Chapter 6 - The Lioness and the Gala
To stop the Morettis from plotting another attack, Julian needed to show strength. He needed to prove his empire was stable. That meant attending the annual Syndicate Gala in Manhattan.
And he wanted me by his side.
I was draped in a custom, backless emerald gown, diamonds dripping from my neck. As I descended the grand staircase of the estate, Julian stopped breathing. He wore a tailored black tuxedo, looking like a lethal, beautiful king.
"You look..." he trailed off, his eyes dark with hunger. "You look like mine."
At the gala, the tension was palpable. Every crime boss on the East Coast was there. Whispers followed us as Julian kept a possessive hand on my lower back.
Halfway through the night, Julian was pulled into a private meeting. I stood by the bar, sipping champagne, when a man with slicked-back hair and a cruel smile approached me.
Lorenzo Moretti. The man who tried to kill us.
"So, this is Rossi's new pet," Lorenzo sneered, invading my personal space. "Tell me, Clara, does he make you wear a collar? It’s a shame what happened to his last woman. I wonder how long you’ll last."
Fear spiked in my chest, but I remembered who I was standing in for. I remembered the baby sleeping safely back at the estate.
I didn't back away. I looked Lorenzo dead in the eye and smiled coldly.
"I’d worry less about me, Lorenzo, and more about your own men," I said, keeping my voice silky and loud enough for the surrounding bosses to hear. "Julian wiped out your best hitters in less than a minute. You aren't a rival. You're a pest. And pests get exterminated."
The crowd went dead silent. Lorenzo turned purple with rage.
Before he could speak, a massive hand clamped onto Lorenzo’s shoulder. Julian.
Julian’s eyes were completely black with murderous intent, but a smirk played on his lips. "You heard my queen, Moretti. Walk away before I exterminate you right here on the ballroom floor."
May you like
Lorenzo fled. Julian turned to me, his chest heaving, a look of absolute awe on his face.
"You really are meant for this life," he whispered, before pulling me into a dark alcove and kissing me with a fierce, consuming passion that left me breathless.
