Chapter 10 - The Last Exit
Roman looked at Celeste one last time—at the steady hands, the calm expression, and the tiny infant wrapped in blue who would grow up bearing a name that no longer belonged to an empire.
He didn't say another word. There was nothing left to negotiate, nothing left to threaten, and nothing left to buy.
Without breaking eye contact, he turned on his heel, pushed open the heavy hospital room door, and walked down the linoleum corridor. The fluorescent overhead lights buzzed faintly as he took the elevator down to the subterranean garage, stepping into the damp, cold morning air.
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As he climbed into his sedan and turned the ignition, his phone screen lit up with a final, unyielding notification from the federal bankruptcy trustee.
Roman dropped the car into drive, pulled out of the garage, and drove away from the hospital, knowing that when the sun finally rose over Chicago, the Vascari name was already history.
