I stood in front of the mirror, dragging the red lipstick across my lips with steady precision. The color was loud and unapologetic, just like I needed to be. No smudges. No mistakes. This red wasn't for seduction, It was for war.
The silence in the suite was comforting, it was an armor against the noise I knew awaited me beyond the door. I straightened my silk blouse, adjusted the lapels of my jacket, and slid on my Louboutins.
My reflection stared back, cold, composed, powerful. There was no trace of the girl Gideon had once dragged into his world, no sign of the bloodied 18-year-old who'd been thrown to wolves and forced to learn how to bite.
When I opened the door, he was there, just as he had always been.
Elias Rivas.
He fell in step behind me without a word, his presence quiet but thunderous. Elias had been my bodyguard since the night I became Gideon Voss's wife. Seven years. That was how long he'd stood beside me, behind me, in front of me, whenever the situation demanded.
He was tall and built like a monument carved from stone, broad shoulders straining the black fabric of his suit. His face was always expressionless; completely unreadable. His eyes were always sharp, assessing, and cold.
His loyalty was unswerving, his violence precise. And though we rarely spoke more than necessary, I knew I could trust him with my life. He was my shield, and I was the crown he protected.
The click of my heels echoed through the halls as we made our way to the conference room. I knew what was waiting for me. I had seen it in their eyes the last few weeks. I had seen the hesitation, the doubt, the quiet rebellion festering beneath forced allegiance.
The empire was vulnerable with Gideon comatose. But I was going to take care of it, and to do that, I needed to take care of the problem within; insubordination.
I pushed the doors open and stepped into the room like it belonged to me, because it did.
There were fifteen of them seated at the long mahogany table, each man older, greyer, smug in the illusion that their years granted them authority. A few stood when I entered. Most didn't. Elias stood by the door, hands behind his back, eyes sweeping the room with lethal calm.
"Let's begin," I said, settling at the head of the table. My voice cut through the room sharply and coldly.
Julius, a fat little man with too many rings and not enough spine, leaned forward. "Mrs. Voss, with all due respect—"
"Don't start with 'respect' if you're going to vomit insubordination." I cut him short. I knew what he would say, I knew he wanted to challenge my fitness to rule.
He blinked, clearly not expecting the interruption. "We were merely discussing whether you have the experience to lead this organization. It's nothing personal."
Everything in this business was personal.
I smiled tightly, venomously. "You mean to ask if I'm capable of leading my an empire built by my husband who's lying unconscious in a hospital bed? Should be too hard."
That earned a chuckle from someone but was quickly stifled as Julius's face hardened.
"You were Don Gideon's wife not his successor." He said. "The throne of the empire isn't something you can just inherit."
No?
"I'm not inheriting it, I'm taking it." I corrected him.
He gritted his teeth. He looked like he was about to say more but I spoke first.
"I understand you've all gotten used to answering to a man," I said. "But here's the thing; you're going to start answering to me."
"Or what?" someone murmured from the end of the table.
My smile didn't falter. I had seen this coming after all.
Elias moved before I even gave the signal, pulling out his silencer. The man who spoke, Angelo, barely had time to rise before Elias grabbed him by the collar and slammed his head against the table. Papers scattered and coffee spilled.
"I don't like repeating myself," I said calmly.
Angelo groaned beneath Elias's grip, blood pouring from his temple. He tried to struggle but there was only so much he could do. Elias was younger, stronger, and so much more deadly than he ever could be.
I rose from my seat slowly, every movement deliberate. I stepped around the table, heels tapping softly, until I was beside Angelo. His eyes were wide now, blinking up at me in disbelief.
"You wanted to know 'or what,'" I whispered, pulling a gun from the holster under my jacket. "Here's your answer."
I pressed the barrel to his temple. His eyes were wide as he stared up at me. Not just his, the entire board watched wide-eyed. I could tell they held their breath in anticipation of what I would do next.
He whimpered. "Please—"
He was begging now? That didn't stop me from pulling the trigger.
The gunshot was sharp, deafening in the stillness of the room. Blood splattered across the wood and onto Julius's sleeve. Angelo's body slumped in Elias's grip, then hit the floor with a thud when Elias let go.
I didn't flinch. I didn't look away. This was the first time I had taken a man's life, but it meant nothing to me, nothing at all.
"Let that serve as your warning," I said as I holstered my gun and turned to face the rest of them. "Anyone who questions my authority will end up like him."
One of the younger lieutenants tried to hide the way his hands trembled. Julius looked like he might vomit and I was more than glad.
"Clean this up," I ordered, stepping over the body. "I have an empire to run."
Then I walked out, my heels c
licking steadily against the floor. Behind me, Elias followed like as always.