All Chapters of The Son-in-Law Contract: Chapter 21
- Chapter 23
23 chapters
Shadows that Linger
The coast of the Adriatic was like an old unfulfilled endeavour, the water a dark indigo in the afternoon sun. Miravento was a village, fastened to the cliffs, its houses built of stone, and worn with time and salt, its streets too small to be overheard. Lila had selected it as it seemed the last place on the earth, silent, unassertive, miles away on the other side of the fires which had pursued her all the way around the globe.She was sitting on the terrace of a small cafe and a cup of untouched espresso was cooling on her. The newspaper report that she had a tablet shone dimly: "Anonymous Foundation Blows Whistle over International Corruption Cartel - Billions of dollars of illicit funds recovered. The bottom motto, "From ashes, truth," looked up at her like a ghost, which she could not shake.Since Geneva it was three months. Three months later Julian disappeared into the machine he claimed. There were no calls, no messages, no indications that there was still anything in the man
Last Updated : 2026-01-10
Prague
Prague was playing out under a mantle of autumn fog, and its spires were thrust up through the haze like long-lost swords. The city was a maze of cobblestone and secrets, and history was clung to the archways and bridges. Lila came at sunset, when the Vltava River took up the fading light in its gold and dark waves.She had entered a small pension in the Old Town, with cash and a false name. The room was not very large, the walls were not very thick to hear the murmur of the tourists below. She placed the note left by Julian over the bed, in addition to a map which she had purchased at the station.Viktor Hale. The name did not mean anything to her right away, yet a quick look on a burner phone allowed seeing some bits of information: a reclusive financier, rumors of a connection with Eastern European oligarchs, a man who traded information and not money. The villa on the outskirts of which he was a sort of fortress, was his last known address.Lila looked at the screen, and her heart
Last Updated : 2026-01-10
Mornings Like This
Lila awoke with the doors of the balcony open. The sun was slanting over the quilt, and was warm on her bare arm. Julian was on his feet, already leaning on the rail with a mug of coffee, and looking at the water as though it could tell him something.She walked away bare-footed, with her hair unkempt, in her yesterday shirt.Morning, she said, scratching her voice.He glanced over, small smile. "Coffee's fresh. Landlady brought a pot."Lila filled a cup, leaned over him. The water was smooth and near-transparent. A fishing boat sailed by, lethargic and slow."You sleep?" she asked."Some. You?""Better than I have in months." She sipped, and scowled at the hotness. Waiting still, however, to have the knock.Julian nodded. "Me too."They rested a minute in delighted silence, breathing the salt air.Lila broke it first. "So... what now? We can not live forever on bread and olives."Why not?" He raised an eye
Last Updated : 2026-01-11