Page 235 of Filthy Promises

“Yes, you should have.” I can’t help the small smile that tugs at my lips. “But I forgive you. This time.”

His arms encircle me as best they can with my enormous belly between us. For a long moment, we just hold each other. It’s the peace we’ve been missing.

“So what do we do now?” I murmur into his chest eventually. “About Andrei?”

“‘We’ don’t do anything.Iwill?—”

“Nuh-uh. I don’t fucking think so, Mister.” I point at my stacks of papers. “I didn’t compile all this just for my health, you know. I have ideas.”

Vince shakes his head with a dry chuckle. “Of course you do.”

“Your father is operating from the shadows,” I explain as I sink back into my desk chair. “Using his old connections, his influence in places we can’t see. But that’s also his weakness.”

“How so?”

“He’s playing by the old rules. But we’re writing new ones. If we bring everything into the light—make our operations so transparent that there’s nowhere for his sabotage to hide—we neutralize his advantage.”

Vince’s eyes narrow thoughtfully. “Total transparency would be risky while we still have… less legitimate interests.”

“So we accelerate the transition,” I counter. “Push harder, faster on the legitimate ventures. Create a corporate structure so clean and visible that any interference becomes immediately apparent.”

“That would mean sacrificing some of our more profitable operations.”

“Short-term loss for long-term gain,” I remind him. “Isn’t that what business is all about?”

He studies me for a long moment, something like wonder in his eyes. “How did I get so lucky?”

“You knocked me up and had to marry me,” I deadpan.

His laugh is startled and genuine. “I’m serious, Rowan. Most women would run screaming from this mess.”

“I’m not most women,” I say. “And this mess is our mess now. I’m all in, Vince. For better or worse, remember?”

“For better or worse,” he echoes, leaning in to kiss me softly.

When we break apart, I reach for the folder again. “So, here’s what I’m thinking. We start with the shipping contracts. If we consolidate our East Coast operations under a new corporate entity—completely separate from anything Andrei has connections to—we can rebuild what was lost in Costa Rica.”

Vince listens intently as I outline my strategy. We work together seamlessly, our minds in perfect sync as we craft a plan to counter Andrei’s sabotage.

It’s nearly dawn when we finally finish. I’m exhausted, like any pregnant woman would be.

But I’ve never felt more alive.

69

VINCE

I don’t tell Rowan where I’m going.

Another lie of omission. I ought to know better, but old habits are hard to break.

“Business meeting,” I say, kissing her forehead as she reclines on the sofa with her laptop. “I won’t be long.”

Her eyes narrow. She knows me too well now. “Vince?—”

“Two hours, tops,” I promise. “Then we’ll finish our strategy for the shipping consolidation.”

She sighs but doesn’t press. Another thing I don’t deserve: her trust, somehow still intact despite how many times I’ve tested it.

---