Chapter 5 - The Meridian Connection
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The grand foyer was finally silent. Leo tugged eagerly on Nora’s uninjured hand, his dark eyes wide with childish concern.
“Mommy, did the mean lady hurt you?” Leo asked, his lower lip trembling slightly.
“I’m perfectly fine, sweetheart,” Nora smiled warmly, dropping to a crouch to kiss his forehead. “I’m tough, remember?”
“You are very tough,” Luca agreed, his deep voice rumbling behind her. He placed a large, comforting hand on his son’s shoulder. “Leo, go with Maria to the kitchen. Have her get you some ice cream. Your mother and I need to talk.”
Leo cheered at the mention of ice cream and sprinted down the hallway.
Nora stood up, suddenly hyper-aware of the proximity between her and the mafia boss. He wasn't wearing his usual cold mask. He looked at her with a raw, burning intensity that made the air in her lungs feel remarkably thin.
“You took a considerable risk today, Nora,” Luca said, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Vanessa Thorne is a volatile woman. When you told me you wanted her invited to the corporate retreat so you could acquire her access card, I did not agree to let you be assaulted.”
“She had to believe I was just the help,” Nora explained, pulling the white plastic card from her pocket. “If she thought I was your wife, she would have been on her best behavior. She drops her purse when she gets angry. I just needed to provoke her enough to make her careless.”
“And the broken bracelet?”
“A cheap replica I bought online for forty dollars,” Nora smirked. “She thought she was destroying a priceless heirloom.”
Luca let out a dark, rich chuckle. The sound was incredibly rare, and it sent a pleasant shiver down Nora’s spine.
“You are a very dangerous woman,” Luca murmured, stepping closer.
“I am a woman who wants her life back,” Nora corrected softly. “Gregory used Meridian Capital to hide the assets he stole during our marriage. He claimed he was broke, but he’s been laundering millions for the Russian syndicate through Vanessa’s department. This card gets me into their secure offshore server.”
“And when you find the proof?” Luca asked.
“I ruin him,” Nora stated flatly, the memory of Gregory’s cruel laughter echoing in her mind. “I take back every single thing he took from me.”
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Luca reached out, his fingers gently tracing the line of her jaw. His touch was electric, burning away the cold memory of her ex-husband.
“You won't have to do it alone,” Luca promised, his voice a low, lethal vow. “We will burn his entire world to ashes.”
