Chapter 247 Shattered Vaults and Golden Horizons
Chapter 247 Shattered Vaults and Golden Horizons
Kai stepped through the crowd, holding the sleek black wireless microphone in his palm, and handed it directly to Saint without a word. The ambient chatter of the ballroom seemed to dial down, pulled in by the heavy, shifting current of tension near the glass railing.
Saint took the mic. He didn't rush. He stepped around Baby—who was still breathing hard, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at his sides—and casually raised the device to his lips. The sharp, metallic feedback whined softly through the high-end ceiling speakers, instantly capturing the collective attention of hundreds of elites, sponsors, and athletes.
"Good evening, everyone," Saint's voice echoed, smooth, resonant, and entirely unbothered.
Across the room, Sloane paused mid-sentence with a sponsor, her gaze snapping instantly toward the eastern terrace. Jae stood beside her, a slow, knowing smile touching her lips.
Georgia stiffened, her eyes darting frantically around the ballroom as dozens of heads turned in their direction. "Turn that off," she hissed, lunging forward with a manic edge to her voice. "You arrogant little—"
"Ah, ah, ah," Saint clicked his tongue, taking a slow step back while keeping the microphone raised. "You had your turn to speak, Georgia. Now it's time for the public address."
Anna's smug posture finally faltered. Her hands dropped from their crossed position over her chest. "Georgia, what is he doing?" she muttered under her breath, a sudden cold sweat prickling the back of her neck. "He's bluffing. He has to be."
"Is he?"
A quiet, velvety voice cut through the air behind them.
Rode pushed past a decorative marble pillar, his expression icy and completely devoid of warmth. Behind him, Wong strolled up next to Cassian and Cam, while Oliver stood tall and unshakeable, his jaw clenched.
"You mentioned the fantasy garage, Mother," Rode said, his voice carrying clearly through the mic feed Saint was projecting.
"Rode, remember, we have a bond, you can't—"
"You seem to think that because my name was used on paper, it somehow gives you leverage. A cute little trap to keep us quiet, right?"
Anna forced a tight, brittle laugh. "Don't be absurd, son. It's a matter of public record—"
"It was a matter of public record," Rode corrected smoothly, pulling a crisp, stamped legal document from inside his tuxedo jacket and holding it up for the room to see. "Until two weeks ago, when my boyfriend corrected your loudy contract. It's all in your name, Anna, and my dear stepfathers name, and a little of your best friend's too." He smirked.
Color drained entirely from Anna's face. She stumbled half a step back, her manicured fingers flying to clutch her pearls. "You... you did what?"
"You heard him," Kai added coldly, stepping forward. "You built an empire on blackmail, manipulation, and stealing credit from people who actually worked. But it goes deeper than embezzlement. Much deeper."
Rode stepped forward, his eyes locking onto Anna, Georgia, and Lawrence, who stood frozen near the edge of the crowd.
"Everyone thinks the Skyfall Empire is some honorable company... it not." Rode chuckled.
"Rode..." Anna called, trying to use the pity card on her son, "Rode, baby, remember, it's us against the world-"
"Fantasy garage," Rode continued, ignoring hee completely, "A building for illegal funds," Rode's voice trembled slightly with suppressed rage, cutting through the vast ballroom like glass. "You thought hiding it behind corporate shells and my name kept your secrets safe. But beneath the polished floors of this empire—right under the ground we stand—there is a hidden bunker. A staging ground for human trafficking and child molestation run by you, Anna, Georgia, and Lawrence, where underage victims are forced to please old, powerful predators."
A collective gasp of absolute horror sucked the air right out of the room. Heads snapped toward Lawrence, who turned pale as a ghost, while Anna and Georgia recoiled in sheer terror.
"You're lying!" Georgia shrieked, her voice cracking frantically. "He's lying, it's a stunt—"
"Is it?" Rode asked softly.
Before she could speak, the massive panoramic LED screens flanking the stage flickered. The celebratory gala graphics vanished, replaced instantly by harsh, glaring surveillance footage pulled directly from the underground bunker beneath the fantasy garage.
The room stared in sickened disbelief as the screens projected clear, undeniable video evidence: children being brought into the facility, forced into unthinkable conditions, and coerced by Anna, Georgia, and Lawrence to serve elite predators. Another angle flashed on screen, showing Anna and Georgia actively recruiting, threatening, and forcing underages into abuse.
The ballroom erupted into absolute pandemonium. Sponsors dropped their glasses, reporters shouted questions over each other, and several guests physically turned away, sickened to their stomachs.
"That... that's impossible! You hacked those cameras!" Lawrence roared, lunging forward before two heavily built security guards instantly slammed him against a marble pillar, pinning his arms behind his back.
"Lawrence, Anna, and Georgia Miller," Rode said, his voice ringing with absolute finality into the microphone, "your time of hiding behind wealth and bloodlines is over. Every tape, every ledger, and every victim's testimony has already been transmitted to federal authorities."
From the shadows near the terrace archway, Kora stepped back into the amber light. She looked cool, collected, and devastatingly free.
"I helped dig up the server files too," Kora announced, her voice cutting clearly through the uproar. "Because monsters don't get a family discount."
The chaos reached its peak as local and federal law enforcement officers swarmed the ballroom doors. Security guards firmly grabbed Anna and Georgia as they thrashed and screamed curses, their expensive hair coming unpinned as they were hauled backward toward the exit in absolute disgrace alongside Lawrence.
Saint stood watching them go, the heavy weight that had shadowed his life for years finally dissolving into nothing.
He lowered the microphone, turning his head slowly.
Baby was already looking at him. The fierce, defensive anger from moments ago had melted away, replaced by a brilliant, blinding smile. Without a second thought, Baby closed the distance between them, throwing his arms around Saint's neck and crashing their lips together in front of the entire glittering, whispering world.
The ballroom erupted into cheers and wild applause, but neither of them heard it.
Saint's hands swept securely around Baby's waist, lifting him slightly as he kissed him back with every ounce of relief, victory, and endless future they had finally fought their way to claim.
___
One week later, the heavy air of the city seemed a thousand miles away.
Saint's patio was bathed in the warm, golden glow of late-afternoon sunlight, alive with the soft hum of laughter, clinking glasses, and the sizzle of an outdoor grill. It was a gathering of survivors, victors, and an impossibly tight-knit family that had weathered every storm thrown their way.
At the grill, Kora and Takeshi were locked in an intense, highly competitive culinary debate. Kora, wearing an oversized apron that swallowed her frame, aggressively flipped a row of skewers, while Takeshi pointed a barbecue tong at her like a sword, arguing passionately about the exact seasoning needed for the chicken.
"I'm telling you, more chili flakes or it's practically a crime," Takeshi declared, narrowing his eyes.
"And I'm telling you, Take, my mother isn't around to micromanage me anymore, so I will ruin these burgers if I want to!" Kora shot back with a triumphant grin, though she quickly saved the patties from actual disaster.
A few feet away, lounging on a sprawling outdoor sectional, Sloane and Jae shared a quiet, effortless bubble of their own. Sloane, comfortably dressed in a simple black linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, had one arm draped lazily along the back of the sofa behind Jae. Jae leaned back against her, casually sipping a glass of iced lemonade while pointing out something on her tablet. Sloane murmured something low that made Jae laugh—a genuine, unguarded sound that caused the ice queen to offer a rare, devastatingly soft smile in return.
Near the edge of the stone patio, Cam was dramatically recounting the final seconds of the championship game to Cassian and Wong, complete with exaggerated hand gestures and a running commentary of his own heart palpitations. Wong just shook his head with an amused, fond smile, while Cassian pulled Cam closer by the waist, pressing a quiet kiss to his temple to shut him up.
Kai and Rode sat side by side on a wooden bench nearby, sharing comfortable silence. Rode rested his head lightly against Kai's shoulder, watching the smoke drift up toward the open sky—a look of absolute, unburdened peace resting on his face.
And right in the center of it all, leaning against the patio railing with a view of the sprawling green lawn, were Saint and Baby.
Saint stood behind Baby, his arms wrapped securely around Baby's waist, pulling him back against his chest. Baby had a cold drink in one hand, his fingers idly tracing the condensation on the glass as he watched Kora and Takeshi nearly start a small grease fire.
"Do you think we should intervene before they burn the entire patio down?" Baby murmured, a lazy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Saint rested his chin on Baby's shoulder, breathing in the scent of him—sunlight, fresh laundry, and pure, unfiltered victory. "Let them cook," Saint murmured back, his voice low and rich against Baby's ear. "If they burn it down, Oliver has enough money to build us a better one."
"Hey! I heard that!" Oliver shouted from across the yard without looking up from his phone, earning a chorus of laughter from the group.
Baby chuckled, leaning back into Saint's warmth. The trials, the threats, the dark shadows of Georgia, Anna, and Lawrence were gone—swept away by justice and the unyielding strength of the people standing in this yard. The past was a locked door, and the key had been thrown away forever.
Saint turned Baby slightly in his arms, his gaze locking onto those familiar, breathtaking eyes that had been his anchor through every war.
"What?" Baby asked softly, a playful spark in his expression.
"Nothing," Saint whispered, his thumb brushing gently over Baby's cheekbone. "Just realizing that we finally won. For good."
Baby's smile widened, bright and unshakeable. He reached up, tangling his fingers into the hair at the nape of Saint's neck, and pulled him down.
"Always," Baby whispered against his lips, before kissing him deep, slow, and sweet, right as the sun dipped below the horizon and painted the sky in shades of gold and fire.
The End?
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Author: If anyone needs a reasonable special scene, drop it on the comment. I'll pick the most interesting one. It can be about any couple... love you guys.
I'm granting just one...🥰
Now, off to the pending books...