Chapter 10 - Venice, Twice
Six months later, the evening air in Venice was warm, heavy with the scent of saltwater, blooming jasmine, and roasted espresso drifting from the piazza cafes.
The canals shimmered beneath a blanket of golden twilight, reflecting the flickering lanterns strung across the stone bridges. Crowds of tourists in elaborate velvet masks and feathered costumes laughed and sang as gondolas glided silently past beneath the arches.
Mila Hart stood on the stone balcony of a private palazzo overlooking the Grand Canal, wearing a simple, elegant dark silk dress that caught the evening breeze.
Her life as an underground intelligence analyst, a hunted corporate fugitive, and a terrified mid-level employee was a lifetime away.
Crane International had successfully absorbed the remnants of Meridian Holdings, restructuring the conglomerate into a global philanthropic and tech coalition, with Mila installed as its senior director of international compliance.
Footsteps echoed softly on the hardwood floor behind her.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her back against a solid, familiar chest. A chin rested gently on her shoulder, and the clean, cold scent of winter pine and expensive cologne filled her senses.
“You’re quiet tonight,” Thomas murmured, his voice rich with quiet amusement against her ear.
Mila leaned back into his embrace, turning her head slightly to press a soft kiss against his jawline, right over the faint scar she had memorized in the dark.
“I was just thinking about how ridiculous we were,” she whispered with a smile.
“Ridiculous?” Thomas raised an eyebrow, tightening his arms around her waist. “Speak for yourself. I knew the exact second I wanted to marry you.”
Mila laughed, turning around in his arms to face him. She reached up, gently tracing the hard line of his jaw.
“Oh really? Was that when I kissed a complete stranger in a Venetian alley wearing a cheap plastic mask?”
“That was when I realized you were the only person in the world who wasn't afraid of me,” Thomas corrected softly.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, dark velvet box. He didn't kneel—that wasn't Thomas’s style. Instead, he looked straight into her eyes with an intensity that made her breath catch, just as it had the first time they met.
He popped the box open, revealing a brilliant, flawless diamond ring that caught the golden twilight reflecting off the water.
“No masks this time, Mila,” Thomas said quietly, his voice dropping into a register of absolute, unbreakable devotion. “No running. No secrets.”
Mila looked down at the ring, then up into the dark, steady eyes of the man who had torn down an empire just to keep her safe.
She smiled, sliding her arms around his neck, pulling him down until their lips were barely a whisper apart.
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“I thought you’d never ask, Mr. Crane.”
And as his mouth met hers against the backdrop of the Venetian lights, she knew for certain that some mistakes were worth every consequence in the world.
