“It’s complicated,” I admit. “What started as manipulation became... something else. For both of us.”
“And you trust him? After he lied to you, watched you, and essentially held you captive?”
I consider the question. “I trust he loves me,” I say finally. “That he will protect me. Do I trust that he’ll suddenly become a model citizen? No, but I understand him now. And he understands me.”
Sienna shakes her head again, trying to process it all. “And this?” She gestures at my ring. “This is real? Not some strategic move?”
I smile. “This is very real.”
“Let me see it,” she demands, grabbing my hand. “Holy shit, Lea. This must be worth a fortune.”
“It was his grandmother’s,” I say.
Sienna whistles. “A family heirloom. So this isn’t just serious—it’s dynasty-level serious.”
“We’re getting married in the spring,” I confirm. “At the lake house.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re planning a wedding already?”
“Small ceremony. Just a few people.” I take a breath. “Including my maid of honor, if she’s willing.”
For a moment, Sienna just stares at me. Then her eyes fill with unexpected tears. “Me? You want me to be your maid of honor?”
“Who else would I ask?” I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. “You’re my only friend. You were there from the beginning. You tried to warn me.”
“A lot of good that did,” she says with a watery laugh. “You’re engaged to the very man I warned you about.”
“Life is full of surprises,” I agree. “So? Will you do it?”
Sienna wipes at her eyes. “On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“I get to bring my camera and document the whole thing. Not for publication,” she adds quickly. “Just for you.”
“You want to photograph a mob wedding?” I can’t help but laugh.
“Are you kidding?” She grins. “The mysterious Nicolás Varela marrying the brilliant Lea Song at a secluded lake house? It’s the visual story of a lifetime. Besides, someone needs to make sure there’s evidence of your happiness.”
The insight catches me off guard. There will be moments of doubt. Having a reminder of the joy, the certainty I feel now—it might be exactly what I need.
“Deal,” I say, raising my glass.
Sienna clinks hers against mine. “To new beginnings. And to you, Lea Song, soon-to-be queen of Chicago’s most dangerous man.”
I laugh, the sound a mix of genuine amusement and disbelief. “Queen,” I echo, the word feeling foreign and oversized on my tongue. A year ago, my biggest ambition was a front-page byline. Now... this. Instead of pride, a sense of profound gravity settles over me. It’s not a title I feel I’ve earned, but a role I’m choosing to step into. The power I feel isn’t about ruling a city, but about standing beside Nico as his equal.
“I think ‘partner’ is more my speed for now,” I say with a small smile. “But I’ll work on the queen part.”
As Sienna launches into wedding planning, her shock giving way to practical considerations, a sense of contentment settles over me. This is the bridge between my old life and my new one—sitting in a bar with my best friend, planning a wedding to a man who terrifies half the city.
My father once told me that the best journalists find the story where it lives. He could never have imagined how unexpected my journey would be, or that the story I set out to write would ultimately rewrite me. But as I sit here, twisting my engagement ring, I know with a bone-deep certainty that this is where I’m meant to be. I will walk this path with my eyes open, my head high, and my hand firmly clasped in Nico’s.
The Journalist and The Diplomat. An unlikely pairing, perhaps. But the best stories always are.
EPILOGUE
LEA
