Chapter 10 - Dawn Over Lake Michigan
The dust of the boardroom war settled as quickly as it had risen. The private elevator doors closed on the retreating board members, leaving Ethan and Grace entirely alone in the sprawling, sunlit penthouse office.
Ethan let out a long, slow breath, his shoulders dropping slightly as the adrenaline receded from his system. He turned back toward Grace, his expression softening into something entirely vulnerable, stripped of all corporate armor and boardroom shields.
"Well," Grace said softly, a genuine, tired smile finally breaking across her pale face. "That certainly beats scrubbing hotel floors."
Ethan let out a low, breathless laugh, stepping closer until he was standing right in front of her. He didn't crowd her; he gave her all the space in the world, his hands resting loosely at his sides. "I told you I'd burn it down before I let anyone touch you."
"You're an absolute lunatic, Ethan Sterling," she whispered, though her eyes were shining with a warmth he hadn't seen in years.
"Only when it comes to you." He reached slowly into his pocket, pulling out the small velvet box. He didn't force it into her hands. He opened it, letting the golden ring catch the morning light, and placed it gently on the corner of the desk between them. "I don't expect you to move back in today. I don't expect you to play the corporate wife, and I certainly don't expect things to go back to the way they were."
Grace looked down at the ring, then up into his dark, steady eyes. She saw a man who had stared down his entire board of directors, risked his multi-billion-dollar empire, and humbled himself completely just to earn a second chance.
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"Good," Grace said quietly, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his chest right over his steady, rhythmic heartbeat. "Because this time... we’re building it from scratch."
Ethan wrapped his arms around her, holding her carefully, fiercely, and protectively against his heart as the morning sun flooded the Chicago skyline with a brilliant, golden dawn.
