Chapter 18 - Ghosts of the PastThat evening, after the summit concluded, I took a quiet walk through Cicero, away from the armored cars and the armed guards, wearing a simple wool coat and walking down the familiar streets of my old neighborhood.
I stopped in front of the third-floor apartment building where Mom and I had spent years counting pennies, dodging eviction notices, and praying the heater wouldn't break during winter storms.
The windows were dark. The old sedan I used to drive was long gone, replaced by secure transport fleets, but the memories lingered like ghosts in the chilly autumn air.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
I turned around to see Dominic standing by the brick wall of the alleyway, hands in his coat pockets, watching me with quiet empathy. He had followed me discreetly at a distance, ensuring I was safe while giving me space.
"I used to stand right here," I said softly, looking up at the third-floor window, "counting a single hundred-dollar bill you handed me for a late food delivery, wondering if it would be enough to keep the lights on for another week."
Dominic walked closer, stopping just a foot away. "And now you own half of Chicago."
"And now I own my life," I replied, turning to face him fully. "I used to think survival was about fighting off monsters, Dominic. But I realize now that survival is about refusing to let the world turn you into one."
May you like
Dominic reached out, gently brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead. For a hard, ruthless mafia boss, his touch was surprisingly tender. "You were never a monster, Avery. You were a warrior who finally found her battlefield."
We stood together in the quiet Cicero alleyway as the autumn wind blew past, two former enemies bound by blood, ambition, and an unbreakable alliance that nothing could ever break.
