Chapter 11 - The Empire Beckons
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Over the next two months, I rebuilt my life with surgical precision.
I hired a fierce real estate attorney who forced Ryan to buy out my equity in the Brooklyn apartment at top market value. I used those funds to lease a stunning loft studio in SoHo for my art restoration and interior design firm, Vance Restorations.
Without Ryan’s constant passive-aggressive complaints about my long working hours, my business exploded.
Sebastian Sterling officially hired my firm to oversee the complete interior redesign and historic restoration of his family’s flagship hotel in Manhattan—a multi-million-dollar contract that instantly put my business on the international map.
We worked together late into the evenings, analyzing fabric swatches, reviewing architectural blueprints, and sharing dinners at quiet, high-end bistros across the city.
Sebastian was everything Ryan had never been—brilliant, supportive, fiercely protective, and deeply respectful of my ambition. He never tried to diminish me; he elevated me.
One rainy Friday evening, we were sitting in my SoHo showroom, surrounded by swatches of velvet and antique gold trim.
"You look tired, Victoria," Sebastian said softly, setting down a pair of architectural drawings.
"It's a good kind of tired," I smiled, leaning back against my leather chair. "We launch the hotel project in two weeks."
Sebastian walked around the desk, stopping right behind my chair. He set his large, warm hands gently on my shoulders, massaging the tight muscles near my neck.
I closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh. "You're too good to me, Sebastian."
"I haven't even begun to be good to you, Victoria," he murmured, his voice low and raspy near my ear.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him. The gray light of the rainy evening reflected in his dark, intense gaze. The unspoken tension that had been building between us for months suddenly filled the room like oxygen catching a spark.
He reached down, his thumb gently tracing the line of my jawbone.
"I've been remarkably patient for two months, Victoria," Sebastian whispered softly. "Tell me I don't have to be patient anymore."
My breath hitched. I stood up from my chair, turned to face him, and slid my hands up the front of his charcoal suit jacket.
May you like
"Don't be patient," I whispered back.
Sebastian wrapped his hand around the back of my waist, pulling me flush against his chest, and brought his lips down onto mine in a deep, passionate kiss that wiped away every memory of my past.
