Chapter 167
Chapter 168
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VENUS
The weeks that followed were a blur, like waking from a dream and realizing it hadn’t ended at all, it had simply followed me home.
Aaron and I worked side by side now, his office my second orbit, my desk carved out as though it had always been waiting for me. And God, did the world notice.
He’d lean over during briefings, not caring who saw, lips brushing the shell of my ear with some comment that made my pulse trip. His hand would linger at my back, not possessive, but a declaration: mine, always mine. And when we thought no one was watching, when in truth everyone was. His gaze would pin me across the room, and the fire in it would have me biting back a smile like a schoolgirl.
Everyone could see it. Everyone.
Even Rosemary, who one afternoon breezed into the office, eyeing the two of us with a grin that spelled trouble. She hugged me, kissed my cheek, and then said with the kind of casual menace only Rosemary Carter could muster:
“You’re glowing,” she noted, eyes glittering with mischief. “Both of you. Don’t make me wait too long for a grandchild, Venus. I’d quite like one before I need a cane p>
I nearly choked on my coffee. I couldn’t see Aaron’s reaction-his head was buried in a file-but he didn’t seem fazed in the slightest by his mother’s words.
“Rose,” I mumbled under my breath, scandal heating my cheeks.
She only arched a brow, supremely satisfied with herself. “What? I’m simply observing p>
The truth was, it wasn’t an unfair observation. We were tangled up in each other more often than not. Nights blurred into days, boardrooms into bedrooms. The fire between us hadn’t cooled with time; it had deepened, sharpened, become something that lived under my skin like oxygen.
And yet, in the middle of that heat, there was peace.
Until one evening, he shattered it himself.
After dinner, after another stolen moment that left my lipstick smeared across his jawline, he pulled me into the living room. No fanfare. No audience. Just him and me, the city’s lights blazing through the glass behind
“Venus,” he said, and my name had never sounded so steady, so final.
I turned. He was holding a ring. A new one. Something chosen with intent, with care, with time. I still had the old one on.
He dropped to one knee.
My heart stopped.
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Chapter 168
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“Marry me. Again. Not because we have to, not because of some silly contract, but because I can’t breathe another day without knowing you’ve chosen this-chosen me-again p>
I had already chosen. God, hadn’t he seen? But the sight of him, the general on his knees for me, tore my chest wide open.
“Yes,” I whispered, then louder, firmer: “Yes, Aaron Sinclair. A thousand times yes p>
He removed the old ring and slid the new one onto my finger. It gleamed like victory.
But when he asked about a wedding-when he half-teased, half-serious suggested something grand and proper-I shook my head with a laugh.
“No. I loved Rome. I loved the madness of it. Wedding planning is work, Aaron. And you’re my husband already. I don’t need the show p>
For a moment, he just stared at me, expression unreadable. Then he pulled me into his lap, crushing me with a kiss that tasted like surrender.
“Fine,” he murmured against my lips. “But don’t think you’re getting out of wearing white for me again p>
Now, weeks later, that ring still felt new on my hand, a weight I adored.
And life-strangely, impossibly-felt good.
This afternoon, I sat curled up with Sabine and Gianna in Sabine’s penthouse, a bottle of wine open between us, sunlight spilling over everything. Gianna paced like a trapped cat, clutching her phone so tightly her knuckles blanched.
“I can’t do this,” she groaned. “I cannot do this. Meet his parents? In London? They’re going to take one look at me and p>
“And fall in love,” Sabine cut in smoothly, sipping her wine. Her Sinclair coolness radiated even in yoga pants. “Gianna, darling, you’re the best thing that ever happened to Lucien Creighton, and believe me, that man knows it. His parents will too p>
Gianna buried her face in her hands. “Easy for you to say. You don’t have to sit across from terrifying British aristocrats while they silently judge every bite you take p>
I laughed softly, reaching to squeeze her knee. “You’re forgetting the most important part: Lucien’s moving heaven and earth for you. Do you know what it means that he’s planning to relocate? To leave London-his London-for New York? That’s not casual, Gi. That’s love in neon lights p>
Her eyes went wide, a little watery. “Romantic, maybe. Terrifying, absolutely p>
Sabine’s smile turned knowing. “And yet you’ll do it. You’ll charm them. Because beneath all your dramatics, you want this as much as he does p>
Gianna groaned again but leaned into us both, her head flopping against my shoulder. “Why are you both so
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Chapter 168
disgustingly wise p>
“Experience,” Sabine quipped.
“Age,” I teased.
60
She slapped my thigh without heat, and we all laughed-the kind of laughter that bubbles over when women who love each other gather and let the walls down.
Sabine, radiant as ever, looked the picture of success these days. Her brand had exploded in reach, thriving beyond even her own lofty expectations, and Connor stood beside her like an unshakable pillar. Their relationship, once a question mark, was now a fortress. She glowed with it—with him.
For a moment, looking at the two of them, at Gianna flushed with nerves and hope, at the wine, the light, the easy joy, I thought:
This is it. Finally. Everything is falling into place.
Gerald was still out there, yes. A shadow on the horizon. But we were gaining on him. The net was tightening. He was no longer untouchable.
For once, happiness felt like it wasn’t borrowed time.
I let myself believe it.
Too soon.
Because even as I leaned back into the sofa, laughing at Gianna’s frantic rehearsals of how to say hello in an appropriately British way, my phone buzzed.
A message.
I spoke too soon didn’t I?
I
色
AD
Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.