Chapter 10 - The Sovereign of the City
The grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel looked radically different than it had on the night of Ethan’s ruined wedding.
Gone were the pretentious, suffocating white lilies and the elitist snobbery that had defined the Vance family. Tonight, the ballroom was filled with laughter, vibrant colors, and real celebration. Ava was hosting the inaugural David Bennett Foundation Gala, an event dedicated to providing scholarships and seed funding to underprivileged female engineers and working-class students.
Waitstaff moved through the crowd with dignity, paid three times the standard city wage, treated with respect by every guest in attendance.
Ava walked through the crowd, greeted by the city’s mayor, Nobel laureates, and young students whose lives had already been changed by her foundation. She wore a stunning emerald green gown, radiating an elegance that didn't demand attention—it commanded it effortlessly.
Near the back of the room, near the very exit where Ethan had once grabbed her wrist and told her she didn't belong, Ava stopped.
She looked down at the polished marble floor.
For a fleeting second, she saw the ghost of herself: trembling, covered in red wine, holding a broken silver rosary, terrified and alone while the world laughed.
"Look at you now," a deep voice rumbled beside her.
Dominic stood there, holding two glasses of sparkling cider. He handed one to her, his dark eyes brimming with pride.
Ava took the glass and clinked it against his.
"To the girl who survived the storm," Ava said softly.
"And to the queen who conquered the empire," Dominic replied, clinking his glass against hers.
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As the orchestra swelled into a triumphant symphony, Ava looked out across the magnificent ballroom. The city that had once tried to crush her now bowed at her feet. She had not only reclaimed her father’s legacy; she had built an untouchable sanctuary of love, power, and justice.
The vultures had fed. But the phoenix had reclaimed the sky.
