Chapter 15 - The Vance Legacy
Six months later.
The summer sun poured warm gold over the rolling emerald lawns of the fully restored Vance estate. The scars of the battle had been erased; the limestone walls stood stronger and grander than ever, surrounded by blooming rose bushes and towering white oaks.
On the stone patio, Elena sat in a plush armchair, reading a book. Her cheeks had regained their rosy, vibrant color, and her laughter drifted on the afternoon breeze as she watched the lawn below.
Dante stood by the balustrade, dressed in a sharp, casual linen shirt, holding a leather baseball glove in his left hand.
A few yards away, Leo—now healthy, strong, and wearing a clean team jersey—swung a wooden baseball bat with focused determination. The old fear had vanished from his eyes, replaced by the bright, unyielding spark of a boy who knew he was loved and protected by an untouchable force.
""Keep your elbow up, Leo,"" Dante coached with a warm, approving smile. ""Plant your back foot. Don't look at the pitcher; look at the ball.""
""Like this, Dad?"" Leo adjusted his stance, turning his head with fierce concentration.
""Exactly like that,"" Dante said, tossing the ball in an easy, gentle arc.
Leo stepped forward and swung with all his might.
CRACK.
The solid wood met leather, sending the baseball soaring across the emerald lawn, bouncing merrily past the fountain toward the edge of the grove.
""Home run!"" Leo shouted, tossing the bat aside and running toward his father with a beam that outshone the summer sun.
Dante caught him mid-stride, lifting him effortlessly into the air as the boy giggled with pure joy. Dante held him close, kissing his cheek before setting him gently on his feet.
""Good hit, son,"" Dante whispered.
Elena walked over, wrapping her arm around Dante's waist, leaning her head affectionately against his shoulder as the three of them looked out over the vast, peaceful estate.
Just then, Marcus stepped onto the patio, dressed in his customary black suit. He carried a leather-bound folio, but his expression was unusually tense.
Dante noticed the shift immediately. He gently rested a hand on Leo’s shoulder. ""Go play by the fountain, Leo. Mom will bring out some lemonade.""
Elena gave Dante a questioning look, but she nodded softly and led the boy down the stone steps.
Once they were out of earshot, Dante turned to Marcus. ""What is it, Marcus? Julian’s sentencing was finalized yesterday. Amanda is serving twenty years without parole.""
Marcus opened the folio, revealing an unredacted intelligence dossier bearing the wax seal of the European High Council. Inside was a photograph of a secure Swiss maximum-security vault that had been breached just forty-eight hours ago.
""Julian and Thorne were pawn pieces, Boss,"" Marcus said in a hushed, grave tone. ""The encrypted ledger Julian stole? It had a second layer of code that we couldn't decipher until this morning. Thorne wasn't working for himself.""
Dante's eyes narrowed into twin points of cold flint. ""Who was he working for?""
Marcus turned the page.
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Pictured on the document was a family crest Dante hadn't seen since his youth—a silver dragon coiled around a broken crown.
""Your older brother, Boss,"" Marcus whispered. ""Alexander Vance. He never died in the Alps forty years ago. And he’s coming to claim the empire."""
