Chapter 10 - The Final Vow In The Penthouse Above Manhattan*
The sun was beginning to set over the Manhattan skyline, painting the sky in violent shades of amber, violet, and deep crimson. Far below us, the city hummed with its endless, frantic energy, but inside the fourteenth-floor penthouse, there was only peace.
The photographer had packed up his equipment hours ago, leaving behind a series of proofs on the dining room table. In every single shot, the cold, untouchable billionaire Alessandro Duca was smiling—not with the practiced, razor-sharp smirk of a corporate titan, but with the unguarded, radiant joy of a man who had finally found his family.
Mia was fast asleep in her custom nursery, exhausted from a day of being the undisputed ruler of the Duca empire.
I sat on the edge of the sprawling balcony overlooking the glittering expanse of the city, wrapped in a heavy cashmere blanket. The evening air was crisp with the first chill of autumn, carrying the faint scent of rain and distant traffic.
Footsteps approached quietly from behind.
A warm, heavy weight settled over my shoulders as Alessandro draped his suit jacket around me, sliding onto the outdoor sofa beside me. He poured two glasses of vintage champagne, handing one to me before raising his own.
“To ninety days in the laundry room,” Alessandro said softly, his gray eyes catching the golden glow of the city lights below.
I clinked my glass against his, a quiet, knowing smile playing on my lips. “To the best security breach in corporate history.”
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He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me tightly against his side as we watched the city lights flicker on one by one across the horizon. We had started in the dark, surviving on scraps of cash and hidden moments in a forbidden hallway. Now, standing atop the world in a house of glass, we weren't hiding anymore.
We were home.
