Chapter 10 - Reign of the Outcasts
Midnight in Manhattan was quiet from sixty stories up.
The penthouse terrace was shielded by glass windbreakers, keeping out the bitter November chill while leaving the panoramic view of the glowing metropolis wide open. Below them, the grid of New York looked like a circuit board of gold and silver light, pulsing with the life of eight million people who had no idea whose hands held the levers of their world.
Evelyn stood at the glass railing, holding a crystal flute of vintage champagne.
She was wearing a simple black silk slip dress, her feet bare against the heated stone tiles of the terrace. The tension that had held her jaw tight for four long years was finally gone. Her features had softened, though the sharp, brilliant fire in her dark eyes remained undiminished.
A door slid open behind her.
Dominic walked out, having shed his tie and jacket. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the throat, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the dark ink of old tattoos that dated back to his early days on the docks.
He walked to the railing beside her, leaning his forearms against the glass, looking out over the city.
“Lucas called,” Dominic said quietly.
Evelyn turned her head. “How is he?”
“He signed the lease on an office in Brooklyn,” Dominic said, a faint trace of genuine pride touching his voice. “Pro bono legal defense for low-income workers. He told me he doesn’t want a dime of Vale Capital money.”
“And you’re happy about that?”
“I’m thrilled,” Dominic said. “It means he’s free.”
Evelyn watched the way the city lights reflected in Dominic’s hazel eyes. “You saved him, Dominic. Even if he hates you for a while, you saved him from a family that would have devoured him alive.”
“I didn't do it alone,” Dominic said. He turned to face her, resting his back against the glass, his gaze locking onto hers with that familiar, predatory intensity. “You were the one who walked into that ballroom in red silk and stopped the world.”
Evelyn smiled, a slow, intoxicating curve of her lips. “You gave me the ammunition.”
“You knew how to fire it.”
They stood in silence for a moment, the hum of the city far below them.
“What happens now, Evelyn?” Dominic asked, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous register that made her heart hammer against her ribs. “The revenge is done. Richard is going to Danbury. You have your name back. You have your firm. You have forty million dollars in an offshore account. You can leave. You can take the first flight to Monaco tomorrow morning and never look at another Vale as long as you live.”
Evelyn set her champagne glass down on the stone ledge.
She took a slow step toward him. Then another. Until she was standing so close she could feel the heat radiating from his chest, could smell the sharp, intoxicating scent of his cologne and bourbon.
She reached up, her fingers tracing the silver scar through his right eyebrow, sliding down to the hard line of his jaw.
“Why would I run away to Monaco,” Evelyn whispered, her eyes dark and unwavering, “when I just conquered New York with the most dangerous man in the city?”
Dominic’s breath hitched. His hands came up, closing around her waist, pulling her flush against him. The silk of her dress slid against his linen shirt as his arm locked around the small of her back, lifting her slightly off her feet.
“They’re going to talk about us, you know,” Dominic murmured, his face inches from hers. “Wall Street. The families. The tabloids. They’re going to say I corrupted you. They’re going to say you sold your soul to a mob boss.”
Evelyn wound her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in the dark hair at the back of his collar.
“Let them talk,” Evelyn whispered against his lips. “They called me a criminal when I was innocent. Now, let them see what happens when I’m guilty.”
Dominic kissed her.
May you like
It was not a gentle kiss. It was hungry, desperate, fierce—a collision of two survivors who had walked through the fire, broken their chains, and claimed the ashes for themselves.
Above them, the sky over Manhattan broke clear of clouds, revealing a cold canopy of stars. Down below, the empire they had stolen hummed in the dark, waiting for their command.
