Chapter 10 - THE PROVENCE SUNRISE
Three days later, the sun rose over Manhattan, painting the glass and steel skyline in warm shades of gold and amber.
Sophie stood on the balcony of a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park, sipping a cup of freshly brewed espresso. The lease was in her name. The back rent was gone. And across the Atlantic, legal paperwork was already being finalized to officially restore her family’s historic vineyard in Provence.
A soft knock echoed from the entryway.
Sophie walked inside, crossing the hardwood floors, and pulled open the front door.
Alessandro stood in the hallway, wearing his familiar charcoal suit, holding a single, unsealed envelope in his hand.
"You're leaving?" Sophie asked, leaning against the doorframe, a small, knowing smile touching her lips.
"My work here is done," Alessandro said, holding out the envelope. "The counterfeit ring is dismantled. Laurent is talking to federal prosecutors. And your passport is inside this envelope, along with a first-class ticket to Nice."
Sophie looked down at the envelope, then back up into his dark, intense eyes. "And what about you, Mr. Moretti? Are you just going back to running the city from the shadows?"
"Somebody has to," Alessandro replied, a faint, rare smile touching the corner of his mouth. "Though New York feels a bit too quiet now that the best waitress in Manhattan has resigned."
"I was a terrible waitress, Alessandro," Sophie laughed softly, the sound light and free for the first time in years. "I talked back to the customers."
"Only the ones who deserved it," Alessandro said quietly. He stepped closer, his hand reaching out to gently tuck a lock of honey-blonde hair behind her ear—the exact same gesture she had made on her first night at L’Étoile Noir. "If you ever miss the vineyards of Provence, Sophie... you know whose name to call."
May you like
He didn't wait for her answer. He turned on his heel, walked down the carpeted hallway toward the private elevator, and disappeared into the morning shadows.
Sophie stood by the open door, holding the envelope against her chest, watching the New York skyline stretch out endlessly before her. The devil had come for her, but in the end, she hadn't just survived him—she had rewritten his rules.
