PART 12:

Not because I was convenient or easy or uncomplicated, but because he loved me. Really loved me. And I’d chosen him back. All of him. The darkness and the light, the violence and the gentleness, the criminal and the man trying to change. I’d chosen to believe in his capacity for growth, his desire to be better, his love for me that was fierce and protective and absolutely real.

“So when do we tell everyone?” I asked, admiring the ring on my finger. It was beautiful, classic, perfect for me. Now, Christian said decisively. He pulled out his phone, started typing. I’m calling a meeting. all the senior associates. I want everyone to know that you’re not just my secretary anymore, not just my girlfriend.

You’re my fiance. You’re going to be my wife. And anyone who has a problem with that can find employment elsewhere. Christian, you don’t have to. Yes, I do. His expression was fierce. You’re my partner now, Olivia, in business and in life. I want that made clear to everyone. No confusion. No questions, no whispers about whether this is real or just some fling.

Within an hour, Christian’s senior associates were gathered in the conference room, looking confused and slightly nervous about the impromptu meeting. Marcus was there, smiling like he already knew what this was about. Several others looked wary, clearly expecting bad news. Christian stood at the head of the table, his hand firmly clasped in mine.

I’ve called you all here because there are some changes happening in this organization. Changes that affect all of you. The room tensed. I could feel the anxiety radiating from these dangerous men who worked for an even more dangerous man. First, the transition to legitimate business operations continues.

I expect everyone’s full cooperation and discretion during this process. Second, he pulled me closer, his arm around my waist. Olivia Knox is no longer my secretary. She’s my business partner and my fiance. She speaks with my authority. Her decisions are my decisions, and she’s to be afforded the same respect you give me. Shocked silence.

Then Marcus started clapping, and slowly the others joined in. I saw calculation in some eyes, approval in others, but no one dared object. Not to Christian’s face. “Congratulations, boss,” Marcus said, his smile genuine. “She’s good for you. Anyone with eyes can see that.” Christian nodded, accepting the congratulations, but his grip on me never loosened.

He was staking his claim publicly, making sure everyone understood that I was under his protection, that I was his. After the meeting, after we’d accepted congratulations and answered questions about wedding plans we hadn’t even begun to make, Christian pulled me into his private bathroom, pressed me against the door, and kissed me until I couldn’t remember my own name.

“Mine,” he growled against my mouth. “You’re mine, Olivia.” Finally, officially mine. Yours, I agreed breathlessly. Always yours, Christian. His hands were in my hair, on my body, claiming and possessing, and I met his passion with my own. This was us. Fire and intensity, and a love that didn’t fit neatly into any box, a love that required compromise and sacrifice and constant work.

But it was worth it, God. It was worth it. That evening, Christian took me to the same restaurant where we’d had our first official date 3 months ago. The one where he’d shown me off, made it clear to anyone watching that I was his. We sat at the same table, drank the same wine, and this time I had a ring on my finger, and a future stretching out before us.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Christian said, reaching across the table to take my hand. I’m thinking about how much has changed since New Year’s Eve, I said. How different everything is now. Better different or worse different. Better, I said without hesitation. Complicated, scary sometimes, but definitely better.

I’m happier than I’ve ever been. Christian, you make me happy. His smile was soft, genuine, the smile he only ever gave me. You make me want to be someone worthy of your happiness, someone better than I was, someone you can be proud of. I’m already proud of you, I said. I’m proud of how hard you’re working to change.

I’m proud of the man you’re becoming, and I’m proud to be yours. We finished dinner in comfortable conversation, discussing wedding ideas, business plans, the apartment we were looking at together. Normal couple things. like we were normal people with normal lives, not a former crime lord and the woman who’d somehow tamed him. As we left the restaurant, Christian’s arm around my waist, I looked up at the night sky.

It was clear stars visible despite the city lights, and I sent up a silent thank you to whatever force had brought me to that New Year’s Eve, had made me stay late, had sent me out into the snow. Because if I hadn’t, I never would have found this this love, this life, this impossible future with a man who shouldn’t have been mine but somehow was.

👉 [Tap here for the Next Part ] 👈