Chapter 9 - The Invitation He Couldn’t RefuseThree months later, the social pages of the Chicago Tribune featured a full-page spread that set the city’s high-society circles on fire.
It wasn't a charity gala this time. It was an exclusive, private engagement announcement at the city’s most prestigious rooftop venue, hosted jointly by Falco Holdings and Davies, Croft and Mercer.
At the center of the ballroom stood Harper Bennett, wearing a stunning diamond-encrusted silk gown that caught the lights of the city skyline like liquid starlight. On her ring finger rested a massive, flawless emerald-cut diamond that made every gossip columnist in Illinois scramble for their notebooks.
Standing beside her, holding a crystal flute of champagne with an expression of quiet, absolute triumph, was Roman Falco.
Down in the basement archives of Sterling & Hayes, Connor Hayes sat under the flickering fluorescent lights, staring blindly at a glowing computer screen displaying the front-page photo.
His career was in ruins. His uncle was facing federal indictment. The woman he had tried to destroy had just become the most powerful corporate power player in the Midwest, standing arm-in-arm with the most feared man in Chicago.
Connor raised a hand, pressing his trembling fingers against his temples, realizing too late that the execution he had planned at the Halston Hotel had never been Harper’s destruction at all.
It was his own execution.
Up on the rooftop, Roman leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to Harper’s temple as the applause of the city’s elite washed over them.
“Happy, Counsel?” Roman murmured against her skin.
May you like
Harper looked out over the glittering expanse of Chicago, feeling the steady, unbreakable warmth of his hand resting securely at her waist.
“Ecstatic, Mr. Falco,” Harper smiled, raising her glass to the flashing cameras. “And the trial has only just begun.”
