Chapter 10 - The Queen Takes the Board
Six months later.
The Mediterranean sun warmed the terracotta tiles of the private terrace overlooking the cliffs of Positano. The water below was an impossible, shimmering shade of sapphire, dotted with white yachts drifting lazily in the summer breeze.
I stood at the railing, holding a glass of iced sparkling water with lemon.
I wore a white linen dress, my hair loose around my shoulders, dancing in the warm coastal wind. The dark circles under my eyes were gone, replaced by the deep, glowing bronze of a woman who had spent months breathing clean sea air and sleeping without fear.
The French doors opened behind me.
Luca DeSantis stepped out onto the terrace. He wore a crisp white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, carrying a leather portfolio under his arm.
“The closing documents have cleared,” Luca said, walking up beside me, leaning against the stone balustrade. “The Moretti estate in Como has officially been transferred to the Elena Vance Foundation. The inaugural grant for domestic violence legal defense networks was distributed this morning.”
I took a sip of my water, feeling the cool citrus wash over my tongue. “And Caldwell Capital?”
“Dissolved,” Luca replied with a faint, satisfied smirk. “The name no longer exists. The assets were liquidated to pay restitution to the victims of the Russian syndicate. Ryan is currently in maximum security in Pennsylvania. His appeal was dismissed yesterday without a hearing.”
I looked out over the endless expanse of the sea.
Six months ago, I had stood in a ballroom thirty feet away from a man who thought he could erase me. He had kissed his mistress under four hundred flashing cameras, convinced that I was a ghost he had already buried.
He didn't know that the quietest women are often the most dangerous. Because when a quiet woman stops crying, she starts calculating.
Luca turned to me, his dark eyes studying my face. “What’s next for you, Isabella?”
I set my glass down on the stone table, turned my face to the warm Italian sun, and smiled.
May you like
“Whatever I want,” I said.
And for the first time in my life, it was completely, undeniably true.
