Page 58 of Ivory Legacy

He lay beside me, his chest rising and falling with the steady breath of sleep still clinging to him. I watched him for a moment, knowing the peace would soon be shattered by the weight of our conversation.

“Jade?” he murmured, his voice heavy with the remnants of dreams as he sensed my gaze upon him.

I propped myself up on one elbow, mirroring his earlier posture. “Dante, I’m a scientist, not some corporate suit.” My words werea whisper, but they carried the gravity of my identity, my life’s work.

He opened his eyes fully now, regarding me with a look that suggested he saw more than just the woman before him. “I know,” he said quietly. “That’s exactly why you’re the perfect candidate to lead BioHQ.”

My heart raced at the thought, a mixture of fear and ambition battling within me. “But the prosecutors, they’ll think it’s suspicious. I’ve never been an executive, Dante. How can I suddenly become one without raising questions?”

A soft chuckle escaped him, and he reached out to brush a strand of hair from my face. “You underestimate the element of surprise, Jade. Your expertise is your armor.”

His touch was gentle, yet it held the promise of iron beneath the velvet of his skin—a reminder of who he was, who we both were. The options he presented weren’t just about protection or power; they were a crossroads, each path leading to a future fraught with uncertainty. And in the dim morning light, with Dante’s hand warm against my cheek, I knew that no matter what choice I made, there was no turning back.

“Okay,” I started. “Let’s say I entertain this idea of being BioHQ’s new head honcho. I’ve never even been on their board. Won’t that send up red flags everywhere?”

Dante’s dark hair was tousled from sleep, eyes sharp as ever. A faint smirk played on his lips.

“Jade, it’s precisely because you’re not your typical executive that makes you ideal. You’re unblemished by corporate politics.Unexpected.” He sat up, the sheets pooling at his waist, revealing the sculpted chest that spoke of both discipline and danger. “It’s less attention-grabbing. People love an underdog, a fresh face rising to the challenge—especially one with your credentials.”

I frowned, picking at a loose thread on the duvet. His logic was sound, but it felt like stepping into a minefield blindfolded. “And what about us?” I asked, voice steady despite the uncertainty within. “Why does marriage have to be part of the equation?”

He reached for my hand, encasing it in his own—a gesture both protective and possessive. “Protection,” he said simply, as if that one word encompassed all the complexities of our situation. “A united front is harder to break. And...there are other benefits to consider.”

My pulse quickened, a mix of fear and something more dangerous—desire maybe, or the thrill of the risk. Dante Moretti wasn’t just offering a way out; he was offering a way in—into a life that was as seductive as it was perilous.

“Okay, so,” I began, my voice steady in the stillness, “you say it’s for protection.”

“Exactly.” The word rolled off his tongue with a confidence that seemed to fill every corner of his penthouse bedroom. “As my wife, you wouldn’t be forced to testify against me. It’s a legal safeguard, Jade.”

I sat up, pulling a pillow into my lap—a barrier against the weight of his words. My mind raced, analyzing the angles like variables in an equation, but the human element—the sheer unpredictability of it all—made this anything but scientific.“Dante, even if what you’re saying is true, it’s...it’s a lot to process.”

He nodded, the lines of his face softening as he propped himself on one elbow, watching me. “Take your time,” he said. “I know it’s not a decision to make lightly. Let me ask you this. What do you want to do right now?”

“I want to just go back to work,” I said. “I mean, what we’re doing is so important. I don’t want to stop working on the experiment just because…because I don’t want to see Ellie.”

“I never took down the lab I made for you here in my spare room,” he said. “I know it’s not the same as BioHQ’s state-of-the-art facilities, but you could continue your work here, undisturbed.” His eyes held a softness in them, a kind of understanding that I hadn’t expected from him.

I chewed on my lower lip, considering his offer. An in-home lab here, away from the prying eyes of Ellie and BioHQ... It was an intriguing proposition. “But I can’t just take an indefinite leave from BioHQ,” I argued.

Dante chuckled lightly and shook his head as he sat up, using one strong arm to brace himself against the headboard. “Jade,” he said softly, “you seem to forget who you’re talking to. I hold the majority shares in BioHQ. Technically, I’m your boss’s boss.”

“I can’t…How do I know you won’t just keep me captive again?” I asked.

Dante’s brows furrowed, his gaze darkening. “I’m not asking you to trust me blindly, Jade,” he said, his voice a low rumble thatechoed in the vast room. “I know I’ve given you reasons to doubt. But what I’m offering now... it’s a choice. Not a prison.”

A tension curled in my stomach, twisting like a knot of apprehension and desire. Securing BioHQ or marrying Dante Moretti - two options that held so much weight and uncertainty. And yet, when I looked at him, the warm morning light casting shadows over his chiseled features, I felt an unfamiliar pull towards this man who was both dangerous and tender.

“I need to think.” My words were barely audible, lost amidst the sheets and the heavy silence that followed.

“There’s another option. Have you considered taking an early maternity leave?”

I turned, my bare feet touching the cold marble floor as I faced him. “Maternity leave?” My eyebrows lifted in surprise. It wasn’t a solution I had expected from Dante Moretti—my captor, protector, and now, potential husband.

He sat up, the sheets slipping to reveal the hard planes of his chest, a testament to the life he led. “Yes. I can make it happen. It’s within my power.”

“Returning...it feels complicated,” I admitted, wrapping my arms around myself as if they could ward off the chill of doubt. “Ellie has been my ally, or, well, I thought she was, but with everything that’s happened...”

“New beginnings can be... liberating.” His tone was soft, a rare vulnerability flickering in his eyes.

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