Chapter 10 - THE PERMANENT UNION
The meeting with Marcus Thorne took place in a dark office downtown.
Ethan arrived alone,
carrying a leather briefcase.
Thorne was waiting,
a smug smile on his face.
“So,
the king has come to negotiate,”
Thorne said.
“I’m not here to negotiate,”
Ethan replied.
He opened the briefcase and slid a file across the desk.
Thorne opened it and his smile vanished.
Inside were records of Thorne’s own illegal dealings.
Offshore accounts,
bribes,
and a secret history of corporate espionage.
“I’ve had my team digging too,
Marcus,”
Ethan said.
“If a single word about Maya reaches the press,”
“this file goes to the SEC.”
“And the FBI.”
“You’ll be in a cell by morning.”
Thorne looked at the documents,
his face turning a sickly shade of gray.
“You’re bluffing,”
he whispered.
“Try me,”
Ethan said,
his voice like a razor.
“I don't care about the money anymore,
Marcus.”
“I don't care about the company.”
“I only care about her.”
“And I will burn the world down to keep her safe.”
Thorne knew he was beaten.
He reached into his desk and pulled out a digital drive.
“Here,”
he said,
tossing it to Ethan.
“It’s all I have.”
Ethan took the drive and walked to the door.
“Don't ever cross my path again,”
he said.
He walked out of the building and into the sunlight.
The air felt clean for the first time in years.
He drove back to the mountains,
his heart light.
He found Maya in the garden,
sitting among the wildflowers.
She looked up and smiled,
the sun catching her amber eyes.
“You’re back,”
she said.
Ethan walked to her and dropped to one knee.
He didn't have a ring,
he didn't have a speech.
He only had his truth.
“I’ve spent my life building things that could break,”
he said.
“But I want to build something with you that won't.”
“I want you to be my wife,
Maya.”
“Not for a season,
but for a lifetime.”
Maya stared at him,
her eyes filling with tears.
“Ethan,”
she whispered.
“I don't have a dress,”
she joked,
a sob breaking through her laughter.
“You have everything you need,”
he said.
“You have me.”
She reached out and pulled him toward her.
“Yes,”
she said.
“A thousand times,
yes.”
They were married in a small chapel near the house.
No press,
no business associates,
no costumes.
Just them,
and the mountains.
As they stood before the altar,
Ethan looked into her eyes.
He remembered the night in the penthouse.
He remembered the promise he had made.
“I’ll make sure you never regret this,”
he said again.
Maya smiled,
her hand in his.
“I already don't.”
The story of the cold CEO was over.
The story of a man who found himself through love had begun.
They lived a life of color,
of light,
and of a passion that never faded.
Ethan Vale was still a man who feared nothing.
But now,
he had something to live for.
He had found his heart,
and he was never going to let it go.
The silence was gone,
replaced by the music of a life well-lived.
And that night,
and every night after,
May you like
was perfect.
The end.
