Chapter 17 - Blood and Reckoning|
By three o'clock in the morning, the estate was flooded with flashing red and blue lights as loyal syndicate enforcers and private medical teams secured the grounds.
In the grand living room, the triplets sat together on the large velvet sofa, wrapped in warm blankets, drinking hot cocoa that Evelyn had prepared for them. They were talking continuously—chattering about their favorite books, their drawings, and their mother—as if two years of silence had suddenly unlocked a dam of endless words.
Adrien stood by the marble fireplace, a medical bandage wrapped around his left arm where a bullet had grazed him.
He looked across the room at Evelyn, who was sitting quietly on an armchair, looking exhausted but deeply relieved.
Adrien walked over, stopping in front of her chair.
"Dominic confessed before he died," Adrien said softly. "He revealed where he buried Celeste two years ago. I'm bringing her home to be buried properly on the estate grounds."
Evelyn looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. Belandi."
Adrien shook his head, looking down at his loud, laughing children on the sofa.
"You gave my children their voices back, Evelyn," Adrien said, his deep voice thick with emotion. "You gave them their mother's memory back. You saved their lives tonight."
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a key—not a brass one, but a sleek gold key to the master suite of the estate.
"You're not an attendant anymore, Evelyn," Adrien declared firmly. "You are part of this family now. If you'll have us."
May you like
Evelyn looked at the gold key, then looked at the three children who were waving at her from the sofa, calling her name.
"I'd love to stay," Evelyn smiled softly.
