Chapter 13 - The High-Rise Siege
The noise in the restaurant faded into a gentle hum.
The rain outside was completely gone, replaced by a radiant spring afternoon
that poured golden light across Central Park.
Dominic didn't open the box immediately.
He rested his hand over mine, his thumb tracing the knuckles that had once held
a gun to his head.
“Six months ago, my world was completely rotten,” Dominic said.
His voice was quiet, meant only for me.
“I was surrounded by liars, thieves, and traitors who smiled while they dug my
grave.”
“Then a girl in a black apron dropped a silver tray on this very table.”
He looked straight into my eyes, and I saw a vulnerability that no other human
being had ever seen in Dominic Salvatore.
“You didn't just save my life, Elena.”
“You saved my soul.”
“You showed me that loyalty isn't bought with fear—it’s earned with truth.”
He clicked the velvet box open with a soft, clean snap.
Inside sat an exquisite, flawless emerald-cut diamond ring, flanked by two deep
blue sapphires—the exact color of the Atlantic Ocean at sunrise.
“You took down an empire with me,” Dominic whispered.
“Now, I want you to rule a legitimate one beside me.”
“Elena Valli… will you marry me?”
A breathless laugh escaped my lips.
Tears prickled the corners of my eyes, but this time, they weren't tears of
grief or vengeance.
They were tears of pure, unadulterated joy.
“On one condition, Dominic,” I said, leaning forward.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
“Name it.”
“I manage all the passwords,” I whispered.
Dominic threw his head back and laughed, the sound bright and ringing through
the vaulted room.
“Deal,” he said.
May you like
He slipped the ring onto my finger.
It fit perfectly.
