Chapter 19 - The fall of the serpent
A single shot cracked through the storm, but it did not come from Salvatore’s gun.
Marcus had fired with surgical precision. The bullet shattered Salvatore’s right wrist, sending the revolver spinning into the dark ocean below. Salvatore dropped to his knees, screaming in agony as blood seeped through his fingers.
Grace walked forward through the pouring rain, stopping just inches from the trembling old man. She looked down at him not with rage, but with cold, unbreakable authority.
"You thought weakness was love, Salvatore," Grace said, her voice cutting through his groans. "Julianna didn't hide because she was afraid. She sacrificed her life to protect Noah and give me a chance to find my way home. You spent your whole life hoarding power that was never yours to hold."
Marcus stepped beside Grace, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Lucas, hand Salvatore over to the Italian authorities waiting at the consulate. Let him spend the rest of his miserable life locked inside a concrete cage, knowing a former nanny brought down his empire."
Salvatore wept into the wet concrete as guards dragged him away, his gold cane rolling uselessly into the gutter.
May you like
Meanwhile, Elena sat huddled in the back of an armored police vehicle parked at the marina entrance, watching Grace command the respect of the most dangerous men in the city. When Grace walked past the vehicle, Elena pressed her forehead against the glass, sobbing with regret. Grace paused for half a second, offering Elena only a cool, pitying glance before walking away into the warm glow of Marcus's car.
The nightmare that had haunted the Sterling family for years had finally been dismantled. Grace had not only defended Noah and honored Julianna's dying wish, but she had claimed her rightful place as the queen of two powerful lineages, feared by enemies and adored by those she loved.
