The thirty-seventh week, they bought another building.
Then another.
Then another.
The world started to panic.
And they started to enjoy it.
---
The second building was across the street from the first.
A smaller building. Older. But in a prime location. The kind of property that would double in value within five years.
Christabel found it.
Not Damien. Her.
She had been studying the market. Learning the patterns. Understanding who owned what and why.
"This building is undervalued," she said, spreading documents across the desk. "The owner is old. His children don't want it. He's been trying to sell for years."
"How do you know?"
"Because I asked."
"You asked?"
"I talked to him. Told him I was looking for a property for my daughter's future. He believed me."
Damien stared at her.
"You lied to an old man about your daughter?"
"I told him the truth. Just not all of it."
---
They bought the building for half its value.
The old man was grateful.
He had no idea he had just sold to the most dangerous couple in the city.
"It's done," Christabel said, hanging up the phone.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"How many buildings does that make?"
"Three. Counting the first."
"In one week?"
She smiled.
The dangerous one.
"We're just getting started."
---
The third building was a warehouse.
Not in the financial district. In the industrial part of the city. The kind of place where no one went unless they had to.
Damien didn't understand.
"Why do we want a warehouse?"
"Because it's not a warehouse yet."
"What is it going to be?"
She walked to the window. Looked out at the empty space.
"A cultural center. For Verona."
"Verona?"
"We're going to move it here. The heart of the city. Where people can see it. Where people can experience it."
"That's going to cost millions."
"We have millions."
"That's going to take years."
"We have years."
---
He walked to her.
Stood behind her.
"Why Verona?"
"Because Verona is ours. Because we built it. Because it deserves to be seen."
"People already know about Verona."
"They know it exists. They don't know what it means."
"What does it mean?"
She turned to face him.
"It means we're not just destroyers. We're creators too."
---
That night, Christabel put Lena to bed.
Not Damien. Her.
She read her daughter a story. Not a baby book. A real story. One of her favorites.
"There was a woman who built a city," she read. "Not because she wanted power. Because she wanted a home."
Lena stared at her.
"Bah," she said.
"That's right," Christabel said. "Bah."
---
Damien was in the doorway.
"She said it again."
"She said it to me."
"She said it to both of us."
She closed the book.
Set it on the nightstand.
"She's going to be a builder."
"She's going to be just like you."
"God help the world."
"God help anyone who tries to tear down what she builds."
---
They stood over the crib together.
Lena was asleep. Her tiny chest rose and fell.
"The world is noticing us," Damien said.
"Good."
"Not everyone is happy about it."
"Who?"
"Competitors. Enemies. People who think we're moving too fast."
"Let them think."
"They're going to try to stop us."
"Let them try."
---
The next morning, the first challenge came.
Not from a competitor. From the government.
A letter arrived at the penthouse. Certified mail. Addressed to both of them.
Dear Mr. Moreau and Ms. Vance,
Your recent acquisitions have raised concerns about monopolistic practices. Please be advised that you are under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.
You have thirty days to respond.
Failure to comply will result in legal action.
---
Christabel read the letter three times.
Then she handed it to Damien.
"They're scared," she said.
"Good."
"Fear is not respect."
"Fear is a start."
"What do we do?"
"We fight."
---
They called their lawyers.
Not the ones who had drawn up the papers for the buildings. The ones who handled the kind of problems that couldn't be solved with money.
"Can they stop us?" Christabel asked.
The lead lawyer was a woman named Elena. Fifties. Gray hair. Sharp eyes. She had been with Damien for years.
"They can try," Elena said. "But they won't succeed."
"Why not?"
"Because you haven't broken any laws. Because you have the best legal team in the country. Because you have more money than they do."
"This isn't about money."
"No." Elena smiled. "It's about power. And you have more of that too."
---
The next few days were a blur.
Meetings. Phone calls. Strategy sessions.
Christabel worked alongside Damien. Not beside him. With him.
They were a team.
An unstoppable team.
And the world was watching.
---
"This is what I wanted," Christabel said one night.
They were in the garden. The city was dark. The stars were bright.
"What?"
"This. Us. Building something together."
"We've built things before."
"Not like this." She turned to face him. "Before, we were reacting. To enemies. To threats. To the past. Now we're creating."
"What are we creating?"
"A future. For Lena. For us. For everyone who comes after."
---
He pulled her into his arms.
Held her tight.
"I never thought I'd have this."
"Have what?"
"A partner. An equal. Someone who wants the same things I do."
"I want more than you do."
"What?"
She pulled back.
Looked at him.
"Everything."
---
The fourth building was a hotel.
Not in the financial district. Not in the industrial part of the city.
In Verona.
The old town square. The same square where they had been married. The same square where they had sat on the bench beneath the tree.
"Why a hotel?" Damien asked.
"So people can stay. So they can experience Verona. So they can understand what we built."
"They'll never understand."
"Some will."
"Is that enough?"
She looked at him.
"It has to be."
---
They broke ground on the hotel on a Tuesday.
Christabel held the shovel. Damien stood beside her.
The press was there. Cameras. Journalists. Questions.
"Mrs. Moreau, why Verona?"
"Because Verona is home."
"Mr. Moreau, what does this hotel mean for your empire?"
"It means we're not just taking. We're giving back."
"Are you worried about the FTC investigation?"
Damien smiled.
"No."
---
That night, Christabel couldn't sleep.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the hotel. The buildings. The future.
Damien was awake beside her.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"I'm thinking about what comes next."
"More buildings?"
"More than buildings."
"What?"
She turned to face him.
"I want to buy a bank.