Chapter 5 - The Ghosts of the Past
Three weeks before Christmas, the past Grace had tried so hard to leave behind caught up with her.
It happened on a cold Tuesday afternoon in downtown Grey Haven. Grace had taken the estate’s station wagon into town to buy specialized almond paste and organic berries from the local farmer’s market for the upcoming holiday baking.
She was walking down Main Street, carrying a brown paper sack filled with fresh ingredients, when a sleek white Bentley pulled up to the curb.
The driver’s door opened, and a man in an expensive tailored camel coat stepped out.
It was Colin.
He looked polished, handsome, and entirely out of place against the quiet, historic backdrop of the Hudson Valley town. Beside him, stepping out of the passenger side, was a slender, immaculately dressed woman with styled blonde hair and a designer handbag—Victoria Sterling, the daughter of Avery Fine Foods’ primary institutional investor.
Colin stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Grace.
“Grace?” Colin blinked, his eyes widening in complete shock. “My God... it is you.”
Grace froze, her grip tightening on the paper sack. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she forced her shoulders back and kept her head held high.
“Hello, Colin,” she said coldly.
Colin walked up to her, his eyes scanning her simple wool coat, her plain dark boots, and the brown paper bag in her arms. A familiar, condescending smirk touched the corner of his lips.
“So this is where you ran off to?” Colin said, laughing softly. “Grey Haven? I had my team look for you for three days after you walked out on the wedding. I thought you went to Boston or Chicago.”
Victoria stepped beside him, looking Grace up and down with obvious, dismissive pity. “Is this the... former baker you mentioned, Colin?”
“Yes,” Colin said, turning his charm toward Victoria before looking back at Grace. “Grace, we’re opening a new Avery Fine Foods location in Albany next month. Victoria and I were just up here reviewing site acquisitions.”
He looked at the paper sack in her arms.
“Are you working at a local diner, Grace?” Colin asked, his voice dripping with patronizing sympathy. “Look... I know things ended harshly between us. But if you’re struggling, I can talk to my regional manager. We could probably find you a spot in the back kitchen of the new Albany store. A steady paycheck.”
Grace stared at him. The man she had loved for four years stood in front of her, offering her a pity job as if she were a broken stray cat.
Before she could speak, the heavy roar of a custom V8 engine rattled the glass windows of the shops along Main Street.
A massive black armored SUV pulled up directly behind Colin’s Bentley, cutting off traffic.
The driver’s side door opened, and Arthur stepped out, opening the rear passenger door with crisp, military precision.
Vincent Marchetti stepped out onto the sidewalk.
He wore a long charcoal cashmere coat over a bespoke suit. His presence was so commanding that three pedestrians on the sidewalk stopped in their tracks just to watch him move.
Vincent walked straight toward Grace, completely ignoring Colin and Victoria.
He stopped beside Grace, reaching out naturally to take the heavy paper sack from her hands, his fingers brushing against hers with possessive warmth.
“Are you finished with your errands, Grace?” Vincent asked, his deep baritone carrying across the quiet street. “The children are waiting for you at home. Leo helped Arthur set the fire in the library.”
Colin’s jaw dropped. He looked at Vincent, then at the black SUV with its tinted windows and high-security plates, and then back at Grace.
“Who... who are you?” Colin stammered, stepping forward.
May you like
Vincent turned his head slowly. His amber eyes locked onto Colin with a cold, terrifying intensity that made Colin instinctively take a step backward.
“I am Vincent Marchetti,” he said smoothly. “And you are standing in my way.”
