Chapter 249
“I love you!” he shouted. “Doesn’t that matter?”
“No,” a deep voice said from the doorway.
We both turned.
Alistair Thorne stood there.
He wore a long black trench coat, raindrops glistening on his shoulders. He looked like a dark god who had descended to earth to claim a sacrifice.
“Alistair,” Liam snarled. “Get out. This is a private meeting.”
“It’s a company meeting,” Alistair said, walking into the room. “And since my family’s holding company just bought a five percent stake in Vance Entertainment…”
He stopped beside me. He didn’t touch me, but his presence wrapped around me like a shield.
“…I’m her boss.”
Liam dropped his folder. “You… you bought her?”
“I invested in her,” Alistair corrected. He looked at me, his eyes softening. “Because she’s the only thing in this city worth a damn.”
He held out a hand to me.
“Ready to go, Ms. Sterling?”
I looked at Liam one last time. He looked small. Defeated.
I took Alistair’s hand.
“Ready,” I said.
We walked out, leaving Liam standing alone in the empty boardroom of a company that no longer existed.
The private elevator descended to the garage. The silence between Alistair and me was thick, charged with static electricity.
As soon as the doors opened, he pulled me toward him. It wasn’t gentle. It was urgent. He backed me against the concrete wall, his hands framing my face, his thumbs brushing my cheekbones.
“You should have called me,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. “You went after Arthur alone. You faced the FBI alone.”
“I wasn’t alone,” I said, breathless. “I had Julian.”
Alistair’s jaw tightened. “Julian is a calculator. He doesn’t bleed for you. I do.”
𝖤𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗅𝖾𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗒 𝗈𝗇 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅𝗌.𝖼𝗈𝗆
He kissed me then. It was a claiming—hard, possessive, desperate. It tasted of rain and pent-up fear. I melted into him, my hands gripping the lapel of his coat. For days, I had been the general, the CEO, the executioner. In his arms, I could just be Skye.
He pulled back, resting his forehead against mine.
“Marry me,” he whispered.
My heart skipped a beat. “What?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. He flipped it open.
Inside was a black diamond—raw, uncut—surrounded by small rubies. It looked like a burning coal.
“I don’t care about the Thorne laws,” Alistair said. “I don’t care about the investigation. I want you. Legally. Irrevocably. Marry me, Skye. Let me destroy anyone who looks at you wrong.”
I stared at the ring. It was beautiful. It was terrifying.
“Alistair…” I touched his face. “I can’t. Not yet.”
Pain flashed in his eyes. “Why? Do you still love him?”
“No!” I said quickly. “God, no. But look at me, Alistair. I’m in the middle of a bankruptcy. I’m about to debut as a singer to launder my reputation. If I marry you now, they’ll say I’m just looking for another protector. Another rich husband.”
I took the box from his hand and closed it.