Chapter 7 - The Final Reckoning
The war room was silent except for Bruno’s painful wheezing.
Dominick lowered his weapon slightly, looking at Aleandro with a mixture of shame and deep respect. "My sister... she betrayed us all for power?"
"Greed makes fools of many, Dominick," Aleandro said quietly. He stood up, stepping over the pool of blood near Bruno. "Marco, take Bruno to the authorities. Give them the full paper trail. Let him spend the rest of his miserable life in a federal supermax facility."
"Yes, Boss," Marco nodded, dragging the weeping old man out of the room.
Aleandro turned to Dominick. "The alliance between our families was built on a lie. But if you want peace, Dominick, we can rebuild it on truth. No more shadows. No more poison."
Dominick looked at Aleandro, then at Sophia, and finally at little Emma, who had woken up from the gunshot and was rubbing her eyes innocently.
Dominick slowly holstered his gun and extended his hand across the table. "The Romano family stands with you, Aleandro. And with your heir."
Aleandro shook his hand firmly, sealing the peace.
As Dominick and the lieutenants exited the room, the grand estate finally fell quiet. The threat that had haunted Aleandro’s family for a decade was eliminated.
Aleandro walked over to Sophia and Emma. He knelt in front of his daughter, taking her tiny, soft hand in his large, scarred palm.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for your first steps, Emma," Aleandro whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to buy you new shoes."
Emma looked at him with her large, dark eyes, then reached out with her small hand, touching his cheek softly. "Are you going to be my daddy now?"
May you like
Aleandro smiled—a real, genuine smile that lit up his entire face. "If your mother will allow it."
Sophia looked at the man she had loved in secret for four long years, tears of joy spilling over her eyelashes. "I think she would like that very much."
