Chapter 12 - The Quiet Kingdom
Sadi turned toward the one-way glass, looking down at the glittering ballroom below. She watched the elite society of the city mingle, oblivious to the brutal justice that had just been dispensed fifty feet above their heads.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling a massive weight finally lift off her chest.
The ghost of her past was completely gone.
Roman stepped behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply.
“You were magnificent,” Roman murmured against her skin.
“I was terrified,” Sadi admitted softly, leaning her head back against his shoulder. “But I looked at him, and all I could see was a pathetic little boy. You gave me back my strength, Roman.”
“You always had the strength, Sadi,” Roman corrected gently, kissing her jawline. “I just provided the stage for you to use it.”
They stood in comfortable silence for a long moment, the soft hum of the gala orchestra filtering through the thick glass. For Sadi, the transition from a life of poverty and abuse to the queen of a criminal empire was still surreal, but standing in Roman’s arms, she felt an absolute, terrifying peace.
Suddenly, Roman’s phone vibrated in his tuxedo pocket.
He didn't pull away immediately. He sighed, a rare sound of genuine exhaustion, before reaching into his jacket. He glanced at the encrypted screen.
The warmth radiating from his body vanished instantly. His muscles turned to coiled steel.
Sadi felt the shift. She turned around, looking up at his face. The soft, loving husband was gone. The ruthless, terrifying ghost of the city had returned.
“What is it?” Sadi asked, her heart giving a nervous flutter.
Roman stared at the message on the screen for a long, agonizing moment before putting the phone away.
“It’s a message from the East Coast,” Roman said, his voice dropping into a dark, lethal whisper. “The Rossi family just hit one of our shipping ports in New York. They left a black rose on the docks.”
May you like
Sadi’s breath hitched. A black rose was a declaration of war.
“Trevor was a nuisance, Sadi,” Roman said, turning to look down at the ballroom, his eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of betrayal. “But the real monsters are finally coming out of the dark.”
