Chapter 10
Victor did not wait for Celeste’s answer. He walked out of the basement, leaving her to the crushing darkness of her own making. As he ascended the stairs, the heavy iron door slammed shut behind him, sealing away the last remnant of the false life he had almost been forced to lead.
He returned to the main floor of the mansion, where the cascading crystal chandeliers still cast their warm golden light over the empty banquet hall. The carved walnut furniture and velvet dining chairs sat in pristine silence, a stark contrast to the violence and betrayal that had unfolded just hours earlier. The ivory candles had burned down to their brass candelabras, signaling the approach of dawn.
Eva was standing by the large, shuttered windows in the grand foyer. Her sophisticated black maid dress was slightly wrinkled from the long night, but her white ruffled headband remained perfectly in place. She looked out through a small gap in the steel shutters, watching the first hints of morning light break over the horizon.
Victor walked quietly toward her, his polished leather shoes making no sound. He stopped just behind her, his masculine presence radiating a comforting heat.
"Are you watching for the sun, Eva, or for an army?" Victor asked, his deep voice barely a murmur.
Eva turned around, her expressive eyes meeting his. The exhaustion on her delicate features was evident, but so was a fierce, undeniable strength.
"I don't know," Eva admitted softly, her American accent laced with lingering anxiety. "Celeste said her father would come. Even if you sent him the proof, what if he decides to attack anyway out of pride?"
"Do you think I would leave our defenses unprepared for a wounded animal?" Victor asked, reaching out to gently take her hand. His artistic tattoos stood out sharply against her fair, rosy skin.
"No, I know you are ready for them," Eva whispered, stepping closer to him, allowing herself to be enveloped by his protective shadow. "But I just want this to be over. I want you to be safe."
"Are we not capable of facing whatever storm approaches, so long as you are standing by my side?" Victor asked, his dark eyes burning with an intense, unwavering devotion.
Eva looked up at his handsome, angular face. The mafia boss who spoke only in questions had given her the only answer she ever needed. He was hers, completely and dangerously.
"I am ready for whatever comes next, Victor," Eva said, her voice resolute.
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"Will you walk with me into the new day, my love?" Victor asked, gently pulling her into his arms as the heavy steel shutters began to automatically rise, flooding the cream marble floors with the bright, blinding light of a new, uncertain morning.
The war with the Wren family was still a looming shadow on the horizon. The blood had barely dried on the billiard room floor, and the political fallout of a broken engagement and a caged heiress would undoubtedly ripple through the underworld for years. But as Victor held Eva in the warm golden light, he knew that the true battle for his soul had already been won.
