Page 95 of Beautiful Agony

"Yes. And who better to run it than a talented designer who left the industry to care for her family?" His hand finds mine,squeezing gently. "Someone whose potential has been forced to be forgotten for so many years."

Vadim reaches across his desk and slides over a thick folder of documents. My fingers trace over the embossed letters on the cover: "Eleftheria—Articles of Incorporation."

"Go ahead," he says softly. "Take a look."

I flip open the folder, scanning through the legal text. Most of it is standard business terminology that makes my eyes glaze over until I reach the section listing company officers.

My heart stops.

There, printed in crisp black letters, is a name I'd been denied for so many years:

Founder and Chief Executive Officer: Lacey Huang.

Not McKinney. Huang.

My vision blurs as tears well up. I know logically this makes sense—using my adoptive family's name creates distance between me and Vadim, making it harder for anyone to connect Eleftheria back to the Stravinsky bratva. But the way my heart clenches tells me this means so much more.

I try to speak but can't find the words. All these years being told that I wasn't really a part of the family, of feeling like an outsider who didn't belong...

And with a single stroke of his pen, Vadim has helped me claim that identity more firmly than anyone else could ever deny me of it.

"You were always Lacey Huang," Vadim says, his fingers tracing over the documents. "The fierce protector of Megan and Freddy.The devoted daughter who dropped everything to care for Clifton and Laura. Lacey McKinney was a name forced upon you by parents who abandoned you. It was always a mask of who you really were underneath."

My throat tightens at his words. He sees me—truly sees me—in a way that no one else ever has. Even the parts of myself I tried to hide.

I whisper, touching the printed name on the incorporation papers. "You have no idea how badly I've wanted this my entire life."

But something else stirs in my chest—a certainty I hadn't felt before. I take a deep breath.

"But it's not who I am anymore."

Concern flickers across Vadim's face. His brow furrows as he searches my expression, clearly unsure how to respond.

I reach for his hand, threading our fingers together. The pink diamond on my ring catches the light.

"I'm Lacey Stravinsky now."

His eyes widen slightly, and I feel his fingers tighten around mine. The silence stretches between us, heavy with meaning.

Vadim's entire body seems to soften at my words. The tension drains from his shoulders, and that dangerous edge I'd grown familiar with melts away. For a moment, he looks almost vulnerable—like the boy who once yearned for his mother's love.

"You want to take my name?" His voice carries a hint of wonder.

"I do." My hand takes his. "I've spent my whole life trying to figure out where I belong. But I know now—I belong with you. As your wife. As a Stravinsky."

He pulls me closer, pressing his forehead against mine. I feel the slight tremor in his hands as they cup my face. His breath catches slightly, and I realize he's fighting back tears.

His gray eyes lock with mine, full of an emotion that takes my breath away.

"I love you,zvyozdochka," he whispers. "Not because you're carrying my child. Not because you're my wife. But because you make me want to be better than who I am."

My chest tightens at his words. No rehearsed speech or calculated declaration—just raw honesty laid bare between us.

"I love you too," I tell him, my voice trembling slightly. "Not because you saved me or protected me. But because you gave me the strength to become who I was always meant to be."

His thumb traces along my cheekbone, catching a tear I didn't realize had fallen. The tenderness in his touch makes more tears spill over. I pick up the articles of incorporation bearing the name I've been dreaming of having for my entire life.

"This is very sweet of you," I whisper.

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