Annie continued staring out of the car's back window, even after she had left the house far behind her.

"...him?"

Wiping at her eyes, she faced Tony. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked if you told him about it."

She nodded. "He knows I'm pregnant. Actually, he noticed it."

"Oh. Does he know-"

"No, I didn't tell him that you're the father."

A moment of silence held, then he said, "He's going to find out eventually."

"I know. I was going to tell him, but he didn't want to know."

"Oh, then that's a good thing."

After a while, Annie pulled out her phone, entering her gallery. She began swiping through, a sad smile spreading across her face as she looked through pictures of her, Max, Angelo - the major parts of her life over the last few years.

She stopped when she'd gotten to one of last Christmas, which she had asked Pierre to take. Herself, Max, Aimee, and Tim stared back at her with varying expressions. She, Max, and Aimee were smiling, while Tim and Angelo's face accurately showed that they had not wanted to be in the picture.

Her smile widened as a tear ran down her face. "To think that we were so happy just a few months ago."

"Ann-"

"Now we can never go back to that, and it's all my fault."

Tony sighed. "How many times do I need to tell you that's nonsense?"

Annie huffed, putting her phone to sleep. "And how many times do I have to tell you that it's not? For Pete's sake, Max and Angelo hadn't been planning to go for that New Year's party! If I hadn't convinced them, then..."

Her voice broke off then, her head hitting the back of her seat as she let her body slump.

Tony didn't give a reply to that. There was no point, as he knew that there was nothing he could say to convince her otherwise.

He didn't see the point of her guilt. If she felt guilty because of what had happened to Max, he should have felt worse.

Lucas had informed him about his plans a week before the dinner, after all.

"I'm going to miss this town, honestly."

Tony quickly searched for the right words, then said, "Maybe, but you've witnessed far too much tragedy here. You should welcome a change. I think it will be best for you, and our child."

He waited. Moments passed, but he heard nothing back.

At last, she sighed. "Maybe you're right."

His lips stretched into a small smirk.

It was just as well that Annie had agreed, because Tony had worked hard in order to get her to that point. From switching the poisoned glass that Lucas had intended for Angelo with Max's to encouraging Annie to place a hit on Dylan's mum, no cards had been left off the table in his plot.

Of course, it hadn't all played out as smoothly as he'd envisioned - he had been fully prepared to kill Angelo during his confrontation with Lucas, after all. Though it really didn't matter much to him who survived that - either ways, it would have been a win-win situation for him.

That situation had even played out better than he'd expected - with Mrs Hanako's sacrifice, Annie's path to power was clear cut.

There was just thing left to do...

"I understand that you've lost your family in these last few months. Believe me, it's hard for me as well. That being said, that doesn't stop you from making a new family. In fact this time, you can design it however you want."

"You're right. After everything that's happened these past few months, it's probably best I focus on my happiness." A little chuckle left her lips  "You know when I think about it, I spent so many years focusing on Angelo, that I barely took time off for myself. Maybe... one day I'd be grateful I left this town."

"There's no maybe about it. Trust me, you will."

"Mmm." She sighed. "Honestly Tony, I'm so grateful you've been with me through this whole thing. I don't know what I'd have done if I didn't have you to lean on."

Tony clutched onto the steering wheel tighter, attempting to keep a straight face. "No problem. I'd always be by your side."

"If only that were true."

"Who says it's not."

"Your job-"

"If I remember correctly, I was assigned as you and Max's personal bodyguard, not Angelo's. I've already made arrangements for my position to be replaced in his household. Like I said, I'd always be by your side."

Annie remained silent for a while. Through the mirror, he could see conflicting emotions dancing in her eyes: disbelief, reluctance, hope e.t.c.

However, the one that stood out most of all was gratitude.

"Thank you. I'd... I'd be happy to have you by my side."

"I'm glad to hear that."

He let silence wash over them again briefly, then added, "In fact, our relationship doesn't have to remain as it is now..."

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

He parked the car at the side of the road, then reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a little black box. He watched disbelief consume other emotions in her as he opened it up, revealing the diamond ring that lay inside.

"Tony..."

"Annie Hanako, would you do me the honor of becoming mine, now and forever?"

"But... I..."

"A family isn't complete without two parents. Let's look after our child, together. After all that's happened, we deserve a shot at happiness."

Eyes shining with tears, she nodded. "Y - yes. Yes, I'd marry you!"

A grin spread across his face as he slid the ring onto her shaking finger. She launched herself at him, pressing her lips onto his own in a long, sweet kiss, securing Tony's rise to the very top of Society.

In that moment, Tony won.

When she pulled away, he squeezed her thigh, then started up the car. A dreamy expression stayed on Annie's face all throughout the journey as she alternated between stroking her stomach and admiring her ring.

'Despite the life I've been born into, I'm not letting it define me. Every day, I work towards rising above society's expectations for me. Question is: are you ready to do so as well?'

A smirk spread across Tony's face as he remembered those words he'd once told Angelo on the day of Lucas' death.

Hard work really does pay off, he thought.

A smile remained on his face as he drove on, away from the life that he'd once known and towards the one he'd always longed for.
.      .      .

If you're reading this, then congratulations, you've made it to the end!

I know some of you might be disappointed that this chapter didn't focus on Angelo and Aimee, but honestly, this is how I planned to end the book for quite a long time.

That being said, I could give you a few bonus chapters, in order to give you a bit more of an insight into how their lives progress. Would you be interested in that? Let me know in the comments!

Also, I wanna make a (sorta) meet and greet chapter with the characters of this group. Have any questions you'd like answered? Leave them in the comments of this chapter and direct it at a certain character, and they'll answer it for you!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this book. If you know anyone who's looking for a good read (which this book probably is, since you made it to the end ;)), please recommend this book to them!

Welp, till next time! (The Q&A chapter)