Chapter 8 - Shadows Fade
By winter, the snow blanketed the Virginia hills in pristine white, turning the estate into a quiet winter wonderland.
Leo was now nearly four months old—a chubby, smiling, vibrant little boy who laughed out loud whenever Hunter walked into the room. He had her eyes, I sometimes thought, or perhaps just the bright, indomitable spirit of a child who refused to be defeated by the darkness.
The board of directors at Rossi Global had quieted down entirely. After the swift, merciless purge of internal corruption, no one dared challenge my authority or question my decisions. Power, I had learned, wasn't just about financial dominance or physical intimidation. Power was about loyalty—the kind of loyalty that couldn't be bought with a million-dollar salary, but was earned through shared survival and unyielding trust.
One evening, after putting Leo down for the night, Hunter and I stood by the grand bay window in the formal sitting room, watching the snow fall outside.
"Do you ever think about what would have happened if I hadn't gone down the hall that night?" Hunter asked softly, her breath fogging the glass slightly.
"I don't like to imagine it," I answered honestly, wrapping a warm cashmere throw around her shoulders. "Because if you hadn't walked through that door, I would have been a very powerful, very wealthy man living in an empty house."
May you like
She turned her head, looking up at me with those deep, expressive eyes. "And now?"
"Now," I said, placing my hand gently over hers where it rested on the windowsill, "we have an empire. And more importantly, we have a family."
