Chapter 7 - The Billionaire’s Heart
One Year Later.
The sun was setting over the Manhattan skyline, casting a golden glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Carter Foundation's executive suite.
I sat behind my massive mahogany desk, reviewing the final blueprints for the new domestic violence trauma center we were funding. The center was my passion project—a safe haven for women who felt trapped, providing them with legal resources, housing, and protection. As the official Vice President of the Foundation, I had poured my heart into it.
The door to my office opened, and Ethan walked in.
He wasn't wearing his suit jacket. His tie was loosened, and he looked incredibly handsome. It had been a year since Andrew was sentenced to fifteen years in federal prison. It had been a year since I took my life back.
But more importantly, it had been a year of healing, of slow, beautiful moments, and of falling completely, unconditionally in love with the man who had saved my life.
Ethan walked around my desk and gently pulled the blueprints from my hands. "You promised you were leaving at five," he murmured, leaning down to press a soft kiss against my neck.
I smiled, leaning back into his chest, entirely comfortable in his embrace. "I know. I just wanted to finalize the budget for the new wing. We break ground next week."
Ethan spun my chair around so I was facing him. He looked down at me, the same fierce, protective devotion in his gray eyes that I had seen on the night of the gala. But now, there was something deeper. Something permanent.
"The foundation can wait until Monday," Ethan said softly. He reached into the pocket of his trousers. "Because there is a much more pressing matter we need to discuss."
My breath hitched as Ethan Carter, the ruthless billionaire CEO, slowly dropped to one knee in front of my desk.
He pulled out a small velvet box and opened it. Inside rested a breathtaking, flawless diamond ring. It wasn't a heavy, suffocating chain like the one Andrew had given me. It was elegant, brilliant, and full of light.
"Eleven months as my assistant," Ethan whispered, taking my hand in his. "One year as my Vice President. But Ava... I want you for the rest of my life as my wife. You are my heart. You are my equal. Will you marry me?"
Tears of pure, absolute joy filled my eyes. I looked at the man who had seen my darkest secrets, who had fought my demons, and who had loved me back to life.
"Yes," I breathed, sliding out of my chair and falling to my knees right in front of him. "Yes, Ethan. Absolutely yes."
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He slipped the ring onto my finger, pulling me into a deep, passionate kiss. The scars of the past were gone, replaced by the brilliant, unbroken promise of our future.
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