Chapter 9 - Years After The Poisoned Drink, Dominic Finally Told Me The Truth
Five years passed.
Dominic and I built a life far from the one we had inherited.
We had a little girl named Elena.
My father became a grandfather who spoiled her mercilessly.
Leo became her favorite uncle.
The Russo name remained powerful.
But it was no longer feared for the reasons it once had been.
Dominic focused on legitimate businesses.
He donated millions to community programs.
He created scholarships for children whose parents had been destroyed by gambling debt.
The irony wasn't lost on me.
One evening, we returned to the Onyx Room.
The restaurant had been renovated.
The old booth was gone.
The piano remained.
I stood near the bar.
Dominic came beside me.
"Do you ever miss it?"
"No."
"Not even a little?"
I smiled.
"I met you there."
"Unfortunately."
I hit his arm.
He laughed.
Then he became serious.
"There is something I never told you."
I looked at him.
"The drink that night..."
My heart tightened.
"What about it?"
"Leo had the bottle tested."
"And?"
"It wasn't intended to kill me."
I stared.
"What?"
"The poison was designed to cause temporary paralysis."
"Why?"
"So I could be kidnapped after collapsing."
I felt cold.
"Then why were they going to kill Thomas?"
"He knew too much."
"And why did they need me?"
"Because the plan was to make it look like you were responsible."
I understood.
They had planned to frame me for poisoning Dominic.
The debt.
The setup.
The signal.
Everything.
Dominic took my hand.
"You saved me twice that night."
"How?"
"First from the poison."
"And second?"
"From becoming the man everyone expected me to be."
I smiled.
"You did that yourself."
He kissed my forehead.
"No."
He looked at me.
"You gave me a reason."
Our daughter came running across the floor.
"Dad!"
Dominic opened his arms.
She jumped into them.
I watched them.
This man had once walked into the Onyx Room like death itself.
Now he was carrying a six-year-old who had covered his suit in chocolate.
He looked at me.
"She did it again."
"You deserve it."
He laughed.
The night ended quietly.
No gunshots.
No threats.
No hidden messages.
Just family.
But on the way home, Dominic pulled the car over.
"What?"
He looked at me.
"Do you regret it?"
"What?"
"Saving me."
I stared at him.
"Never."
He smiled.
"Good."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know who I'd be without you."
I touched his face.
"Probably still impossible."
May you like
He laughed.
Then kissed me.
