Chapter 17 - GOLDEN HANDCUFFS|
Six months later.
The penthouse suite of the Russo Tower in downtown Manhattan overlooked the sprawling expanse of Central Park.
Elena stood before a massive drafting table, reviewing architectural blueprints for a new children's library her foundation was building in Queens. She was no longer a waitress. She was the Vice President of the Russo Philanthropic Trust—a multi-million-dollar legitimate branch she had built from scratch.
Tommy called her every Sunday from Lisbon. He was attending university, completely oblivious to the war that had been fought to keep him alive.
The heavy double doors of her office opened.
Adrien walked in, wearing his signature charcoal suit. He looked older, hardened by the continuous strain of ruling an empire, but his silver eyes softened the moment they found her.
He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"You've been working for six hours," he murmured, kissing her neck.
"I have a deadline, Adrien," she smiled, leaning back against his broad chest. "Some of us work for a living."
"I bought the construction firm yesterday," he noted casually. "Your deadline has been extended by two weeks."
Elena turned around in his arms, swatting his chest playfully. "You can't just buy everything that mildly inconveniences me!"
"I buy what belongs to me," he countered softly, sliding his hand up her spine.
He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and set it on the drafting table between them.
Elena’s heart skipped a beat. She stared at the black box.
"Adrien..."
"Open it," he said softly.
Inside sat a ring—not a giant diamond, but an exquisite antique band crafted from rose gold, set with a single, glowing emerald.
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"It belonged to my mother," Adrien confessed, his voice dropping into a rare vulnerability. "She wore it when my father was still just a dock worker. I swore I would only give it to a woman who had the courage to stand beside me in the fire."
Elena looked from the ring up into his pale, intense eyes.
