Chapter 10 - The Empire of Us
Three months later, the Manhattan skyline shimmered under a brilliant autumn sun.
Inside the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel, cameras flashed, champagne glasses clinked, and hundred-year-old chandeliers cast a brilliant golden glow over an elite gathering of New York’s most powerful figures.
At the head table, Henry Carter sat in a brand-new, impeccably tailored Italian suit—looking thoroughly uncomfortable, but standing tall—while Margaret Carter, radiant and resting comfortably in a cushioned armchair, laughed as Lily fed her a piece of wedding cake.
Sophia stood before the mirror in the bridal suite, adjusting the sweetheart neckline of her white lace wedding gown.
The door opened softly, and Dominic walked in. He looked breathtaking in a custom black tuxedo, his dark hair immaculate, his eyes shining with an emotion he no longer bothered to hide.
He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder, looking at their reflection in the glass.
" nervous?" Dominic murmured against her ear.
Sophia smiled, resting her hands over his. "Not anymore."
She turned around in his arms, looking up at the man who had traded his fortress of solitude for a family.
"You know," Sophia teased softly, "Lily is already asking when we’re getting a dog."
Dominic groaned playfully, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "A dog? Absolutely not. We already have a three-year-old tyrant and a grandfather who threatened to throw me into a pigpen if I don't treat you right."
"He loves you, you know," Sophia whispered.
May you like
Dominic smiled—a real, unfiltered smile that belonged only to her.
"I know," he said, pulling her flush against his chest as the distant music of the ballroom began to play. "And for the first time in my life... I have everything I’ll ever need to protect."
