Three more feet. That was all I needed to reach the grand marble fireplace.

Three days later. Saturday evening.

The Grand Plaza Hotel in downtown Chicago was bathed in glittering golden light. Over six hundred of the city's most influential figures—senators, judges, business tycoons, and high-society elite—filled the massive ballroom.

Tonight was supposed to be the wedding of the century between Luca Moretti and Vanessa Bellini.

The media was out in full force, camera flashes popping like fireworks outside the venue. Rumors had been circulating all morning about the sudden disappearance of the Bellini family, but no official statement had been released yet.

Inside the opulent private dressing room, I stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror.

I was wearing a breathtaking emerald-green silk gown with intricate diamond embroidery around the neckline. A delicate gold necklace—the very one Luca’s mother had worn in her wedding portrait—hung gently around my neck. My hair was styled in an elegant updo, and my injured shoulder was completely healed under expert medical care.

I didn't look like a minimum-wage housekeeper anymore. I looked like royalty.

The door opened gently, and Luca stepped inside. He wore a crisp, midnight-black tuxedo, looking every bit the powerful king of Chicago.

He stopped in his tracks, looking at me with genuine warmth and admiration.

"You look stunning, Claire," Luca said softly.

"I still can't believe this is real," I admitted, looking at my reflection. "A week ago, I was scrubbing your floors, worrying about seventy-nine dollars."

"You were always meant for more than that," Luca said, walking over to hand me a small velvet box.

I opened it. Inside was a sleek, silver signet ring engraved with the official Moretti crest.

"This belonged to our mother," Luca explained gently. "I had it resized for you. Wear it tonight."

I slipped the ring onto my finger, feeling a deep sense of warmth and belonging spread through my chest.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked him. "The whole city is waiting out there."

Luca offered me his arm with a confident smile. "Let's go show them who really runs Chicago."

At 8:00 PM, the heavy mahogany doors of the ballroom swung open.

The room instantly fell silent. Hundreds of guests turned their heads, expecting to see the bride in her white dress walking down the aisle.

Instead, Luca Moretti stepped onto the grand stage, accompanied not by Vanessa Bellini, but by a gorgeous young woman in an emerald-green gown holding his arm with regal grace.

Whispers exploded through the crowd like wildfire.

"Where is Vanessa?" "Who is that woman with him?" "Is that a relative?"

Luca stepped up to the crystal podium, leaning toward the microphone. The room quieted down instantly, eager to hear his words.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," Luca’s powerful voice boomed through the speakers. "I know many of you arrived tonight expecting a wedding."

He paused, letting his intense gaze sweep across the sea of wealthy faces.

"However, there will be no wedding tonight," Luca announced calmly.

Gasps echoed across the ballroom. Reporters immediately raised their cameras, flashes blinding the stage.

"As of six o'clock yesterday evening," Luca continued smoothly, "Victor and Vanessa Bellini were arrested by federal agents on charges of grand larceny, art theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit murder."

The crowd erupted into absolute chaos! High-society women gasped, and businessmen started frantically talking on their phones.

Luca raised his hand, commanding immediate silence once again.

"The Bellini family attempted to steal from the Moretti estate," Luca declared boldly. "They attempted to destroy my family's legacy for their own financial greed. They failed."

He turned to look at me, his eyes filled with profound pride. He reached out his hand, guiding me to stand right beside him at the center of the podium.

"Tonight is not a celebration of a marriage," Luca announced, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "Tonight is a celebration of family. I would like to introduce you all to Claire Morgan-Moretti... my legitimate sister, my blood, and the new co-head of the Moretti empire."

The room went dead silent for two seconds as the shock settled over the crowd.

Then, a sudden, thunderous applause broke out! The judges, senators, and business partners who respected Luca’s terrifying power began clapping enthusiastically, accepting his announcement without a single objection.

I looked out over the sea of applauding people, holding my head high.