Chapter 14 - Debts Cleared in Iron and Silver
One month later.
The cypress floors of the Moretti manor gleamed like polished honey.
The garden rose bushes were blooming in crimson and white.
The plantation had returned to its grand, stately glory.
Lily was enrolled in the finest private academy in New Orleans.
She had her own sunny bedroom overlooking the river, filled with books and
easels.
She was laughing again.
I stood on the wide rear veranda, holding a cup of chicory coffee.
The morning breeze smelled of sweet magnolias and clean river water.
A soft wet nose pressed against my palm.
I looked down.
Baron was looking up at me, his tail giving a slow, happy thump against the
cypress planks.
His fur had grown back over his scars.
His eyes were bright.
"Good morning, old warrior," I smiled, scratching behind his good ear.
Footsteps sounded on the terrace.
Lorenzo stepped outside.
He wore a crisp white linen shirt with rolled-up sleeves.
The scar on his shoulder had faded to a pale silver line.
He walked to the railing beside me, looking out over his vast empire of shipping
docks and oak groves.
"The council ratified the new treaties yesterday," Lorenzo said.
"The ports are peaceful. The Delacroix name has been erased from the Gulf."
"You built an empire on peace," I said softly.
"My mother built it," he replied.
He turned toward me, his piercing silver eyes reflecting the morning light.
"And you saved it."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box.
My pulse quickened.
"Evelyn," Lorenzo said, his voice dropping into that deep, magnetic gravel.
"When you walked into that flooded yard to save a dying dog, you showed more
strength than any man I’ve ever commanded."
He opened the box.
Inside was a flawless emerald ring, surrounded by pavé diamonds.
Donna Maria’s personal signet stone.
"My mother wants to step down as the lady of this house," Lorenzo said gently.
"And I don't want to run this family alone."
He took my hand, his thumb tracing my knuckles.
"Will you stay here? Not as an employee. Not as a guest."
"As my equal. As my wife."
I looked at the emerald.
I looked at Baron, who sat attentively beside us, watching like an approving
sentinel.
I looked into Lorenzo’s silver eyes, where the cold killer had made room for
fierce, unyielding devotion.
May you like
"Yes," I whispered, smiling as the sun warmed my face.
"Yes, Lorenzo."
