Chapter 17 - The Foundation Gala|
At seven o'clock that evening, the grand ballroom of the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago was filled with light, music, and over three hundred prominent city leaders, philanthropists, and business partners.
Unlike the icy, tense atmosphere of Isabella’s engagement party six weeks ago, the room was filled with warmth, laughter, and genuine celebration.
I stood near the main stage, wearing an elegant dark emerald silk gown that fell gracefully to the floor, my hair swept up into an intricate style. On my left hand, a simple, stunning emerald-cut diamond ring caught the golden chandelier light—a promise ring Gabriel had given me two weeks ago.
Gabriel stood beside me, looking drop-dead gorgeous in his black tuxedo, his arm wrapped firmly and possessively around my waist.
Beside us, sitting proudly on a raised chair, was Sophie, wearing a matching dark green lace dress, her purple butterfly hearing aids gleaming under the lights.
The master of ceremonies stepped up to the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer echoed across the hall. “Please welcome the Chairman of DeLuca Global Logistics, Mr. Gabriel DeLuca.”
The room erupted into warm applause.
Gabriel kissed my cheek, stepped up to the podium, and adjusted the microphone. His dark eyes scanned the silent, respectful crowd.
“Four years ago,” Gabriel began, his deep voice carrying clearly to every corner of the room, “I believed that strength meant isolation. I thought that keeping my doors locked and my heart cold was the only way to protect what belonged to me.”
He turned his head, looking directly at Sophie and me standing at the edge of the stage.
“I was wrong,” Gabriel continued softly. “Real strength isn't built in iron vaults or legal contracts. Real strength is found in the courage of a little girl who refused to be silenced, and the extraordinary woman who gave her a voice when the world was dark.”
He raised his glass high.
“To Hannah, to Sophie, and to a family that no force on earth will ever break again.”
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The entire ballroom stood up, breaking into thunderous, standing applause.
I smiled through my tears as Gabriel stepped off the stage, pulling Sophie and me into a tight, warm embrace under the golden lights.
