Chapter 20 - The Empire We BuiltThe sun rose on the first day of a new year, casting a brilliant, golden blaze across the snow-covered hills of Westchester.
Downstairs, the estate was alive with the quiet, efficient hum of a household that ran like clockwork. Isabella was tending to her conservatory gardens, Enzo was reviewing perimeter reports in the security wing, and somewhere out in the city, an empire of commerce, politics, and steel moved obediently beneath the shadow of the Rossi name.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the master suite, holding a cup of black coffee, watching the golden light dance across the horizon.
My left hand rested on the glass pane, the heavy gold wedding band catching the morning sun and reflecting a sharp, unyielding spark of light.
I had entered that hotel ballroom months ago as a desperate, exhausted waitress just trying to earn four hundred dollars to keep her mother alive. I had taken three bullets meant for a stranger, plunged headfirst into a world of blood and shadows, and emerged not as a victim, but as a queen.
They thought they were trapping me in a golden cage when they put that ring on my finger while I slept.
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They didn't know I was the one holding the keys to the kingdom all along.
I took a slow sip of my coffee, turned away from the window, and walked down to claim my throne.
