Chapter 20 - The Sovereign Heart
Three months later.
The summer sun shone brilliantly over Manhattan. The news of the "Kane Global Purge" had dominated Wall Street for weeks. Eleanor Kane and Damon Kane were facing lifetime sentences in federal prison for treason, kidnapping, and corporate terrorism. Julian Sterling was stripped of all legal rights and locked away permanently.
At the top of the Blackwell & Reed tower, the glass rooftop garden had been transformed into a botanical paradise of white roses and floating lilies.
Standing at the altar overlooking the Manhattan skyline was Adrian Kane. He wore a sharp charcoal tux, looking every bit the most powerful CEO in New York—but his eyes were soft, filled with tears as he watched me walk down the aisle.
I wore a flowing lace dress, holding a bouquet of white peonies. And holding my train behind me was Mia, wearing a matching white dress with a tiny diamond elephant necklace gifted to her by the board.
When I reached Adrian, he took my hands in his, his grip warm, steady, and eternal.
“I spent my whole life building walls,” Adrian whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. “I thought control was safety. But you and Mia showed me that true strength isn't sitting on a throne alone—it’s having something worth fighting for.”
The minister smiled. “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
Adrian pulled me into his arms and kissed me, a long, breathtaking kiss that sent cheers echoing across the rooftop from hundreds of guests.
Mia squeezed her way between our legs, tugging on Adrian’s jacket sleeve until he laughed and scooped her up into his arm, holding both of us close under the Manhattan sun.
Mia looked out over the crowd of executives, politicians, and reporters, then looked at Adrian with a mischievous grin.
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“See?” Mia announced loudly into the minister’s microphone, making the entire crowd break into laughter. “I told you he was too handsome to be alone!”
Adrian threw his head back and laughed—that pure, beautiful sound that had changed our lives forever—and held his family close, knowing we would never be alone again.
