely secure.”
Adrian didn't look at the folder. “Good.”
Marco hesitated for a moment, glancing at Evelyn on the terrace. “The agency that recruited Miss Parker called this morning, Boss. They wanted to know if her medical leave was ending soon, or if you required them to send a replacement nanny while she finishes her recovery.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Tell the agency their contract is terminated,” Adrian declared flatly.
May you like
Marco blinked. “Terminated? Boss... are you letting her go?”
“No,” Adrian said, his voice dropping into a deep, resolute tone as he stared at Evelyn’s radiant smile. “I’m paying off her mother’s remaining medical debts, purchasing that recruitment agency, and burning her contract. Evelyn Parker is never leaving this house again.”
