Chapter 10 - THE SILVER KEY
We didn’t go back to the estate.
Instead, Dominic took us to a secure, private penthouse in the center of the city.
It was warm, quiet, and guarded by men who would die before letting anyone on the floor.
Lily was bathed, wrapped in a giant fluffy robe, and asleep in a massive king-sized bed within an hour. Dr. Russo had arrived, stitched up my ankle properly, and given me strong antibiotics.
It was 3:00 AM.
The city was silent below us.
I walked into the living room, wearing one of Dominic’s soft, oversized t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants.
Dominic was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the glittering skyline. He had showered, changed into dark slacks and a simple black henley.
He held a glass of amber whiskey in his hand.
Sitting on the glass coffee table next to him was the small silver key Lily had found.
“Is she asleep?” Dominic asked, not turning around.
“Out cold,” I said softly, limping slightly as I walked over to the sofa.
Dominic turned. He set his glass down and picked up the silver key.
“When my father died, he left two things,” Dominic said, his voice quiet in the vast room. “He left the syndicate to me. And he left a private safety deposit box at a bank in Zurich. Elena spent ten years trying to find the key. She thought it contained the offshore account numbers your mother hid.”
“Did it?” I asked.
Dominic walked over and sat on the coffee table directly in front of me.
“No. My father was a ruthless man, Emma. But he respected loyalty above all else. Your mother was the most loyal person he ever knew. When she realized Elena was turning against the family, your mother warned him.”
Dominic looked down at the key.
“My father didn’t leave account numbers in that box. He left a trust fund. Fifty million dollars. Clean money. Legal money. And he left it in your mother’s name.”
I stopped breathing. “What?”
“He wanted her to be safe. He wanted you to be safe. Elena killed her before she could access it. And she stole the key.”
Dominic reached out and gently took my hand. He pressed the silver key into my palm and closed my fingers over it.
“It’s yours, Emma. It’s always been yours. You never have to scrub another floor. You never have to hide. You and Lily are wealthy beyond imagination.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I looked at the key. Ten years of poverty, of running, of being invisible... wiped away by a tiny piece of silver.
“What about you?” I whispered, looking up into his dark eyes.
Dominic smiled a sad, self-deprecating smile. “I have a mess to clean up. I have a family legacy to rewrite. You take your daughter, Emma. You go buy a house on the coast. You live in the sun.”
He started to pull his hand away.
I tightened my grip, refusing to let him go.
“I don’t want to live on the coast,” I said, my voice trembling but certain.
Dominic froze. His eyes locked onto mine, searching my face for any sign of hesitation.
“Emma,” he warned softly. “My world is dark. It’s dangerous.”
“I’m not afraid of the dark,” I said, reaching up to touch the hard line of his jaw. “Not when you’re standing in it.”
May you like
Dominic exhaled a shaky breath. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against mine.
“Stay with me,” he whispered, a desperate plea from a king who had finally found his queen. “Stay.”
