Chapter 4 - The Truth in the Hedge
The fallout was swift and absolute. Moretti’s network was dismantled within forty-eight hours, and the men who had been siphoning the syndicate’s wealth were systematically replaced or eliminated.
But the victory felt hollow in the quiet of the estate.
Luca had reclaimed his authority, but he had spent his time reclaiming his body. He was now walking without the cane, though he still moved with a stiff, heavy caution. He felt like a man returned from the dead, walking through a world that had continued to rotate while he had been frozen in place.
He found Maya on the baseball diamond, practicing her turn. She looked different—more confident, more sure of her place in the world.
"You're walking," she said, stopping her dance and looking at his legs.
"I'm walking," he agreed.
"Does it hurt?"
"Sometimes," he said. "But it's a good kind of hurt. It reminds me that I'm here."
She nodded, satisfied. She picked up a ball and tossed it toward him. He caught it—his coordination still slightly off, but the reflex was there.
"Mom said you're going to be around more now," she said.
"Would you like that?"
She thought about it. "Only if you help me with my math homework. I’m still stuck on the fractions."
He laughed, a genuine, rusty sound that he hadn't made in years. "Deal."
Elena walked out from the porch. She had been watching them from the shade, her expression unreadable. Now, she moved toward them, stopping just a few feet away.
"You look tired," she said.
"I am," Luca admitted. "I've been busy."
"I heard about the boardroom," she said. "The news traveled fast."
"It was a necessary conversation."
"And your father?" she asked. "I heard you found the name of the man who bankrolled Moretti."
Luca’s expression hardened. "He was a business associate of mine years ago. Someone I thought I could trust. He didn't just want my syndicate; he wanted the property, the land, everything. He wanted to turn this estate into a hub for his own operations."
He looked at Maya, who was now chasing Tommy across the grass.
"I dealt with him," Luca said. "He’s been cut off from his assets. He’s no longer a threat."
"You did all of that in forty-eight hours," she said, a hint of awe in her voice.
"I had twelve years to plan for it," he replied. "I just didn't know the exact names until last week."
He looked at her, really looked at her. "Elena, I’ve spent my life building things that were meant to protect me. Walls, estates, syndicates. But nothing I’ve ever built has mattered as much as what you built while I was gone."
May you like
He reached out and took her hand. It was the first time he had done so without the barrier of a wheelchair. "I want to be the man on the other side of the hedge. But I know I’m a stranger to the life you have with her."
"You're not a stranger," Elena said, squeezing his hand. "You're just... late."
