Chapter 7 - The Empire's QueenOne year later.
The annual Midwest Syndicate Gala was held in the grand ballroom of the Moretti Plaza—the very venue where Julian had tried to destroy my life twelve months ago.
Tonight, however, the room was decorated in gold silk and dark red roses.
I stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Chicago River, wearing a floor-length dark red velvet gown that flowed like liquid wine. A diamond collar encircled my throat, sparkling brilliantly under the crystal chandeliers.
Beside me stood Nikolai, looking every bit the ruler of the Midwest, his hand resting securely against the small of my back.
Six months ago, the senior council had officially voted Nikolai in as the undisputed Don of the Chicago Syndicate. And under my leadership as the head of the enterprise's legal and real estate division, our commercial assets had doubled, cementing our dominance across three states.
A sudden stir near the entrance caught the room's attention.
My mother and father stepped into the ballroom, followed quietly by Serena.
My father’s firm had survived only because I had granted him a minor subcontracting lease on one of our secondary developments. They no longer held VIP seats; they sat at table twenty-two—far from the stage, near the back exits.
And Serena... Serena was no longer the golden child. After Julian’s reckless financial gambles had failed, the council had stripped him of his inheritance, leaving him working as a low-level regional clerk in Indiana. Serena’s dream of being a high-society queen had dissolved into a quiet, average life of budget constraints and bitter arguments.
As Serena walked past our high table, she raised her eyes, looking at me standing beside the most powerful man in Chicago. The envy in her eyes was palpable, but beneath it lay a quiet, permanent acceptance that she could never touch the height I walked on.
I offered her a polite, distant nod, then turned my attention back to my husband.
Nikolai leaned down, his lips brushing against my temple as his arm tightened around my waist.
"Thinking about the past, my love?" Nikolai asked softly.
May you like
"No," I smiled, looking up into his warm gray eyes, raising my champagne glass toward the glowing skyline of the city. "I'm thinking about our future."
"The city is yours, Evelyn," Nikolai whispered, his lips finding mine in a soft, sweet kiss amidst the applause of the crowd. "It always was."
