"What about her?" I asked, ice creeping into my voice.
"She’s an outsider, Roman. No family connections, no understanding of our traditions. Some of the families are... concerned about her influence."
The careful phrasing didn’t hide the insult. They thought she was a gold-digging whore who’d seduced me away from my responsibilities.
I stood slowly, letting them see the danger radiating off me in waves.
"She’s not just some girl," I said, my voice deadly quiet. "She’s my partner. My fiancée. She’s why I’m standing here instead of buried under the rubble of my father’s house. She’s proven her loyalty in blood and fire."
"Roman—" Flanagan started.
"I’m not finished." The words cut through his objection like a blade. "Cassie James is part of this family now. She has my protection, my name, and my complete trust. Anyone who questions her place questions me directly."
The silence that followed was absolute. I could hear my heartbeat, could feel Cassie’s steady presence beside me like an anchor.
"Are we clear?" I asked.
Nods around the table. Reluctant, maybe, but submission nonetheless.
"Good. Then this meeting is adjourned."
The drive to my temporary penthouse was quiet, both of us processing what had just happened. I’d drawn lines in blood tonight, made declarations that couldn’t be taken back. The old guard would accept Cassie because I’d given them no choice, but I could feel their disapproval like a weight on my shoulders.
The penthouse was a fortress of glass and steel thirty floors above the city, with views that stretched to the horizon and security that rivaled government installations. It wasn’t home—that had burned to ash two days ago—but it was safe. Protected. Ours.
"They hate me," Cassie said quietly as we stepped off the private elevator.
"They fear you." I helped her out of her coat, noting the way she moved—carefully, like she was protecting something precious. "There’s a difference."
She walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the city lights spread below us like fallen stars. "They think I’m a liability."
"They think you’re the reason I’m changing. And they’re right." I moved to the bar cart, pouring myself three fingers of Jameson. "But change isn’t weakness. It’s evolution."
"Your father?—"
"Built an empire through fear and violence. But maybe there’s another way."
I joined her at the window, studying her reflection in the glass. She looked thoughtful, distant, like she was carrying the weight of decisions I couldn’t see.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked.
"The future." Her hand moved unconsciously to her stomach, a gesture so brief I almost missed it. "What we’re building. Whether it’s worth the cost."
Something in her tone made my chest tighten. "Having second thoughts?"
"No." She turned to face me, and the intensity in her brown eyes took my breath away. "Just... understanding what it means to be part of this world. To choose it every day."
I set down my glass and reached for her hand, not for show or possession, but for the simple comfort of her touch. We’d survived the fire, survived Declan’s betrayal, survived the challenges from the old guard. But I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, the way carrying secrets was wearing her down.
"We’ll figure it out," I breathed. "One day at a time."
She stepped closer, her free hand coming up to rest against my chest. "You don’t have to do this alone anymore, Roman. The burden of leadership, the weight of decisions—you don’t carry it by yourself."
The simple truth of her words hit me like a physical blow. For so long, I’d been the sole authority, the final decision-maker, the man who bore responsibility for every life under my protection. But looking into her eyes, I realized she was right.
I wasn’t alone anymore.
"I love you," I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
