Chapter 6 - Unraveling the Web of Lies
The federal marshals and state police arrived within twenty minutes, breaching the locked-down side service entrance with practiced efficiency.
Sterling Dunore and Cade Branick were handcuffed side-by-side and led out through the revolving doors into the freezing sleet, their faces shielded by cheap corporate folders as news cameras flashed from across the street.
The lobby grew quiet once more.
Only the low, steady hum of the heating system broke the silence.
I stood behind the reception desk, carefully gathering the scattered audit files and placing them back inside the banker's box.
My hands were no longer shaking.
A profound, staggering sense of relief washed over me, heavy and warm.
Footsteps approached the desk.
I looked up.
Emmett Castellano stood on the other side of the counter.
He had unbuttoned his wool overcoat, revealing a crisp white shirt beneath, his tie slightly loosened.
“Are you alright, Adeline?” he asked softly, using my real first name for the very first time.
The way he said it—smooth, natural, and entirely respectful—sent a strange, electric shiver down my spine.
“I am,” I whispered, nodding slowly. “I... I don't even know how to thank you, Mr. Castellano.”
“Emmett,” he corrected quietly.
I paused, biting my lower lip.
“Emmett,” I repeated.
He smiled faintly—that rare, devastatingly handsome expression that transformed his severe features entirely.
“Your father was a good man, Adeline,” Emmett said, leaning against the counter. “When he was sent to prison, I tried to intervene through legal channels. But Dunore’s network was deeply entrenched in the state courts. I was blocked at every turn.”
“You tried to help him?” I asked, my eyes widening in surprise.
“I did,” Emmett admitted. “And I failed him. Which is why I made a silent vow three years ago that the moment I acquired this company, I would tear Dunore’s entire empire down to the studs.”
He reached across the counter, placing his warm, calloused hand over mine.
“You didn't just stumble into this job three years ago, Adeline,” Emmett continued gently. “I arranged for you to be placed at this reception desk. I needed someone inside who couldn't be bought, someone who would keep fighting when everyone else gave up.”
I stared at him, stunned.
“You... you placed me here?”
“I did,” Emmett confessed without a trace of hesitation. “I watched over you from the sixth floor every single day, making sure Dunore’s goons never laid a finger on you. I just underestimated how fiercely independent you were—you started investigating the fraud all on your own before I could even hand you the files.”
A watery laugh escaped my lips, and a fresh tear spilled over my lashes.
“You’re an impossible man, Emmett Castellano,” I whispered.
“I know,” he replied smoothly. “And now that your father's name is cleared, and your grandmother’s nursing home care is secured for the rest of her life, I have one more proposition for you.”
I raised an eyebrow, my heart fluttering against my ribs.
“Oh? And what’s that?”
May you like
“Pack a bag,” Emmett said, his gray eyes locking onto mine with absolute, unwavering intensity. “You’re leaving this reception desk behind permanently. You’re coming home with me.”
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