Chapter 7 - The Horizon We Own
One year later, the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel was once again filled with crystal chandeliers, white roses, and Chicago’s most influential elites.
Except this time, the rules of the room had changed entirely.
Tonight was the annual DeLuca Foundation Charity Gala, an event hosted jointly by my media firm and Roman’s holding group to fund educational programs and small-business grants for working-class families across the city.
As Roman and I descended the grand marble staircase, the entire ballroom erupted into immediate, thunderous applause. There were no whispers of mockery, no snide remarks about bargain dresses, and no socialite gossip circles hiding behind champagne flutes. Every person in that room looked up at us with deep, undeniable respect.
I wore a custom midnight-blue velvet gown with subtle silver threading that caught the light like starlight, paired with the vintage art-deco sapphire ring on my finger.
Roman walked beside me, his arm firm around my waist, his presence radiating an effortless, absolute power. But as he looked down at me before we stepped onto the floor, his expression softened into something intensely personal.
“You know,” Roman murmured near my ear as the orchestra swelled into a gentle waltz, “you still haven't told me what you’re wearing to our anniversary next month.”
I smiled, resting my hand against his shoulder as we stepped into the center of the dance floor, the crowd parting to give us space.
“A vintage dress, of course,” I whispered back, my eyes sparkling with mischief. “After all, you never know when a billionaire might need a reason to rescue me all over again.”
May you like
Roman let out a rich, genuine laugh—a sound that belonged only to me—and pulled me flush against his chest as we began to move in rhythm with the music.
Around us, the glittering city lights of Chicago stretched endlessly into the night through the soaring glass windows. The enemies were gone, the debts were settled, and the empire we shared was ours to command. I had stopped running from the dark long ago, because I had finally found the only man in the world who made the fire feel like home.
