Chapter 9 - Society’s New QueenSix months later, the front page of the New York Social Register featured a wedding photograph that sent shockwaves through the upper echelons of the city.
It wasn't a secret ceremony. It was a spectacle.
Held at a private estate overlooking the Hudson River, surrounded by white roses and armed security details, Chloe Bennett—now Chloe Moretti—stood radiant in a custom white silk gown designed specifically to accommodate her seven-month pregnancy. She looked glowing, confident, and utterly untouchable, her hand resting proudly over her pronounced baby bump while Leo Moretti stood beside her, his arm locked securely around her waist like a king guarding his most precious treasure.
Among the invited guests were senior politicians, international bankers, and old-money aristocrats who nodded respectfully as the new power couple of New York walked past.
Standing across the lawn, squeezed behind the outer velvet ropes reserved for low-level media aides, Bradley Hayes squinted through the afternoon sun. He wore a cheap, off-the-rack suit that didn't quite fit his shoulders—a stark contrast to the tailored Brioni suits he used to sport before his career imploded.
He watched in bitter, silent agony as Chloe laughed at something Leo whispered in her ear, her face glowing with a happiness Bradley had spent three years trying to grind out of her.
“Hey, Hayes! Stop daydreaming and hand me those press credentials!” a sharp voice barked from behind him.
Bradley flinched, grabbed the clipboard, and turned away from the most powerful couple in the city, disappearing into the crowd like the ghost he had become.
Back on the grand terrace, Chloe took a sip of sparkling apple cider, resting her head against Leo’s shoulder as the string quartet played a soft waltz.
“Penny for your thoughts, Mrs. Moretti,” Leo murmured, his hand resting warm and protective over her stomach.
Chloe smiled, looking out over the sparkling expanse of the Hudson River where the skyline of Manhattan rose against the golden afternoon sun.
“I was just thinking,” she whispered, turning her face up to meet his dark, devoted gaze, “that Bradley was right about one thing.”
Leo’s eyebrows arched in mild amusement. “Oh? And what was that?”
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“He told me I was letting myself go,” Chloe teased softly, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Turns out, I was just making room for something much better.”
Leo chuckled, a deep, resonant sound of pure satisfaction, and pulled her closer, sealing her lips with a kiss as the sun dipped below the New York skyline.
