Chapter 5 - The Shadows of the PastThe room went deathly silent.
The six corporate executives pulled back, their faces tight with sudden, nervous tension as the dark, dangerous reality of the Chicago underworld bled into the sunlit boardroom.
Roman didn't flinch. He didn't raise his voice. His gray eyes narrowed into dark, razor-sharp flint as he took the tablet from Marco's hands.
"Victor Vance," Roman murmured, every word dropped like ice into deep water. "The man who paid the contractor to stab me in the alley two days ago."
My heart took a sharp, painful jump in my chest as I heard the name: Vance.
"Vance...?" I gasped out, my voice cracking softly.
Roman turned his head, looking at me with sharp concern. "Do you know that name, Megan?"
I swallowed hard, my fingers clutching the edge of the mahogany table as buried, terrifying memories from five years ago surfaced in my mind.
"My ex-husband was Richard Vance," I revealed, tears of ancient pain shining in my eyes. "He was Victor Vance’s nephew. Five years ago, when I was pregnant with Leo, Richard abandoned us after stealing my late mother's inheritance trust to clear his gambling debts with Victor's syndicate."
Roman’s broad frame locked into stone.
The quiet, controlled atmosphere around him shattered into a cold, terrifying fury that made the six corporate executives step back three full paces in fear.
"Your ex-husband stole your mother's trust?" Roman asked, his baritone dropping into a register so dark and chilling that the floorboards seemed to vibrate.
"Richard told me I was useless," I whispered, holding back tears. "He told me no one in Chicago would ever help me, and that Leo and I would die on the street. That's why I took the waitress job at Laura."
Roman stepped up to me, his broad hands coming up to gently frame my face, his warm thumbs wiping away the single tear that spilled over my lashes.
"Look at me, Megan," Roman commanded softly, his pale gray eyes holding an absolute, eternal promise.
May you like
I looked up into his eyes.
"Five years ago, you were alone," Roman whispered, his voice thick with raw, unreserved devotion. "Today... you have me. And I am going to tear Victor Vance's world into dust."
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