Roses and Ruins

hoed through the night. Inside, the golden chandeliers swayed gently, casting flickering shadows on

e downpour. The city sprawled before her, grand and glittering, a labyrinth of ancient streets and modern skyscr

st friend in their bed. Rose didn't need to see them; she'd seen enough, heard enough. The lipstick on his collar tw

s she'd ignored, the whispers she'd dismissed. She thought she'd had a

through the storm, his tone laced with

f-dressed and sheepish, yet arrogant. "You're getting drenc

laced with venom. She knew she was more than j

irk returning. "You're overreacting, Rose.

ap echoing through the storm. "Don't reduce me to a paw

. "You forget whose empire this is," he sn

, her words cutting deep. She'd been more than just a wife; she'

he early mornings, the countless meetings and deals she'd brokered. H

r, Lorenzo spoke again, his voice low and cruel. "You'll leave with nothing, Rose. Th

gned papers, but she'd thought it was just routi

ntinued, smug. "That's the thing about

es blazing. "You should've remembered – roses hav

irrelevant, and her former friends labeled her insane. Lorenzo didn't call at all, having taken everyt

aly, left Europe. She'd moved to Milan, then Berlin, then final

essness, Rose learned the secrets of the financial underground. She studied the markets

. She devoured books, attended seminars, and networked with industry

ld rise from the ashes, precise and calcul

om she'd never known before. She was no longer the trophy wife, no longer

her game. A pawn she would soon take gr

t researching, scheming, and plotting. Killian Rizzo 's guidance was invaluable, but Rose knew she

g to gain. She would take back what was hers, and more. She wou

cold, calculated smile. She was no longer the naive, trusting wife sh

e. She gathered allies, formed partnerships, and made strateg

t her, to gloat over his victory. But Rose knew the truth. She knew that power

o strike. And when she did, Lorenzo would be caught o

d ugliness that lay beneath. Rose knew that Rome, like any city, was a complex web

ared into the night, her eyes fixed on the pri

champagne and celebrating his victory. He'd won the ba

shment. He'd built an empire, and he'd done it all on his own terms.

ting it to be one of his associates or perhaps a business partner. But instea

o," the voice said. "Everything you've w

htened. "Who is this?" he deman

ing Lorenzo with more questions than answers. W

tainty. But he pushed it aside, attributing it to mere paranoia. After

he t

on, and Rose was j