Chapter 10 - The Golden Dawn
Six months later, the estate looked entirely different.
The bullet holes in the stone pillars had been repaired, the iron gates replaced with stronger, reinforced steel, and the gardens were overflowing with bright, blooming red roses and vibrant green strawberry plants.
It was a crisp Saturday morning in late autumn. The sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the main parlor, casting a golden glow over a room filled with laughter, the clinking of teacups, and the chaotic energy of two seven-year-olds building a massive Lego castle on the Persian rug.
I sat at my mahogany desk, signing the final transfer documents that officially dissolved the last remnants of Vanechkin’s European network. The ghost from Grace’s past had been permanently buried, sealed away in a world that could no longer touch us.
"Boss," Vance said, walking into the study and placing a fresh cup of black coffee on my desk. He looked relaxed for the first time in years, wearing a simple button-down shirt instead of his usual tactical gear.
"Everything secure?" I asked, looking up from the papers.
"Outer perimeter is clear. The girls are out in the garden with Dr. Thorne, arguing over whether strawberries taste better with sugar or whipped cream," Vance smiled faintly. "It's quiet, Marcus. Too quiet."
I stood up, walking over to the window to look out at the lawn.
Lily and Emma were running side by side through the grass, their bright green eyes shining with absolute joy, matching red and blue hair ribbons fluttering in the autumn breeze. They didn't look like the survivors of a shadow war or pawns of a criminal empire. They just looked like happy, carefree little girls who knew they were loved unconditionally.
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"It's not too quiet, Vance," I said, picking up Grace’s platinum wedding band from my desk and sliding it onto a silver chain around my neck, resting it right over my heart.
"It's just home."
