Chapter 20 - The Autumn Harvest
By mid-afternoon, the crisp golden sunlight had warmed the sprawling orchards behind the Lake Forest estate, turning the rows of apple trees into a brilliant canopy of amber and ruby.
We spent the afternoon outdoors, far away from the terminals, the encrypted channels, and the political chess matches of the downtown boardrooms. Emma—who had grown into a brilliant, fiercely independent young woman attending university in the city—had driven up for the weekend, bringing an explosion of youthful energy and laughter that echoed across the grounds.
She was currently attempting to teach four-year-old Sophie how to balance an apple on her head without dropping it into the tall grass, while Theo and Miles raced each other around the perimeter of the ancient oak trees.
I walked slowly down the stone pathway with Clara’s portrait resting gently in my memory, though her presence felt as vivid and real as the autumn breeze brushing against my face.
Adrian—or rather, the man I had once been to the outside world—seemed entirely dead to me now. To the world, I was the patriarch of the Moretti dynasty, an untouchable sovereign. To the people in this garden, I was simply Dad.
A pair of small, warm arms wrapped suddenly around my waist from behind. I looked down to see Nora looking up at me with those piercing, knowing eyes, holding out a perfectly polished red apple she had just picked from the lower branches.
“For the king,” she whispered seriously.
I smiled, kneeling down on one knee to accept the apple, and scooped her up into my arms. “Thank you, little strategist. This secures our alliance for the rest of the season.”
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Nearby, Emma laughed as Miles tripped over a stray root and tumbled ungracefully into a pile of leaves, instantly springing back up to declare war on the autumn foliage.
I held Nora close, breathing in the clean scent of crisp air and falling leaves, knowing that no matter what forces stirred in the dark beyond our borders, our sanctuary was secure.
