Chapter 5
"Stay back, Gallow!" Donovan screamed, his face purple with rage and panic. "If I'm going down, I'm taking your little waitress friend with me!" Before Donovan could pull the trigger, Roman fired with blinding speed. The bullet struck Donovan’s weapon, shattering the gun frame and sending it spinning across the tile floor. Before Donovan could even cry out, Roman closed the distance in two giant strides, slammed him against the glass server rack, and knocked him unconscious with a single, brutal blow to the jaw. Donovan crumpled to the floor like a broken doll. The alarms slowly wound down, replaced by the steady hum of the emergency generators and the patter of rain against the glass roof outside. Luca stepped into the room, kicking Donovan’s fallen gun away and nodding to Roman. "Area's secure, boss. Local authorities are three minutes out, and our package of evidence has already been automatically transmitted to federal prosecutors."
Roman exhaled slowly, sliding his gun back into his holster. He turned around, his eyes immediately finding Paige amidst the wreckage of the room. He stepped over to her, inspecting her closely. "Are you hurt?" Paige let out a shaky, triumphant breath, tossing the brass paperweight onto a desk. "Not a scratch. Though I'm starting to think your house is even more dangerous than my waitressing job." A genuine, warm chuckle escaped Roman’s lips—the first real laugh Paige had ever heard from him. He reached out, gently taking her uninjured hand in his. "I think you’ve earned a permanent promotion, Paige. And a much better salary." Three months later, the Onyx Room had a new head of corporate compliance, and the Gallow shipping empire was completely clean of criminal enterprise under Roman’s newly restructured corporate umbrella.
The rain had stopped, giving way to a brilliant, clear sunset over the ocean cliffs. Paige stood on the expansive wooden balcony of the brutalist estate, wearing an elegant silk dress instead of a stained restaurant uniform. Footsteps approached softly behind her, and a familiar, comforting warmth enveloped her shoulders as Roman draped a cashmere coat over her back. He stepped up beside her, leaning against the railing, his dark eyes filled with a quiet peace she had never seen there before. "Dinner is ready," Roman said softly, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "And for the record, you are strictly forbidden from carrying any water pitchers tonight." Paige laughed, leaning her head against his shoulder as the sun dipped below the horizon, knowing that the debt had long been paid, and a brand-new story had finally begun.
