Chapter 10 - THE NEW QUEEN OF NEW YORK
Six months later, the elite of Manhattan gathered at a private, high-security charity gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The room was a glittering sea of diamonds, designer gowns, and powerful men in bespoke tuxedos. Everyone whispered when the doors opened.
Vincent Moretti entered—not alone, as he always had for the past decade, but with a stunning woman on his arm.
Lena wore a breathtaking emerald-silk gown that caught the light with every step, her posture graceful and proud. Her broken arm was long since healed, leaving no physical trace of the nightmare she had survived. The men in the room watched in awe, and the women whispered in envy, sensing the undeniable, fierce aura of protection radiating from the most feared man in New York toward the woman by his side.
Across the grand hall, standing near the catering tables in a cheap, rumpled suit with hollow eyes and unkempt hair, Marcus Vance froze. He had lost everything—his company, his apartment, his status, and his wealth. He was nothing now, a ghost haunting the edges of the society he once thought he ruled.
Marcus locked eyes with Lena across the crowded room. She didn't flinch. She didn't look down in fear. Instead, she met his gaze with absolute, unshakeable serenity, her chin held high.
Vincent noticed the shift in her attention. He followed her line of sight, spotted the pathetic, ruined figure of Marcus cowering near the pillar, and simply tightened his grip around Lena's waist, pulling her slightly closer.
"Do you want me to have him removed?" Vincent whispered into her ear, his voice cool and dangerous.
Lena looked up at Vincent, seeing the unwavering loyalty and fierce devotion in his dark eyes. A serene, beautiful smile spread across her face.
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"No, Vincent," she whispered back, resting her hand gently over his heart. "Let him watch. He thought no one would ever risk their life for a broken waitress... he just forgot that the king of New York never breaks a promise."
Vincent smiled—a true, genuine smile that belonged only to her—and kissed the top of her head as they walked together into the brilliant lights of their future.
