Chapter 20 - Empire of Our OwnThe morning sun rose over Lake Michigan, painting the sky in brilliant shades of gold, magenta, and amber, exactly as it had a year ago.
I stood on the private balcony of our penthouse, holding a mug of hot coffee, watching the city wake up beneath us. The air was crisp with the promise of autumn, clean and sharp and entirely our own.
Behind me, the balcony door slid open, and footsteps padded softly across the hardwood floor. A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me backward against a warm, solid chest.
"You're up early," Graham murmured sleepily against my neck, his breath warm in the morning chill.
"Just checking the data feeds," I replied, smiling as I leaned back into his embrace, wrapping my hands over his arms. "Market opens in three hours. The European transit network is running at 99.8% efficiency, the board is quiet, and Meridian Corp is a distant memory."
Graham rested his chin on my shoulder, looking out at the sprawling horizon where the city skyline met the endless expanse of the lake.
"Let the market take care of itself today," he whispered, turning me gently in his arms so I was facing him, his dark eyes locked onto mine with a fierce, quiet intensity. "Today is ours."
I smiled, setting my coffee mug down on the glass railing, and reached up to wrap my arms around his neck, letting my fingers tangle in his dark hair.
"And what’s the official corporate strategy for today, CEO?"
May you like
Graham grinned, the Ice King completely gone, replaced by the man who had bet his entire empire on an orphan data analyst in Las Vegas because he couldn't bear to let her walk away.
"Absolute, uncompromised chaos," he murmured just before his lips met mine, sealing our past, our present, and every sunrise we would ever share together.
