Chapter 10 - Rule With Me
Arthur let out a ragged breath, the last remaining wall around his heart crumbling to dust.
He picked her up, pressing her back against the cool marble wall of the bathroom.
He kissed her with a fierce, possessive hunger that left them both breathless.
Clara tangled her fingers in his dark hair, pulling him closer, erasing the last lingering shadows of the nightmare they had just survived.
He carried her to the massive bed, and for the first time in his life, Arthur Moretti made love like a man who actually had a soul.
The next morning, the sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse.
Arthur was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed, tracing the line of her spine as she slept.
Clara opened her eyes, smiling softly at the sight of the ruthless boss watching over her.
“Good morning,” she murmured, stretching her sore muscles.
“The city is ours,” Arthur said simply.
Clara sat up, pulling the silk sheet around her chest.
“What about the remaining Falcone territories?”
“My captains secured them overnight,” he replied.
“There is no one left to challenge us.”
He said 'us'.
Clara noted the shift in his vocabulary, and it sent a warm thrill straight to her heart.
She was no longer the invisible girl scrubbing floors.
She was the anchor of the most powerful criminal empire on the East Coast.
Arthur stood up, walking to his dresser and pulling out a small velvet box.
He walked back to the bed and sat beside her.
He did not drop to one knee; that was not who they were.
He opened the box, revealing a stunning, flawless diamond ring.
“You survived my darkness, Clara,” Arthur said, his voice a deep, resonant rumble.
“Now I want you to rule it with me.”
“Marry me.”
Clara looked at the ring, and then into the dark, absolute certainty in his eyes.
She had spent her life trying to survive by being unnoticed.
Now, she was ready to be seen by the entire world, standing next to the man who commanded it.
“Yes,” she whispered, offering him her hand.
Arthur slid the ring onto her finger, sealing the promise in silence.
The estate outside was waking up, the guards marching their routes, the staff beginning their endless chores.
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But inside the penthouse, the king and his new queen were finally at peace.
The mafia boss had never needed anyone, until a maid taught him how to live.
