Safeguarding the Legacy

Moment the sun sets, the metropolitan skyline casted its golden light. I saw Emma standing at the edge of their recently finished foundation headquarters, her hair playing with the breeze, from the rooftop. She gazed out at the world below, a world we had created, defended, and given up so much for.

"Do you consider the past at all?" Her voice was kind but laden with years of experience as she requested.

Stepping forward, I wrapped my arm around her waist. "Every day."

She made a low sigh and rested directly close to me. "There are things that never change, though the feeling of coming a long way is heavy."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

Emma turned to look at me; there was something inscrutable in her eyes. "Damon, legacies are meant to endure. But sometimes, as soon as we leave them, they fall apart.

In her imagination, a storm was building. I knew where it was coming from. The world was watching us—watching our love story, our job, our foundation. There were many who wanted to rejoice. Some wanted to demolish it.

The first rumors of scandal had come to us three days before. The funds of our charity were allegedly corrupted, according to an anonymous complaint. Obviously untrue. But it didn't take long for headlines to doubt our honesty since the media enjoyed a scandal.

Emma had been fighting back for the last 72 hours, meeting with the board, investors, and attorneys to make sure no loose ends were left to be taken advantage of. Regardless of her strength, I knew it was wearing her down.

She ran a hand through her hair and mumbled, "We've worked too hard to let this happen." "I refuse to allow them to take this away from us."

I softly cupped her face. "They won't. Together, we will manage this.

Her gaze swept over mine, as if seeking a grip. She nodded slowly. "With each other."

That night, Emma and I were in our private gallery while the storm raged outside. She stood before one of the paintings she had gifted me before events turned around.

Calmly, She spoke to me as I got closer, "All this started from here."

With my arms wrapped around her, from the back I placed a kiss on her neck. "And forever, this will continue."

She turned in my arms and kissed me before I could say anything further. It wasn't just a kiss; it was a promise and a statement. The stress of the last several days disappeared as our bodies said what words could not.

As we melted into one other, the outer world disappeared. We were the only ones with need, hunger, and love. It was urgent, fierce, and consuming.

But even as we found solace in one other's arms, reality was always there on the edge of our joy, reminding us that triumphs aren't gained in the dark.

An unexpected phone call arrived in the morning. Emma responded, her face changing from one of bewilderment to one of aloofness. "Who is this?"

I instantly became tense and sat up.

Emma gripped the phone more tightly. "Why now?" A pause. "You have no power to still come into my life and demand anything from me."

I held her hand, but she quickly slipped it away, putting the call to an end fast.

"Who was that?" I inquired.

Emma’s jaw constricted. "My dad."

There was silence between us. Emma's father had been gone for years, and she seldom ever spoke about the hurt of his departure. It was no accident that he reached out at this moment, when everything was at stake.

"What is his desire?"

She gave a quick breath. "To get together. He says that he knows who is attempting to destroy us.

I squinted. "And you think he's real?"

After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head. "No. But I must listen to him.

A few hours later, we waited outside a quiet eatery. Emma drummed her fingers nervously across her leg. I stopped her motions by reaching out.

After fifteen minutes, I said, "He's not coming."

Then, almost at the same moment, a sleek black automobile arrived. When the door opened, a face we had assumed was long gone emerged in place of Emma's father.

Marcus, the man who had previously attempted to destroy us, grinned, and my blood went cold. "Do you miss me?"

Emma took a deep breath and gripped my hand more tightly. And then the past suddenly roared back to life.