Chapter 27 - The Last Offer
Nathaniel Voss called me at six the following morning.
The storm had passed, leaving the estate gardens littered with broken branches.
I was standing in the kitchen making coffee when my phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
I answered.
"Clare Montgomery."
"Miss Montgomery," Voss said pleasantly. "I trust you slept well."
My stomach tightened.
"What do you want?"
"An opportunity to resolve this unfortunate situation."
"Speak to my lawyer."
"Your lawyer cannot give you what I'm offering."
I leaned against the counter.
"Which is?"
"Freedom."
The word sounded absurd coming from him.
He continued.
"I can make the allegations against you disappear. The fraudulent account, the financial investigation, the stories about your relationship with Dante."
"You're the one who created those allegations."
A soft laugh.
"Can you prove that?"
I glanced toward the hallway.
Dante was upstairs with Leonardo.
For once, I was grateful they weren't listening.
"What do you actually want, Nathaniel?"
"Isabella's original documents. Eleanor's records. Any copies you possess."
"And in return?"
"Five million dollars transferred to an account of your choosing."
I nearly laughed.
He believed money could erase everything.
"You're offering me five million dollars to help bury what happened to a child."
"I'm offering you a future."
"I already have one."
His tone changed.
"With Dante Moretti? Do you imagine his past will remain buried forever?"
"No."
The answer surprised him into silence.
"I know his past has consequences," I continued. "He's beginning to face them. That's the difference between him and you."
"You think he's changed?"
"I think he's trying."
"Trying won't save him."
"Maybe not from every consequence. But lying certainly won't."
Voss exhaled sharply.
"You are making a mistake."
"No. My mistake would be believing you."
I ended the call.
Then I contacted Evelyn and preserved the call details and my account of the conversation.
An hour later, investigators asked me to provide a formal statement.
I did.
I told them about the money.
The request for documents.
The implied threats.
Everything.
By afternoon, a court had authorized additional measures to preserve disputed assets.
Voss's attempts to move funds were receiving close scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Paul Sutter's cooperation had begun revealing the mechanics of the academy fire.
According to information his attorney allowed investigators to confirm, Voss had instructed Paul to obtain copies of certain records from the administrative office.
A different contractor had arranged the dangerous distraction.
Paul claimed he believed the incident would be limited to a temporary power interruption and evacuation.
Whether that claim was true remained for investigators and the courts to determine.
But the evidence was expanding.
A second security recording had captured the contractor's vehicle near the academy.
Financial records connected payments to one of Voss's intermediary companies.
And Paul's communications showed that he had been directed toward the archive cabinet.
The picture was becoming impossible to ignore.
That evening, Dante came home carrying a paper bag from Laurelio.
Bianchi had packed dinner for the entire family.
There was fresh pasta, garlic bread, and a small container of chocolate mousse labeled with Leonardo's name.
Dante placed everything on the kitchen counter.
"Marco says the investigators may have enough to take action against Voss soon."
I nodded.
"Good."
He studied me.
"How are you?"
I almost gave my usual answer.
Fine.
Tired.
Just a little stressed.
Instead, I told the truth.
"I'm scared."
He crossed the kitchen.
"Of Nathaniel?"
"Of losing what we've built."
Dante gently took my hands.
"I know."
I looked down at my ring.
"I don't want a life where every happy moment is followed by another threat."
"Neither do I."
"I don't want Leonardo growing up thinking love means danger."
Dante's expression softened.
"Then we build something different."
"How?"
"With ordinary days. Honest conversations. People we can trust."
His thumb brushed my knuckles.
"And when we make mistakes, we admit them."
I looked up.
He continued.
"I can't undo who I was. I can't guarantee that I won't face consequences for it. But I can choose who I am from this moment forward."
Tears filled my eyes.
That was the answer I'd needed.
Not a promise of impossible safety.
A commitment to responsibility.
I stepped closer.
"I never stopped loving you."
His forehead rested against mine.
"Then come back to our room."
I smiled through tears.
"Only if you stop leaving your shoes in the middle of the floor."
He laughed.
"I'll negotiate."
"Absolutely not."
For the first time in weeks, we kissed without fear of what the next moment might bring.
Upstairs, Leonardo was building a dragon fortress out of pillows.
He had no idea that his father had just made a far more important promise than any whispered romantic declaration.
He had promised to keep choosing honesty.
Then Dante's phone rang.
Evelyn.
He answered.
Her voice was urgent.
"Voss has just been taken into federal custody."
Dante closed his eyes.
"Where?"
"At the airport, after investigators obtained an arrest warrant."
I gripped his arm.
Evelyn continued.
"There are charges involving alleged fraud and the misuse of trust assets. The investigation into the academy fire is continuing."
Dante looked at me.
For a second, he seemed unable to speak.
Then he whispered:
"It's over."
I shook my head gently.
"Not yet."
Because I knew an arrest wasn't the same as justice.
The money still needed to be recovered.
The school still needed to be rebuilt.
May you like
And Leonardo still deserved an ordinary childhood.
But for the first time, the man who had orchestrated so much suffering could no longer simply walk away from the questions.
