Chapter 7 - The Kingdom We BuiltSix months later.
The spring sun washed over the grand gardens of the Lake Forest estate, turning the blooming white roses into a sea of pristine ivory. The bullet scars on the stone walls had been repaired, the security systems upgraded beyond anything money could buy, and the dark cloud of the Russo war had finally evaporated into the history books.
Inside the mansion, the air was no longer heavy with silence.
I stood in front of the massive French doors of our bedroom, wearing a simple cream-colored summer dress, watching the sunlight dance across the marble fountain below.
Arms wrapped gently around my waist from behind. Strong, warm, familiar arms that no longer held back.
A chin rested softly on my shoulder, and the scent of cedar and bergamot filled my senses.
"What are you thinking about?" Enzo murmured, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of my neck, sending a delicious shiver down my spine.
"I was thinking about the night of Russo’s party," I smiled, turning in his embrace to wrap my arms around his neck, looking up into those dark, adoring eyes that only I got to see. "And about how stubborn you were for three whole years."
Enzo let out a low, rich chuckle, his hands sliding down to pull me flush against him. "I was a fool. For three years, I thought I was protecting you by keeping my distance. I didn't realize that the only thing that could ever truly destroy us was the silence between us."
"And now?" I asked softly, tracing the faint scar near his temple with my fingertips.
"Now," Enzo said, his voice dropping into that deep, possessive register that still made my heart race, "the war is over. The empire is secure. And I am never letting you out of my sight again."
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He lowered his head, capturing my lips in a deep, hungry, absolute kiss that tasted of victory, survival, and a love that had survived the darkest corners of the underworld.
Downstairs, the grandfather clock chimed the hour—not counting down the seconds of a life disappeared into, but marking the beginning of the eternity we were finally building together.
