Chapter 10 - A New Empire
Six months after our courthouse wedding, the sun rose over the Baltimore harbor and the glittering Manhattan skyline in a brilliant splash of gold and amber, illuminating a world transformed.
The Moretti syndicate was entirely a relic of history, replaced by Moretti-Fields Global—a multi-billion-dollar international shipping, real estate, and philanthropic conglomerate dedicated to ethical commerce and community rebuilding.
I stood on the floor-to-ceiling glass balcony of our penthouse suite in downtown Chicago, holding a steaming cup of coffee, looking out over the bustling, peaceful streets below. The ghosts of overdue rent notices, sticky restaurant tables, and terrifying mountain car crashes were gone, replaced by the unshakeable foundation of a life built on courage, truth, and true love.
The heavy glass balcony door slid open, and Dante stepped out. He wore a crisp white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, carrying two fresh pastries on a small silver plate. He walked up behind me, wrapping his strong arms around my waist, resting his chin comfortably on my shoulder.
“Penny for your thoughts, Mrs. Moretti,” Dante murmured, pressing a warm kiss to the side of my neck.
I smiled, leaning back into his embrace, taking a sip of my coffee. “I was just thinking about Bellini’s restaurant. About how crazy it is that a broke, twenty-seven-year-old waitress overhearing a whispered plot in a restaurant booth could end up ruling an empire.”
Dante chuckled, his chest vibrating against my back. He turned me around in his arms so I was facing him, his gray eyes locking onto mine with fierce, eternal affection.
“You didn't just rule an empire, Cara,” Dante corrected softly, his hands resting securely on my hips. “You built a better one from the ashes. And I am the luckiest man on earth to spend the rest of my life working for you.”
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I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him down into a deep, passionate kiss that made the rest of the world fade away into absolute insignificance.
The waitress from Bellini’s had vanished forever. In her place stood a queen—forged in fire, protected by love, and reigning supreme over a kingdom of her very own.
