Chapter 18
The transition from a quiet widow to the matriarch of the Moretti empire was not easy for Rachel. She spent her days in the library, mastering the intricate web of legitimate businesses that Gabriel controlled, learning how to mask the illicit funds behind corporate fronts.
One afternoon, a month after the siege, she was reviewing a contract for a new shipping warehouse when the door to the library opened.
Gabriel walked in, wearing his signature black suit, looking fully recovered and incredibly imposing. But his expression softened the moment he saw her. He walked over to the desk, placing a small, velvet box on top of the contract she was reading.
Rachel looked at the box, her heart skipping a beat. "What is this?"
"Open it," Gabriel urged softly.
She reached out with trembling fingers and popped the lid open. Inside sat a breathtaking, vintage diamond ring, its facets catching the light from the desk lamp. It wasn't flashy or ostentatious like the jewelry Vanessa had worn; it was elegant, understated, and incredibly beautiful.
"Gabriel," Rachel breathed, looking up at him in shock.
"I’m not asking you to forget Daniel," Gabriel said, his deep voice carrying a raw, earnest vulnerability. "He was my brother, and he will always be a part of us. But I am asking you to build a future with me. I want you to be my wife, Rachel. In every sense of the word."
Rachel stared at the ring, the weight of his proposal settling over her. She thought of the five years she had spent in the shadows, hiding from the world, mourning a ghost. And she thought of the last month, living in the light, protected by a man who would burn the world down to keep her safe.
She stood up, walking around the desk to stand before him. She looked up into his slate-gray eyes, seeing the man behind the monster.
May you like
"Yes," Rachel whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. "Yes, I will marry you."
Gabriel let out a ragged breath, pulling her into his arms, kissing her with a fierce, possessive passion that erased the last lingering ghosts of her past.
