Chapter 6 - Shadows in Philadelphia
While Julian was locked away in a secure holding cell awaiting trial, the news of Arthur Cross’s death sent shockwaves through the East Coast underworld. Three weeks after the chapel incident, a new threat emerged from the south.
I was sitting in the penthouse library, nursing Lily while Maya slept in a bassinet beside me. I was wearing one of Elias’s oversized cashmere sweaters, feeling more at home with every passing day.
The door opened, and Elias walked in, accompanied by an older woman with silver hair and a sharp, aristocratic posture. She wore an expensive dark emerald suit and carried herself with the authority of a queen.
"Ava," Elias said gently, stepping aside. "This is Victoria Cross. She was Arthur’s legal wife, and Julian’s stepmother."
I froze, instinctively pulling Lily closer to my chest. "Cross?"
Victoria walked forward, her cane clicking softly on the floor. Her face was aged, lined with deep sorrow, but her eyes were sharp and clear. She looked down at the twin babies, and to my complete surprise, her stern expression softened into pure tenderness.
"So," Victoria murmured, her voice raspy yet warm. "These are my late husband’s granddaughters."
"They are my daughters," I corrected firmly, finding a strength in my voice I didn't know I possessed. "And Julian tried to kill them."
Victoria sighed, sitting in the armchair opposite me. "Julian was a monster, my dear. A pathetic, greedy boy who inherited his mother's spite and none of my husband's honor. Arthur knew it. That's why he changed his will two days before he fell into a coma."
She pulled a sealed legal document from her leather handbag and laid it on the coffee table.
"What is that?" I asked, glancing at Elias, who stood behind Victoria’s chair, his hand resting casually on his hip near his weapon.
"This is Arthur’s final testament," Victoria said. "He left his entire legitimate estate—the real estate holdings, the shipping lines, the trust funds—to these two girls. Seventy-five million dollars, placed into an untouchable trust until they reach twenty-one years of age."
I stared at the paper in disbelief. "Why? He never even met them!"
"Because Arthur hated what his son had become," Victoria explained softly. "When he heard that Julian had abandoned two newborn babies in the freezing cold, Arthur wept. He told me that a man who abandons his own blood is no man at all. He wanted these children to have a life far away from the crime syndicate. But there is a condition."
My heart sank. "What condition?"
"The trust requires a sole legal guardian who is not associated with the Cross family syndicate," Victoria said, looking up at Elias. "And Arthur specifically named you, Elias Vance, as the co-trustee alongside Ava."
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Elias raised an eyebrow. "Arthur named me?"
"He respected you, Vance," Victoria said with a faint smile. "He said you were the only man in New York with enough teeth to keep the vultures away from his money until these girls grow up. If you accept, the Philadelphia Syndicate will sign a permanent non-aggression pact with your family. The war ends today."
