Page 51 of The Founder's Power

“I’m closed today,” she says softly.

“I know.”

She turns slowly, and her breath catches.

I step closer, hands loose at my sides. “I chose you,” I say.

No preamble. No defenses. Just the truth.

“I walked away from the deal. From everything Vincent offered. I let it burn.”

Her eyes widen, full of emotion. “Damian…”

“I couldn’t save both,” I tell her, “and in the end, there was nothing left worth saving but you.”

Silence stretches between us.

And then, she crosses the room, fast and fierce, and wraps her arms around me like she’s afraid I’ll disappear.

I hold her tighter than I ever have. “I don’t know what happens next,” I whisper into her hair, “but I’m ready to build it from the ground up. With you.”

She pulls back just enough to look into my eyes. “That’s all I ever wanted,” she says.

Not an empire.

Not perfection.

Just us.

I finally understand that’s more than enough.

CHAPTER28

ISABELLE

When he says, “I chose you,” something inside me split wide open. Relief. Love. Devotion.

Beautiful emotions that crash into your bones after too many months of holding your breath.

I barely remember closing the distance. One second, I’m standing in front of the sculpture I was adjusting. The next, I’m in his arms, clutching the lapels of his rain-dampened coat, feeling the ragged rise and fall of his chest.

“You let it go,” I whisper, searching his eyes.

“I let everything go,” he murmurs, “except you.”

Then he kisses me.

It’s different this time. Still hungry, still intense, but softer, surer. Like he’s not trying to take anything. Like he’s finally giving himself to me.

I take his hand in mine, and I lead him upstairs.

My gallery has a small artist loft above it—unfinished walls, old floorboards, and a skylight that watches over me like an old friend. The moment we reach the top step, he stops me with a hand at my waist.

“Are you sure?” he asks, voice rough, reverent.

I answer by reaching for the hem of his shirt and tugging it over his head. “Yes,” I whisper. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

We strip each other slowly. No rush. No frenzy. Just layers of armor peeled away with every button, every breath, every kiss pressed to skin like a sacred vow.

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