Chapter 10 - Dawn and Reckoning
The morning sun broke over the skyline, washing the city in pale gold and amber light.
Darra sat on a plush leather sofa in the master suite of the Ashworth estate, a white bandage neatly taped across her forehead. A private doctor was packing up his medical bag after treating her cuts and bruises.
The door opened quietly, and Aiden walked in. He had cleaned up, wearing a fresh dark shirt, but the deep circles under his eyes remained. He held a steaming mug of black coffee and set it gently on the marble coffee table in front of her.
"Doctor says you have a mild concussion, but you'll live," Aiden said quietly, sitting down on the opposite end of the sofa.
"Your security chief is in federal custody, half your board is under investigation, and your company's stock is probably tanking," Darra said, taking a small sip of the coffee. "Are you going to be okay, Mr. Ashworth?"
Aiden let out a dry, humorless chuckle, running a hand through his dark hair. "Call me Aiden. And yes... for the first time in five years, I think I actually am."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, looking directly into her eyes with a raw intensity that made her breath catch.
"Marcus thought he could buy you off with fifty thousand dollars," Aiden said softly. "He didn't realize that some things can't be bought. Like loyalty. Courage. Or the life of my only child."
Darra looked down at her hands, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "I just did what anyone would have done."
"No," Aiden corrected her firmly. "Most people run away from fire, Darra. You ran straight into it."
Before Darra could respond, soft footsteps padded across the rug. Chloe stood beside the sofa, holding her favorite stuffed rabbit in one hand. She looked up at Darra, her big, expressive eyes shining with absolute adoration. Then, slowly, with clumsy, deliberate movements of her small fingers, the little girl signed three words in the air:
Thank you, Mama.
May you like
Darra’s breath hitched. A heavy, warm tear slipped down her cheek, and she pulled Chloe into her arms, burying her face in the little girl's shoulder.
Aiden watched them, a rare, genuine smile touching the corners of his lips—a look that transformed the cold, untouchable billionaire into a man who had finally found his way home.
