Chapter 5 - A Kingdom Reclaimed
Three months later, the private terrace of a stunning penthouse overlooking Central Park was bathed in the warm, golden glow of an autumn sunset.
I stood by the wrought-iron railing, wearing a custom emerald-green silk dress that hugged my figure perfectly, a glass of vintage champagne resting lightly in my hand.
The past ninety days had been nothing short of a rebirth.
The patent portfolio I had secretly developed during my years in architectural preservation had been successfully launched under my own independent firm, Arthur & Vance Innovations, backed by a hundred-million-dollar venture capital fund managed by Julian. Whitmore & Associates had folded under the weight of its financial scandals and lost partnerships, while Ethan—having been stripped of his title, his home, and his social standing—had reportedly moved back in with his mother in New Jersey.
As for Tiffany? She had packed her bags and flown back to London within two weeks of the scandal, realizing too late that Ethan without money, status, or influence was simply a burden she had no interest in carrying.
Footsteps approached softly from behind.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a warm, solid chest, while a familiar chin rested gently on my shoulder.
“You look entirely too dangerous in that dress, Clara,” Julian murmured, pressing a soft kiss against the sensitive skin just below my ear.
I smiled, leaning back into his embrace, lifting my left hand to catch the fading sunlight against the heavy antique Edwardian emerald ring.
“Dangerous is good,” I murmured, turning around in his arms to face him. “It keeps people from trying to take things that don't belong to them.”
Julian looked down at me, his amber-flecked eyes shining with an intensity and devotion that still made my heart race every single time he looked my way.
“You know, when I brought you that ring at the St. Regis, I promised to show you what it means to be chosen first,” Julian said softly, his thumbs tracing the line of my cheekbones. “Do you feel chosen yet?”
I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him down until our lips were just an inch apart.
May you like
“Every single second, Julian,” I whispered.
And as he kissed me beneath the fading Manhattan sky, surrounded by a life I had built with my own hands and a man who loved me without conditions, I knew that the best thing Ethan ever did for me was walk out the door.
