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“Thank you all for being here,” I began, my voice steady despite the knot in my chest.“Today, I want to address the rumors and speculation surrounding my family and my past.”

The room fell silent, and every eye fixed on me.I took a deep breath as my gaze swept the crowd.“The Nightfang name has been synonymous with corruption for decades.My family’s legacy is one of greed, violence, and exploitation.And for too long, I’ve allowed that legacy to define me.”

I paused, my eyes finding Ariel’s.She gave me a small nod, her expression filled with quiet encouragement.“But today, I’m reclaiming that name.Not for my family’s legacy, but for the future I choose to build.A future rooted in integrity, accountability, and change.”

The room erupted in murmurs, but I pressed on.“To that end, I’m announcing the creation of the Nightfang Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting victims of human trafficking and dismantling the systems that enable it.Every dollar of my personal fortune will be invested in this cause.”

The voices grew louder, but I didn’t stop.“I know this won’t erase the past.It won’t undo the harm my family has caused.But it’s a start.And it’s a promise, to the people who have been hurt, and to myself.I will no longer be defined by the sins of my family.I choose to be defined by the actions I take moving forward.”

The room fell silent for a moment.Then, like a dam breaking, the applause began.It started as a tentative ripple but quickly grew into a thunderous wave.I caught Ariel’s eye again, her small smile a beacon of light in the chaos.

As the questions began, I answered them as honestly as I could.Ariel stood by me throughout, her presence a silent reminder of why I was doing this.It wasn’t just for myself, but for us, for the future we might build together.

When the conference ended, we retreated to a private lounge.As soon as the hotel staff closed the heavy wooden doors, the noise of the reporters faded behind us.I sank into a chair, my hands trembling slightly.Ariel perched on the armrest, her hand resting on my shoulder.

“You did it,” she said softly.

“We did it,” I corrected, looking up at her.“I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Her smile widened, but there was something bittersweet in it.“Yes, you could.You just needed someone there to remind you.”

I pulled her onto my lap.“Maybe.But I’m stronger with you.”

She leaned closer, her lips brushing my forehead in a gentle kiss.“Always.”

For a moment, I let myself be vulnerable, the weight of the day pressing down on me.“I don’t know how to thank you,” I admitted, my voice thick with emotion.

She cupped my face, her gray eyes soft.“You don’t have to thank me.Just keep being you, the man I see when you’re not trying so hard to prove yourself.”

Her words unraveled something tight in my chest.I buried my face in the crook of her neck, breathing in the scent of her.Her arms wrapped around me, holding me together when I felt like I might shatter.

“I love you,” I murmured against her skin, the words slipping out before I could second-guess them.

She stilled for a heartbeat, then pulled back just enough to meet my gaze.Her eyes were bright, searching.“Say that again.”

I swallowed, my throat tight.“I love you, Ariel.I think I have from the moment you stormed into my life.”

Her smile was like dawn breaking.“I love you too, you grumpy, impossible man.”

Chapter 12

ARIEL

The next morning, I woke up expecting to find Sterling beside me, but I rolled over to find cold sheets.A note rested on his pillow, scribbled in his sharp jagged handwriting.

Gone for a run.Don’t start the coffee without me.—S

I smiled, tracing the letters with my finger, imagining him scowling as he wrote it, as if the mere idea of me brewing my own cup without him was some unforgivable betrayal.Even now, after the danger, the late-night confessions, the way he had slowly let me in, he was still Sterling.Grumpy.Disciplined.Impossibly, infuriatingly endearing.

My phone rang on the nightstand.Martha, my agent’s name, flashed across the screen, and I snatched it up before the third ring.

“Ariel,” she said, her voice crackling with the kind of excitement that usually preceded either very good or very bad news.“Tell me you’re sitting down.”

I sat up straighter, the sheets pooling around my waist.“Why?”

“Because,” she said, drawing the word out like she was savoring it, “I just got off the phone with three publishers who are begging for a meeting after reading your draft.That biography on Sterling?They’re drooling over it.No ghostwriting bullshit, Ariel.Your name.On the cover.Your story.”

The room tilted.My throat tightened.“You’re joking.”