Chapter 14 - THE EMPIRE HE CHOSE TO LEAVE
Gabriel made a decision.
He would no longer lead the criminal side of the Rossi organization.
He began separating legitimate businesses from illicit operations.
He cooperated with legal authorities regarding the evidence uncovered during the investigation.
The process was difficult.
Some men resisted.
Others threatened him.
But Gabriel refused to return to the old methods.
He accepted that change required consequences.
Tessa watched him carefully.
She didn't romanticize his past.
She didn't pretend his decisions erased the harm done by the Rossi family.
But she saw him trying.
One evening, Gabriel visited her apartment.
He looked tired.
“Long day?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Very.”
She made tea.
They sat beside the window.
Gabriel looked at her.
“Do you ever regret meeting me?”
Tessa considered.
“Sometimes.”
He laughed softly.
“Fair.”
She took his hand.
“But I don't regret knowing who you're becoming.”
Gabriel looked at her.
May you like
His eyes filled.
For a man raised to believe emotion was weakness, the words meant more than any declaration of love.
