Sovereign of the Seven Armies

A Dress Fit for a Queen

"I do not care how much the black market broker wants. Pay the three million dollars for the banquet invitations right now."

Evelyn Lin screamed into her gold plated cell phone. She paced violently back and forth across her extravagant living room.

Her wrists were still deeply bruised from the heavy police handcuffs. She had just spent the last twenty four hours locked in a filthy holding cell. It cost her a massive percentage of her remaining cash to bribe the police chief for an early release.

Flint Lin sat slumped on the expensive leather sofa. He held a bag of frozen peas over his swollen black eye.

"We have to get inside that banquet tonight," Flint groaned in pain. "The new supreme billionaire who bought my company will be there. We need to fall on our knees and beg him to give our assets back."

"We will do exactly that," Evelyn sneered. She finally disconnected the call. "I will offer him whatever he wants. I will offer him our total obedience."

“You don't think it is Ryker, do you?” Flint was skeptical. He thought of what Ryker had done, Evelyn was quite too

“No, it can't be him. He might have connections with some low rank commander. Once we get that supreme today, we'll show him”

Evelyn walked over to the mirror and desperately tried to reapply her expensive makeup. She needed to look perfect for the mysterious new king of the city.

"Do you think Chloe is going to show up?" Flint asked nervously.

Evelyn let out a loud cruel laugh. The sound was completely devoid of any maternal love.

"That stupid girl is probably begging for scraps outside a public soup kitchen," Evelyn mocked. "She chose to leave with that sick piece of trash. Let her starve on the dirty sidewalk."

Flint nodded in agreement. He felt absolutely no remorse for stealing his niece's legacy.

"She is ruined," Flint said smugly. "She does not even own a dress nice enough to get past the parking valets."

Two miles away in the absolute center of the Argyle Fashion District a black luxury sedan pulled up to the curb.

"Are you sure we are allowed to be in here?" Chloe whispered.

She tugged nervously at the frayed hem of her faded cotton sweater. She felt completely out of place standing on the pristine white cobblestones.

The Argyle Fashion District was heavily guarded. It was reserved exclusively for billionaires and international royalty.

Ryker placed a warm reassuring hand on the small of her back.

"You belong wherever you want to be," Ryker said calmly. He gently guided her toward the largest and most extravagant boutique on the street.

The gold lettering above the glass doors spelled the word Lumiere.

Ryker pushed the heavy glass doors open. The interior of the boutique looked more like a museum than a clothing store. Rare silk gowns were displayed inside bulletproof glass cases.

The store manager immediately walked over to them. She wore a sharp black suit and a deeply judgmental scowl.

The manager looked Chloe up and down. She openly sneered at the cheap worn out sneakers on Chloe's feet.

"Excuse me," the manager said loudly. Her voice dripped with pure condescension. "The public charity shelter is three blocks down the street."

Chloe felt her face burn with deep humiliation. She instinctively took a step backward toward the exit.

She was so used to being treated like garbage by the city elite. Her spirit had been crushed entirely over the last three years.

Ryker did not step backward. He stepped directly between his wife and the arrogant manager.

"We are here to buy a dress for the Grand Banquet tonight," Ryker stated coldly.

The manager let out a short mocking laugh.

"The cheapest scarf in this room costs fifty thousand dollars," the manager sneered. "You look like you just crawled out of a dumpster. Leave my store right now before I call the district security."

Ryker did not argue with the woman. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his encrypted phone.

He dialed his lethal lieutenant.

"Vesper," Ryker said calmly into the receiver. "I am standing inside the main Lumiere boutique. Buy the entire global brand."

The manager crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. She thought it was a pathetic comedy routine.

"I want the current owners liquidated," Ryker commanded. "Complete the acquisition in ten seconds."

Ryker put the phone back into his pocket.

The manager opened her mouth to order them out again. Before she could speak the boutique's private landline began to ring violently.

The manager walked over to the marble counter and picked up the receiver with an annoyed sigh.

"Lumiere flagship store," she answered sharply.

Her annoyed expression vanished instantly. The color completely drained from her face. Her jaw dropped open in pure unadulterated shock.

"Yes Chairman," the manager stammered weakly. Her entire body began to shake. "A hostile takeover? The entire brand? But that is impossible."

She slowly turned her head and looked at Ryker. The tall quiet soldier was staring back at her with eyes as cold as a frozen grave.

"Yes sir," the manager whispered into the phone. "I understand. I will serve them immediately."

The manager dropped the phone onto the marble counter. Her knees buckled beneath her. She rushed back over to Ryker and Chloe.

She did not sneer this time. She fell directly to her knees on the pristine floor.

"I am so sorry," the manager cried desperately. "Please forgive my absolute ignorance. I did not know you were the new owner."

Ryker looked down at the groveling woman.

"Lock the front doors," Ryker ordered coldly. "Shut down the entire store to the public. Bring my wife your absolute best gown."

The manager scrambled to her feet. She sprinted toward the entrance and locked the heavy glass doors. She flipped the open sign to closed with trembling fingers.

"Right this way Madam," the manager begged Chloe. She gestured frantically toward the private VIP dressing suite. "Please let me serve you."

Chloe looked at Ryker in total disbelief. He just bought a global luxury fashion house simply because a manager insulted her shoes.

Ryker offered her a gentle encouraging smile.

Thirty minutes later the heavy velvet curtains of the VIP suite slowly pulled back.

Chloe stood frozen in front of the massive three way mirror. She could not stop staring at her own reflection.

She did not recognize the woman looking back at her.

She was wearing the Tears of the Heavens gown. It was a masterpiece of pure white silk completely covered in thousands of tiny hand stitched diamonds. The dress hugged her slender frame perfectly before flowing down into a magnificent sweeping train.

The boutique staff had washed her hair and styled it into an elegant sweeping updo. They had applied light delicate makeup that highlighted her striking natural beauty.

For three years she had seen nothing but dark circles and exhaustion in the mirror. She had completely forgotten what it felt like to be beautiful.

Chloe raised her hands. Her fingers were still rough and callused from scrubbing hospital floors. They stood in stark contrast to the flawless million dollar diamonds on her chest.

She felt a massive lump form tightly in her throat. The sheer emotional weight of the transformation hit her all at once.

Ryker stepped quietly into the dressing room.

He stood behind her in the mirror. He was wearing a custom tailored black tuxedo that made his broad shoulders look incredibly intimidating. He looked like a dark terrifying god of war.

Ryker reached into his pocket. He pulled out a heavy velvet box and clicked it open.

Inside rested a legendary sapphire necklace. The massive blue gemstone glowed with an ancient deep oceanic light.

Ryker gently unclasped the necklace. He reached around Chloe's neck and secured the heavy sapphire against her collarbone.

His warm fingers brushed softly against her bare skin. A violent shiver ran straight down her spine.

"Ryker," Chloe whispered softly. A single tear of pure joy threatened to ruin her makeup. "This is too much. I do not deserve this."

"You deserve the entire world," Ryker replied firmly. He placed his large hands gently on her bare shoulders.

He looked directly into her eyes through the mirror.

"You sold your own clothes to buy my medication," Ryker said. His voice was thick with heavy raw emotion. "You starved so I could heal. You gave up your entire youth for a broken man."

Chloe covered her mouth to muffle a soft sob. He had remembered every single sacrifice.

"You are not a beggar Chloe," Ryker told her. "You are the true queen of this city. Tonight we are going to remind everyone exactly who you are."

Chloe took a deep shaky breath. She stood up perfectly straight. The heavy crushing weight of the last three years finally fell completely away.

She was no longer the abused daughter of the Lin family. She was the wife of the Dragon Sovereign.

"I am ready," Chloe said quietly.

Ryker offered her his arm. She took it firmly.

They walked out of the boutique together. The manager bowed so deeply her forehead nearly touched the floor as they passed.

When Ryker pushed the heavy glass doors open the entire street was completely empty of regular traffic.

A massive convoy of ten armored black Rolls Royce Phantoms idled silently at the curb.

Fifty Vanguard operatives stood in perfect military formation around the vehicles. They wore sharp black suits and dark sunglasses. They looked like an army of lethal shadows.

Vesper Nguyen stood by the rear door of the lead Phantom. She bowed respectfully and pulled the heavy armored door open for them.

"The banquet hall is secure Sovereign," Vesper reported sharply. "The city elite are all present and waiting."

Ryker helped Chloe into the luxurious leather interior of the Rolls Royce.

"Let us go meet the Mayor," Ryker commanded.