Page 55 of The Sexy Ex's Brother
Ivy squeezes my hand, her eyes locked on mine. “I didn’t know what you were doing, but I hoped. God, I hoped.”
“There’s more,” I say. “The DOJ’s building a RICO case. Offshore fraud, intimidation, coercion, it’s all there. Derek didn’t just lie. He engineered a criminal network to shield it.”
Dawson whistles. “You brought a nuke to a knife fight.”
I look at Ivy. “I brought the truth.”
Her eyes shine. “Then let’s watch it burn.”
***
Within the hour, headlines flood every major outlet. Articles dominate financial blogs and front pages. Live tweets chronicle every update. Audio clips of Derek’s calls loop across news networks, each one sharper than the last. His face is everywhere.
“Do we have eyes on him?” Ivy asks, jaw tight.
“He’s still in the city,” Dawson replies. “But not for long. The SEC already issued subpoenas. His accounts were frozen fifteen minutes ago. Indictment could come before sunrise.”
A knock interrupts. Dawson opens the door to a courier, brisk and unreadable. A manila envelope changes hands. Dawson flips through the contents and lifts his gaze, electric with certainty.
“This is it. We’ve got him.”
“Criminally?” Ivy asks.
“RICO,” he confirms.
She exhales like she’s been holding her breath for days.
I reach for her hand. “We did it.”
Talia’s article hits in minutes. It goes viral. Vivian’s statement follows. Marcus’s testimony lands. Marla’s resignation ignites pressure for institutional reform. The final puzzle pieces slot into place. Derek’s empire fractures in real time.
“He’ll be in custody before the hour’s out,” Dawson says. “And the Foundation? It gets to start over.”
“Good,” I say, looking at Ivy. “Because whatever we build next, I want you beside me.”
Her eyes soften. “Then let’s go home. Together.”
I mean the penthouse. The place that never felt like home until she stood in it. Where I kept her note like scripture. Where I waited. Where I bled for this moment. Now, it feels right. Now, it’s ours.
***
By nightfall, Derek is in federal custody, and Ivy is in my arms. I brush a thumb beneath her eye, catching the last trace of salt.
"I kept thinking if I could just find you, everything else would fall into place,” I say.
She leans into my palm. "You didn’t just find me. You saved more than just me.”
I shake my head slowly. “You were always the reason. The fire.”
She curls her fingers into mine. “When the dust settles, I don’t want to go back to normal. I want peace. With you.”
I kiss her again, this time without urgency. “We’ll have that. All of it.”
Outside, sirens hum faintly, but the city no longer has a hold on us. We’re done running. We barely make it past the front door of my place before everything catches up, the adrenaline, the hunger, the relief.
I pull her to me without a word, lost in the way she fits against me. Her arms wrap around my neck. Her legs wind around my waist like she never plans to let go. The soft thud of her back against the bedroom door. Her breath hitching. Her fingers tugging at my shirt like it’s in her way.
“I missed you,” she whispers.
