Chapter 20 - The New Empire
Six months later, the violent thunderstorms had completely washed the blood from the city streets.
Harper stood gracefully in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the master suite of the Rossi estate, adjusting the collar of a breathtaking, tailored black suit.
She was no longer the exhausted, broke waitress who smelled of cheap coffee and grease.
Her eyes were sharp, calculating, and fully awake to the brutal realities of the world she had chosen to embrace.
She walked out of the bedroom and descended the grand staircase, the armed guards bowing their heads respectfully as she passed.
She bypassed the dining room and walked straight down to the subterranean levels, stopping in front of a heavily reinforced steel door.
Vincent was waiting for her in the shadows, holding a ring of heavy iron keys.
He unlocked the door and stepped aside, allowing Harper to enter the freezing, windowless concrete cell alone.
Eleanor sat on a thin cot in the corner, her arm still in a medical sling, her face gaunt but her posture as arrogant as ever.
The former queen of the underworld smiled a wicked, knowing smile at her daughter's expensive new wardrobe.
Eleanor mocked her, asking if she came down to the dungeon to gloat or to finally finish the job she started in the church.
Harper stood perfectly still in the center of the cell, her expression entirely devoid of emotion or pity.
She told Eleanor calmly that she was keeping her alive as a permanent reminder to never underestimate the people closest to her.
She turned her back on her mother without another word, ignoring Eleanor's sudden, furious screams echoing against the concrete walls.
Harper walked out of the cell and Vincent immediately locked the heavy deadbolt behind her, sealing the ghost away in the darkness forever.
He reached out and gently intertwined his scarred fingers with hers.
He looked down at her with a fierce, possessive devotion that burned brighter than any empire he had ever built.
He asked his queen if she was ready to attend the sit-down with the remaining syndicate bosses.
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Harper squeezed his hand, a dangerous, beautiful smile touching her lips as she looked up into his gray eyes.
She told him it was time to show the city exactly who owned it now.
