Chapter 6 - The Shadows of the Past
Two months later.
The Chicago summer had arrived in full bloom. The lakefront breeze was warm, carrying the scent of flowering lilacs and fresh lake water across the city.
The Elena & Lily Delgado Foundation had officially opened its first sanctuary in the West Loop—a state-of-the-art facility offering forty subsidized apartments and a fully staffed 24-hour daycare center for working mothers.
I stood on the glass balcony of the facility's third floor, holding a clipboard, looking down at twenty mothers sitting in the sunny courtyard while their children played safely on the modern playground equipment below.
For the first time in my life, I felt true purpose, fulfillment, and peace.
A soft pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and a warm chin rested gently on my shoulder.
"You look breathtaking when you're being a boss, Mrs. Director," Sebastian whispered into my ear, his deep voice sending a shiver of delight down my spine.
I giggled, leaning back against his strong chest. "I learned from the best. Though I still think my foundation's payroll system is better organized than Calder House's was."
Sebastian chuckled, turning me around in his arms to kiss my forehead. He looked incredible in a charcoal gray suit, his hair slightly windblown from the lake breeze.
"Lily is downstairs in the toddlers' play area," Sebastian reported, smiling. "She just successfully negotiated a trade with another two-year-old: half a juice box for a blue plastic truck. I think she’s going to take over Calder Holdings by the time she’s ten."
I laughed, resting my hands against his chest. "She takes after her stepfather."
Stepfather. The word hung in the air like a sweet melody. Though we hadn't officially married yet, Sebastian had taken on the role of Lily’s father with an intensity and love that melted my heart every single day. He attended every doctor’s appointment, bought her more toys than could fit in the penthouse, and put her to bed every night without fail, reading her bedtime stories in his deep, soothing voice.
Before I could kiss him, Arthur Pendelton stepped out onto the balcony, looking unusually pale.
Sebastian’s expression instantly straightened. He kept one protective arm wrapped around my waist. "Arthur? What's wrong? The Vance trial doesn't start until next month."
"It's not Marcus or Julian Vance, Sebastian," Arthur said, his voice grave as he handed a red confidential folder to Sebastian. "It's about the former owners of the land where Calder House stands."
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. "The Moretti Syndicate?"
My heart gave a nervous thud. The Moretti Syndicate? They were a notorious organized crime family that had controlled the River North area twenty years ago before disappearing into the shadows.
"What about them?" Sebastian asked coldly.
"Don Victor Moretti passed away in Europe three weeks ago," Arthur explained, checking his notes. "His estate is being liquidated. But his primary executor—a man named Dominic Moretti—just landed in Chicago. He claims that the original deed for the property under Calder House was fraudulently transferred by your father thirty years ago."
Sebastian’s jaw clenched tightly. "My father bought that land legally at a sheriff's auction after Moretti went bankrupt."
"Dominic Moretti doesn't care about sheriff's auctions, Sebastian," Arthur warned. "He brought a team of high-powered corporate raiders and a team of heavy enforcement men. He has filed a multi-million-dollar Lis Pendens lien against all Calder Holdings properties in Illinois, effectively freezing your corporate lines of credit."
I looked at Sebastian, my hands flying to his chest. "Can he do that?!"
"He can block our expansion projects for months if we don't resolve it," Sebastian growled, his gray eyes darkening with storm clouds. "Dominic Moretti wants a war."
He looked down at me, his expression softening instantly as he cupped my cheek.
"Take Lily back to the penthouse with Mrs. Gable, Maya," Sebastian instructed gently. "I have a meeting to attend at the River Club."
"Sebastian, be careful," I pleaded, holding his lapel. "Promise me you won't do anything dangerous."
May you like
Sebastian leaned down, pressing a firm, lingering kiss onto my lips.
"I have a family to come home to now, Maya," Sebastian murmured softly against my mouth. "I don't fight to destroy enemies anymore. I fight to protect my home."
