Chapter 5 - The New Empire
Five years later.
The sun was shining brightly over a private estate in upstate New York.
I sat on the patio, sipping coffee.
Leo was running across the grass, laughing as he chased our golden retriever.
He was five years old.
Wild, happy, and completely safe.
I had built a successful consulting firm, using the sharp instincts I had honed during my years in the syndicate.
We didn't need Dante's money.
We didn't need his protection.
Sometimes, I saw Dante's name in the news.
He was richer. More powerful. More ruthless.
But he was also completely alone.
He never married Valentina.
He never had another child.
And every year, on Leo's birthday, a single white rose would be delivered to our front gate.
No note.
No signature.
I always threw it away.
Because my son didn't need a ghost for a father.
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He had a mother who had fought the devil to keep him safe.
And she had won.
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