Chapter 9 - THE CROWN OF SUNLIGHTThat evening, a grand gala was held on the outdoor lawn of the Reyes Estate to celebrate the official opening of the Caldwell Foundation.
Five hundred guests—diplomats, artists, community leaders, and reformed business partners—drank champagne under twinkling fairy lights strung through the ancient oak trees.
A live string quartet played softly near the fountain.
Elise stood near the edge of the terrace, wearing a stunning floor-length golden satin dress that draped over her curves like liquid sun, holding a glass of sparkling water.
She looked out over the crowd.
There were no gray-suited assassins hiding by the service doors. There were no hidden threats in the shadows. The city that had once felt like a cage of violent secrets was now a place of peace and purpose.
"A penny for your thoughts, Donnessa?" a smooth, deep voice whispered behind her.
Elise turned to see Mateo standing there, looking impossibly handsome in a black dinner jacket.
"I was just thinking about the last time a string quartet played while you walked up to me," Elise smiled, her dark eyes sparkling with love.
"Ah," Mateo chuckled, taking her glass and setting it on a passing waiter’s tray. He took her hand, pulling her close into his arms right in the middle of the terrace. "The night I detonated your life."
"The night you saved my life," Elise corrected softly.
"Do you trust your instincts, Ms. Caldwell?" Mateo asked, echoing the exact words he had spoken to her at the gala four months ago.
"Usually," Elise replied, a beautiful, radiant smile illuminating her face.
Mateo leaned down, his hazel eyes burning with a deep, endless devotion.
"Then trust me when I say this," Mateo whispered into her ear. "You are never escaping me, Elise Reyes."
May you like
"I don't plan on it," she murmured.
And right there, in front of five hundred guests, beneath the starlit sky of Long Island, the Mafia King kissed his Queen—not as leverage, not for power, but for eternity.
