Outside the conference room doors, Chloe had a strange and unexpected confidence regarding the certainty of where her life would go from here. She would grieve Christopher, once again, in her own way and in her own time, but her new life would be falling into place.
“Are you ready?” David asked.
“They won’t accept a woman in the role.”
“They will,” David assured her. “They have always known you would be Matthew’s successor because you’re his daughter.”
“But I’m not his daughter,” Chloe said harshly.
“They don’t know that,” David pointed out.
“They should,” Chloe said. “They deserve to know the truth.”
David smiled, obviously not wanting to broach that subject just yet. “I have complete faith in your abilities and they will too. You may have to prove yourself for a little while, but you have already demonstrated that you are willing to do whatever it takes to protect yourself and your Family. Right now, you just have to believe in yourself.”
Chloe thought back to the reunion conversation where she reminded Matthew that one day his throne would be hers and she would take power with more grace and tolerance than he ever had. She nodded her head and squared her shoulders.
The chatter in the conference room turned to greeting as David and Chloe entered. The visiting underbosses had welcoming smiles on their faces, some genuine and some forced, but as handshakes and hugs were exchanged, curiosity most likely filled more than one mind as eyes wandered to the patches of blood adorning her evening gown.
“Gentlemen, thank you all for being here,” David said as he took his seat, Chloe sitting on his right and the others returning to their respective seats.
David began the meeting with a detailed account of what had happened in the Red Room, no apology or sense of loss over Matthew. More than a few of the men were surprised when they heard about Crescent and Christopher. David requested they all be present for Christopher’s burial, but as for Matthew, his overwhelmed and grieving public would be all he would need. Chloe knew not one of the men in the room cared that Matthew was no longer among the living.
“As you have all already deduced, as his daughter, Renee will succeed to his position and take over where he left off. Let me assure each and every one of you that I have the utmost confidence that she will turn New England around and right his wrongs. I welcome any comments, questions, or objections any of you may have.”
Denver stood and addressed Chloe. “First, let me say that I have no objections to the appointment. I do, however, have a question. You have been gone for many years, and before you left, you were simply a madam. Are you sure you’re ready?”
There was a confidence in her that was different than she had ever felt before. “It’s true that before I left I was simply a madam, but look at what I accomplished in all those years. The companions were bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars weekly. With the exception of one unfortunate incident, none of them were unhappy or mistreated under my command. During that time, I made it my business to learn all I could. Before I left, I knew all of the inner workings of the business, including books, management, collections, construction, and loans.”
“For reasons that I simply cannot even begin to understand, he gave away a casino in Atlantic City to Madeline Frost,” said Paddy.
“Madeline used her knowledge of where to find me to get the casino. Make no mistake, gentlemen, I will get that casino back and I will get it back tonight.”
The tone of her voice and the sternness of her look told all that she was steadfast in her resolve and she would prove to them that she would be a respected and successful colleague.
As Denver sat down, Chloe stood up. “Gentlemen, I will be the first to admit that I don’t have the experience you do, but it is important for you to know that I am not my father. This business is a business, and it will be treated as such. I do not seek to solely benefit myself; we do what we do for the benefit of the Family that has provided for us all these years. I ask that you don’t judge me based on my father’s actions, judge me based on mine.”
Salt Lake City stood. “We have all heard rumors and stories about the reasons for your disappearance, and, to be honest, were more than surprised when we saw your dead fiancé at the party tonight. While I am not seeking specific answers, I feel the need to ask if there is a chance you will disappear again.”
“That’s not even a worry to lose sleep over,” Tempest said as he stood and extended his hand to Chloe. “You will be a pleasant and welcome addition to the administration of this Family.”
Chloe smiled at him and took his hand as the other men in the room stood to applaud Chloe’s succession. David could do nothing but smile. Chloe knew David now had his Family exactly as he wanted it and nothing would be changing that fact in the near future.
Chloe looked to Jack and he gave her a knowing smile. “There is one thing I would like to make clear. The circumstances of my disappearance are my own and I appreciate you all allowing me to keep that private. While I was gone, I had a new life and was finally my own person. For the past eight years I have been known as Chloe Riggs, and from this moment on, that distinctiveness remains. I have no problem with any of you remembering me as Renee, but I ask that you try to remember that I now go by a different name.”
“May I ask why?” Denver asked.
“Because I want as little personal connection to Matthew Parnell as possible. I don’t want the name any more than I want to admit he was my father.”
Understanding crossed all of their faces as a quick knock came at the door and a young man poked his head in, nodded at David, and closed the door.
“Gentlemen, please excuse us,” David said, and turned to Chloe. “We have a task to attend to.”
Chloe stopped at the door and turned back to her colleagues. “If anyone would like to watch me get the casino back, you are welcome to join us. Mr. Parsons, you may find our errand of particular interest.”