Chapter 10 - The Horizon Ahead
Six months later, the penthouse suite on the fortieth floor of the Grand Aurelia looked entirely different.
The heavy, austere minimalism had been softened. On the mahogany desk sat a small crystal vase filled with fresh white lilies. On the bookshelf beside the floor-to-ceiling windows rested framed photographs of Brooklyn brownstones, sunny afternoons in Central Park, and—at the center—a picture of Tristan and me laughing together on the deck of a container ship leaving the port of Antwerp.
I stood by the window of the executive office on the seventy-first floor, holding a steaming mug of peppermint tea, watching the morning sun paint the Manhattan skyline in shades of gold and amber.
The door behind me clicked open.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me back against a solid, familiar chest. A warm chin rested comfortably on my shoulder.
"You're staring at the shipping manifests again," Tristan murmured, his voice rich and sleepy against my ear.
"I'm reviewing the Pacific fleet optimization reports," I corrected playfully, leaning back into his embrace. "And for your information, our transit times to Singapore are down by twelve percent."
"You're obsessed," he chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to the crook of my neck.
"I learned from the best CEO in the business."
Tristan turned me around in his arms, his dark eyes locking onto mine with that fierce, unwavering devotion that still made my heart skip a beat every single day.
"The business can wait," he whispered, sliding his hand down to intertwine his fingers with mine. "Today is Saturday. We have reservations at that little bistro in Brooklyn, and then we're driving up to the Hudson Valley for the weekend."
I smiled, resting my hands against the lapel of his shirt.
"No phones?"
"No phones," he promised. "No emails, no board meetings, and no corporate espionage."
"Deal," I said.
May you like
As we stood together looking out over the sprawling, limitless expanse of the city below, I thought back to the rainy night I had bolted out of his bedroom in sheer terror, convinced my life was over. I had thought I was walking into a trap.
Instead, I had walked straight into my future.
