Chapter 10 - Dawn of a New Empire
Three days later.
The federal courthouse in downtown Chicago was surrounded by a wall of media vans, satellite trucks, and flashing camera lights.
Inside, federal marshals and Department of Justice prosecutors were executing a synchronized sweep across the city, raiding Apex Global’s headquarters, freezing eighty million dollars in offshore assets, and issuing arrest warrants for Damian Vale and his inner circle.
I stood on the stone balcony of Dante’s private estate, watching the morning sun break over the frozen skyline of Chicago. The air was crisp, clean, and entirely free of fear.
In my hands, I held a cup of hot coffee. The heavy leather ledger sat safely on the glass table beside me, its dark secrets finally exposed to the light of day.
Footsteps approached from behind. Strong, warm arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a solid, familiar chest. Dante rested his chin gently on my shoulder, looking out at the city with me.
“Federal prosecutor just called,” Dante murmured, his breath warm against my neck. “Damian Vale tried to catch a private flight out of O’Hare three hours ago. Customs and federal marshals picked him up on the tarmac.”
I closed my eyes, letting out a long, shuddering breath that felt like six years of stored weight finally lifting off my shoulders.
“It’s really over,” I whispered.
“It’s just beginning,” Dante corrected softly. He turned me around in his arms, his gray eyes locking onto mine with an intensity and devotion that made my heart race. “The poker debt is paid in full, Sophia. But I’m wondering... what’s the going rate to buy a brilliant, dangerous, incredibly stubborn woman a permanent seat at my table?”
I smiled—a real, radiant, unbroken smile that reached all the way to my eyes. I reached up, looping my arms around his neck, pulling him close.
“Depends, Mr. Moretti,” I whispered against his lips. “Can you handle a partner who checks your security cameras twice?”
May you like
“Try me,” he murmured, before pressing his lips to mine in a deep, fierce, certain kiss that sealed our future forever.
Victor Cain was in a holding cell. Damian Vale was facing federal prison. And the woman Victor had called “worthless” at a smoky Chicago poker table was now the queen of an empire built on truth, strength, and survival.
