Chương 5 - THE EMPIRE EXPANDS
By Monday morning, the front page of every major newspaper in the country carried the breaking news: Senator Thomas Sterling Announces Shock Retirement Amid Federal Investigation.
Down on Wall Street, the stocks for Russo Logistics surged twelve percent in early trading.
In my new corner office on the forty-second floor, the morning sun was warm and golden, casting long shadows across the stack of international trade agreements waiting for my signature. The black apron I had worn at Maison Étoile was gone—folded neatly at the bottom of a trash can three days ago. In its place was a golden nameplate mounted on my desk: Casey Miller, Chief Legal Counsel & Managing Partner.
My phone buzzed on the mahogany desk.
An incoming text from a private Ohio number.
“Dr. Miller, your mother’s hospital account balance has been officially cleared in full by the Russo Foundation Trust. She’s sitting on the back porch drinking sweet tea and asking when you’re coming home to visit.”
A warm tear slipped down my cheek, but I quickly brushed it away as the door to my office swung open.
Dominic walked in, carrying two cups of black coffee and a leather-bound folio containing the acquisition papers for a massive European shipping port in Hamburg.
“You’ve been staring at that phone for five minutes,” Dominic said, setting a coffee cup down on my desk and leaning against the corner with a relaxed, easy smile. “Good news from Ohio?”
“The best,” I said, looking up at him with a genuine smile that reached my eyes for the first time in years. “My mother’s medical bills are paid. The house is secure. And she wants to know when you’re coming to Ohio to meet her.”
Dominic chuckled, a rich, genuine sound that echoed warmly through the expansive office. “Only if she promises to cook southern barbecue. I’ve heard legendary stories about your family’s kitchen.”
“You’d survive,” I teased, opening the leather folio and pulling out my fountain pen—the exact same pen I had used to draw that fateful red circle at Maison Étoile. “Now, are we going to review these Hamburg shipping contracts, or are you going to keep distracting me from my work?”
Dominic leaned in closer, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the surrounding city skyline fade entirely into the background.
“Let’s review the contracts, Casey,” Dominic whispered softly, his hand resting gently over mine on the desk. “After all, we have a global empire to run, and I refuse to make a single move without my favorite doctoral candidate signing off on it.”
May you like
I smiled, uncapped my fountain pen, and signed my name at the bottom of the page with the steady, unshakeable hand of a woman who had finally taken control of her own destiny.
Victoria Russo was a distant memory. The black apron was history. And the mafia boss’s empire? It belonged to us now.
