Chapter 10 - The Queen of Chicago
Later that night, the guests had departed, leaving the grand estate in peaceful serenity.
Adrian and I stood together on the vast terrace overlooking Lake Michigan, the cool summer breeze rustling the hem of my emerald gown. The moon cast a silver ribbon across the water, mirroring the silver band around my wrist.
Adrian stood behind me, his arms wrapped securely around my waist, his chin resting against the crown of my head. We stood in comfortable, beautiful silence, watching the lights of Chicago dance in the distance.
“A penny for your thoughts, my Queen,” Adrian whispered softly against my ear.
I smiled, turning in his embrace to face him. I reached up, my fingers tracing the strong, familiar line of his jaw.
“I was thinking about the night we met,” I confessed. “When your brother grabbed my wrist, and you asked me if I knew who you were.”
Adrian chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated against my chest. “And you smiled right in my face and told me to wait my turn.”
“Did you hate me in that moment?” I teased.
“In that moment,” Adrian said, his voice dropping into a tender, passionate murmur, “I realized that every empire I had ever built was completely meaningless unless I could lay it at your feet.”
He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine in a kiss that tasted of sweet champagne, timeless promises, and an unshakeable future.
The little girl who had wept in a dark alley twelve years ago was gone. In her place stood a woman who had faced the shadows, conquered the monsters, and found love in the arms of the king who had guarded her from afar.
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I was Elena Russo Moretti.
And together, we ruled Chicago.