Chapter 10 - The Russo Dynasty
Six months later.
The Brooklyn Waterfront Development project officially broke ground on a crisp, bright autumn morning.
The sun reflected off the blue waters of the East River, illuminating a massive steel banner that stretched across the newly paved entrance plaza: THE HAYES-RUSSO MARITIME CENTER.
Hundreds of city officials, union representatives, construction workers, and journalists gathered around a grand raised stage near the water. The project, which had once been mired in financial crime and political corruption, was now hailed as the largest, most transparent public infrastructure success story in New York history.
I stood near the edge of the newly completed promenade, looking out at the Manhattan skyline. I wore a stunning burgundy coat over a cream silk dress, my brown hair falling in soft waves around my shoulders. I was no longer the invisible girl hiding in the basement. I was the Chief Financial Officer and co-owner of the largest real estate development firm in the state.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind. Dominic pulled me back against his broad chest, resting his chin gently on my shoulder.
"You're thinking again," Dominic murmured into my ear, his breath warm against my skin.
"I was just remembering the last time I stood near a water feature with five hundred people watching," I said with a light chuckle. "It involved cheap Cabernet and Chloe yelling at me."
Dominic let out a low laugh, his chest vibrating against my back. "Chloe is currently working twelve-hour shifts at a court-mandated community service center in Queens to pay off her civil restitution fees. I doubt she will ever touch a glass of Cabernet again."
"And Arthur?"
"His appeal was rejected yesterday," Dominic said smoothly. "He starts his eighteen-year sentence at Fort Dix on Monday."
I took a deep breath of the crisp sea air, feeling a profound, unshakeable peace settle deep inside my soul. The past was gone, burned away like mist under the autumn sun. The shadows that had defined my life for twenty-six years had finally given way to light.
"Dominic?" I asked softly, turning in his arms to face him.
"Yes, my love?"
I took his hand—the hand with the pale scar across the palm—and placed it gently against my lower stomach.
Dominic froze. His dark gray eyes widened in sudden, breathless realization as he looked from my hand down to my face.
"Are you...?" his voice rasped, cracking with an emotion I had never heard in him before.
"The Russo dynasty is expanding," I smiled, tears of joy sparkling in my eyes. "Due in seven months."
Dominic Russo—the man who had never blinked in the face of federal indictments, mafia rivals, or political threats—let out a shaky breath, pulled me into his arms, and lifted me off my feet, spinning me around on the promenade as the sound of applause erupted from the crowd behind us.
He set me down gently, cupping my face in both of his hands, and kissed me with a fierce, passionate reverence that echoed across the water.
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"They thought they were destroying us that night at the Plaza," Dominic whispered against my lips, looking down at me with pure, undiluted love.
"They didn't destroy us," I smiled, locking my fingers with his. "They just introduced us."
