Chapter 78 Percy
Percy’s POV
The penthouse was completely silent, save for the pitter patter of rain against the windows. Ordinarily, the sound of rain was enough to put me to sleep, but not today. My body was buzzing with the adrenaline of decisions to be made.
It was 2:00 in the morning on a Friday. The deadline my father had set for Monday morning was like a bomb strapped to my chest because no matter which decision I took, it would blow my whole world apart.
I sat alone in the dark of my home office, the only light coming from the glow of my desk lamp. Spread out across the table were the contents of the black leather folder.
Dozens of pages of offshore shell company structures. Untraceable payroll accounts for shadow operatives. The complete declassified roster of the Akilov enforcement division and the identity of the men who did the things that could never be filed in a court of law. I must have read the whole thing about three times, and I was ashamed to admit that I had already highlighted some parts that could definitely use a little touch-up.
To the rest of the world, I was Percival Akilov, the brilliant and ruthless corporate attorney who played by the brutal rules of Wall Street. I had spent my entire adult life building Royal and Associates to prove that I didn't need my father's blood money to conquer this city. I wanted my hands clean. Turning a blind eye to the dirty work made me complicit, I know, but it made me feel a little bit better that I was not actively participating in it.
I wished everything that my father had said was a lie, but as I stared at the documents, the illusion of my clean hands shattered. Like it or not, I couldn't hide from this world.
Clean hands couldn't stop a bullet. A perfectly drafted merger agreement couldn't protect the woman sleeping in my bed from the people who wanted her dead.
With one last glance in the direction of our room, I picked up the pen from my desk, twisting it slowly in my fingers.
If I didn't sign these papers, Richard would make true his promise to liquidate the underworld. He would pull the guards, sell the ports, and leave us entirely exposed. The NYPD couldn't protect us from Kozlov. The law couldn't protect us from people that really wanted me to be harmed. I was a lawyer, meaning I racked up enemies on a daily basis. I would need the added protection, too.
If I signed them, I became the very monster Adeline had spent her entire life running from.
Her childhood had been stolen by a criminal father who dragged the violence of his gang into their home. She had been hunted and traumatized by men who operated outside the law, yet she didn't stop fighting for a normal life. She had given her best to become a legitimate, respected lawyer. She wanted the law because the law had rules and was safe.
If she knew I was bringing the mafia into our home, that I was officially taking the throne of a criminal syndicate, it would break her heart, and I don't want to force her into a difficult choice of staying with me or walking away to save her soul. If she walked away, it would kill me, and then there wouldn't be a point to all these.
My hand shook slightly as I uncapped the pen.
I am doing this to keep her breathing, I told myself. Rationalizing this was the only way I could live with myself and the mess that my life might soon become if this doesn't pan out. But again, if she did hate me and leave me, she would be alive and under my protection whether she liked it or not.
Mind made up, I took a deep breath, and I signed my name on the first transfer document, then the second, and then the third.
With every signature, I could feel my clean lawful life dancing away from me. I was the king of New York now, in every way that matters and in every terrifying sense of the word.
I gathered the signed documents, my chest feeling tight and hollow. I walked over to the oil painting hanging on the far wall, swinging it open to reveal the biometric safe hidden behind it. I pressed my thumb to the scanner, placed the black folder inside, and locked it. The metallic click echoed in the quiet room like a prison door slamming shut to signify forever. I was in too deep now.
"Percy?" I froze before turning around slowly with a calm and exhausted look on my face. I felt disgusted at how easy it was to lie to her.
Adeline was standing in the doorway, wearing one of my oversized grey t-shirts and her dark hair messy from sleep. She rubbed her tired eyes, looking around the dim office.
"What are you doing up?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep. She walked over to me, her bare feet padding softly against the rug. "It’s two in the morning."
"Just reviewing some final reports for the European division," I lied smoothly, and the disgust was smaller this time. "I couldn't sleep."
She reached me, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her cheek against my chest. She felt so warm, so incredibly soft and trusting.
"You work too hard," she sighed, tipping her head back to look at me. The light from the desk lamp caught her unwavering trust for me in her eyes, and this time, the disgust was absolute. "The firm will survive if you get a few hours of sleep, you know. Come back to bed."
I looked down at her, the guilt hitting me so hard I could barely draw a breath. She thought I was stressing over corporate work. She thought the hardest battle we had to fight was office politics and billable hours. She had absolutely no idea that less than two minutes ago, I had officially authorized the payroll for a network of assassins.
"You're right," I whispered, lifting a hand to cup the side of her face. My thumb brushed gently over her cheekbone. "I’m done for the night."
"Good," she smiled, standing on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to my lips. She drew back before I could deepen the kiss. "Because Zara is dragging me to a wine tasting tomorrow, and I need you well-rested so you can argue the flavors with her."
"I look forward to it," I managed to say, forcing a small smile.
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, leading her out of the dark office and down the hallway toward our bedroom. She leaned her weight against my side, completely relaxed, finally feeling safe in the world we had built together, but as I pulled the bedroom door shut behind us, I knew the truth. The ghost of her father wasn't the greatest threat to our relationship anymore. It was me, and it was only a matter of time before she found out.