Page 25 of Legacy Of Ashes
TEN
I followMother through the estate's east wing to a door I've passed a thousand times but never seen opened. She enters a code on a hidden keypad, and the mahogany panel swings inward.
"Twenty years," she says, gesturing me into a room I didn't know exist. "Twenty years I've been preparing for this day."
The space steals my breath. Floor-to-ceiling monitors display financial data from markets across the globe. Swiss bank accounts. London property portfolios. Cryptocurrency wallets worth more than some countries' GDP.
"Mother," I breathe, staring at the numbers. "This is..."
"Legitimate wealth." She settles behind a massive desk, looking more like a Fortune 500 CEO than a mob wife. "Clean money. Legal investments. Everything your father believes is fantasy."
She pulls up account after account. Real estate developments across three continents. Tech startups that became billion-dollar companies.
"The next generation won't inherit just debt and enemies," she continues. "You'll have options. Real options."
A knock interrupts us. Conall enters carrying a leather portfolio, stopping short when he sees the revealed room. His eyes widen as he takes in the financial empire Mother built in secret.
"Mrs. Kavanagh asked me to bring the documents," he says, but his gaze sweeps over the monitors with clear appreciation.
"Perfect timing." Mother stands. "You two review the corporate structures while I prepare for dinner. Saoirse needs to understand her legal position before tomorrow's meeting with Patrick."
She leaves us alone in a room worth hundreds of millions. The door clicks shut, and awareness hits me like a physical force. We're alone. Truly alone for the first time since I returned from Oxford.
Conall moves to the desk, spreading documents with careful precision. "Your mother has been busy."
I watch his hands as he works. Strong fingers that could snap a man's neck but handle papers with surprising gentleness. I wonder what those hands would feel like gripping my hips while he pounds into me.
"The shipping companies, the property developments," he explains, pointing to various holdings. "She's built a legitimate empire alongside your father's criminal one."
His sleeve rides up as he reaches across the desk, revealing the tattoo that winds around his forearm. Celtic knots mixed with something darker. I want to lick every inch of that ink.
"Saoirse? Are you listening?"
Heat floods my cheeks. "Sorry. This is overwhelming."
"Four hundred million dollars usually is." He pulls up another screen. "The cryptocurrency holdings alone have tripled."
I move around the desk to see better, my hip brushing his thigh as I lean over his shoulder. He goes rigid beneath me, and I catch the sharp intake of his breath.
"These accounts," I say, letting my breath ghost across his neck. "They're all in my name?"
His voice sounds strained. "Your mother made sure you'd have real power."
I stay where I am, close enough to smell his cologne. Close enough to feel heat radiating from his body. My nipples tighten against my blouse, and I wonder if he can tell I'm not wearing a bra.
"And you helped her?"
"When discretion was needed." He turns slightly, bringing his face inches from mine. "I understood the vision."
Our eyes lock. The numbers on the screen fade as electricity arcs between us. I can see the pulse hammering in his throat, the way his pupils dilate as he stares at my mouth.
"What vision?" I whisper.
His gaze drops to my lips, then lower to where my blouse gapes open. "A future where you have choices."
"What if I choose you?"
The question hangs in the air. His hands grip the edge of the desk, knuckles white with restraint.
