Chapter 15 - The Gala at the Drake
Three nights later, the grand ballroom of the Drake Hotel was glittering under thousands of crystal lusters for the annual Chicago Metropolitan Hospital Charity Gala. It was the premier social event of the autumn season, attended by senators, tech magnates, high-ranking judges, and—observing from their private VIP tables—the senior leadership of the city’s corporate and financial elite.
And, of course, the Morettis.
Ellie descended the grand marble staircase of the ballroom on Damien’s arm, turning every head in the room. She wore a backless emerald-green velvet gown that hugged her figure with effortless elegance, a diamond tennis bracelet sparkling against her wrist—a quiet, understated gift from Damien that had arrived in her suite two hours before the event.
As they stepped onto the polished parquet floor of the ballroom, the string quartet playing near the balcony transitioned smoothly into a slow, classical waltz.
Damien pulled her flush against his chest, his hand settling firmly at the small of her back as they began to glide effortlessly across the floor.
"You're making half the committee chairmen in this room forget their own names," Damien murmured, his dark eyes gleaming with possessive amusement as he spun her gracefully beneath his arm.
"Good," Ellie replied with a bright, challenging smile, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders. "It's about time they realized who actually runs the city's financial infrastructure."
"Oh, they know," Damien chuckled softly, pulling her just a fraction closer. "The word on the street is that the Moretti family has acquired a new chief strategist—one who is infinitely more dangerous than any capo with a Tommy gun."
"I prefer the term 'consultant'," Ellie corrected smoothly.
May you like
"Whatever title you want, Ellie. The seat next to me at the head of the table is yours permanently."
Around them, the elite of Chicago watched in a mixture of awe and uneasy respect. They saw the king of the city holding the brilliant, untouchable neurologist’s sister, not as a trophy or a captive, but as an equal partner. The old syndicate wars were over, replaced by a new era of corporate dominance and absolute, unyielding control.
