Chapter 9 - THE EMPRESS OF CHICAGOFive years later.
The penthouse suite of the Kang Tower—a fifty-story monolith of glass and steel dominating the downtown Chicago skyline—offered a panoramic view of the entire city.
At twenty-four years old, Mara Kang-Brooks was no longer just a legal strategist or a federal consultant. She was the managing partner of Brooks & Kang Corporate Intelligence, the most formidable legal, financial, and security conglomerate in the Midwest.
Corporations didn't make a move in Chicago without her sign-off. Politicians didn't run for office without her vetting. And underworld syndicates didn't exist unless she allowed them to operate in the gray margins.
Inside her sprawling corner office, sitting behind a massive glass desk overlooking Lake Michigan, Mara reviewed a confidential acquisition portfolio.
The door clicked open, and Victor Han walked in, carrying two cups of black coffee. He looked older now, his hair completely white, but his eyes were still sharp.
“The New York delegation is downstairs, boss,” Victor said, setting a coffee cup on her desk. “They want to renegotiate the shipping tariffs for the eastern ports.”
Mara didn't look up from her documents. She took a sip of her coffee, her expression as cool and collected as ever.
“Tell them the tariffs stay exactly where they are,” Mara said smoothly. “If they don't like it, remind them what happened the last time someone tried to audit Chicago.”
Victor grinned, shaking his head. “You know, sometimes I look at you and I still see that little girl standing under the Roosevelt Road overpass with a red knit hat.”
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Mara finally looked up, her gaze drifting toward the window where the afternoon sun gleamed off the frozen waters of the lake.
“I never left that bridge, Victor,” Mara said quietly. “I just built a fortress around it.”
