Chapter 26 - The Shadow of the Past
The sun dipped low beneath the Chicago skyline, casting long, bruised shadows across the manicured lawns of the Moretti estate. Inside the grand library, the silence was thick, broken only by the crackle of a dying fire in the hearth. Ellie sat at the edge of the leather sofa, her fingers tracing the silver rim of a teacup that had long since gone cold. Across the room, Damien stood by the window, his broad shoulders silhouetted against the amber glow of the dusk. He was quiet—the kind of quiet that usually preceded a storm. On the mahogany coffee table lay an unmarked manila envelope, delivered by courier less than ten minutes ago. Inside were documents detailing a syndicate faction in New York that was attempting to rebuild the network Victor Rossi had left behind. They weren’t targeting Damien anymore; they had discovered Leo’s schedule at Northwestern. Ellie’s breath hitched in her throat as the realization washed over her. The peace they had fought so hard to build, the sanctuary they called home, was being threatened by ghosts from a war they thought they had won. Damien turned away from the glass, his face hard as granite, his dark eyes locking onto hers with a fierce, terrifying intensity that promised absolute devastation to anyone who dared look twice at his family.
