Chapter 9 - Shadows of the PastThat evening, my brothers and I gathered at our family's ancestral home in the hills for dinner. It was a traditions we had neglected during my two years of marriage to Adrian, but now, it felt like coming home.
The long dining table was filled with delicious food, laughter, and warm conversation. We talked about the foundation, about Matteo’s new shipping lines, about Nico’s security projects, and about the future.
As the evening wore on, Nico pulled out his laptop and set it on the table.
"Got an update from federal prison this afternoon," Nico said casually, taking a sip of wine.
"Nico, don't ruin dinner with trash," Gabriel warned lightly.
"Just a quick one," Nico smiled. "It turns out Adrian Cole isn't adapting well to prison life. He tried his usual arrogant routine with his cellmate during his first week. It... didn't go well."
"What happened?" Matteo asked, swirling his glass.
"He was assigned to kitchen duty," Nico replied. "Spilled a pot of soup on another inmate's boots. Tried to talk his way out of it like he used to. End result? He’s currently spending thirty days in disciplinary segregation, and his parole eligibility—if he ever had any—is completely gone."
A quiet beat passed around the table.
I set my glass down, looking at my brothers. "I don't care about Adrian anymore, Nico. His world is tiny now. Mine is huge."
Dominic looked at me with deep pride in his eyes. He raised his glass. "To Elena. The strongest of us all."
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My brothers raised their glasses in unison. "To Elena."
I clinked my glass against theirs. The phantom pain on my back was completely gone, replaced by the solid, unbreakable warmth of a family that would move mountains to protect me.
