Chapter 14

The visitation room at the detention center was cold, smelling of stale coffee and industrial cleaner. It was a stark contrast to the penthouse luxury Serena Blaire had spent her life chasing.

Lucian sat behind the thick plexiglass, his suit immaculate, his expression unreadable. On the other side, Serena sat in a shapeless orange jumpsuit. Her hair was unwashed, her makeup gone, revealing a woman who looked much older and far more desperate than the "Green Tea Bitch" who had ruled Thorne Industries.

"Lucian," she breathed, leaning toward the glass. "You came. I knew you would. You can’t let them keep me here. My brother... Victor is crazy. He forced me to help him! I had nothing to do with the kidnapping!"

Lucian didn't blink. He placed a sleek, black folder on the metal table.

"Victor has already confessed, Serena. He cut a deal ten minutes ago. He gave us everything—the texts, the emails, the offshore payments you made to him to 'scare' Elara."

Serena’s face crumbled. "Lucian, please. Think about our history. Our mothers were best friends! I did it for us. Elara was ruining you. She made you weak!"

"No," Lucian said, his voice devoid of anger, which was far more terrifying. "Elara made me human. You made me weak. You fed my ego because it was the only way you could control me."

He stood up, adjusting his cuffs. "My lawyers have frozen your assets. The board has voted to strip you of your shares. And since you targeted my children, I’ve personally ensured that the prosecutor will be seeking the maximum sentence. You won’t see a boardroom—or a mirror—for twenty years."

"You loved me once!" Serena screamed, slamming her hand against the glass. "You chose me over her!"

Lucian paused at the door. He looked back at her, his gray eyes clear and cold.

"I never loved you, Serena. I just loved the reflection of myself I saw in your eyes. But that man is dead. And you’re just a ghost haunting a grave."

He walked out, the heavy metal door clanging shut on her screams, sealing the past away forever.

---

The Penthouse – 9:00 PM

Lucian returned to the penthouse to find the apartment quiet. The chaos of the kidnapping had settled into a fragile peace.

He found Elara on the balcony, wrapped in a thick cashmere shawl, looking out at the glittering skyline. The rain had stopped, leaving the city washed clean.

"Is it done?" she asked, not turning around.

"It's done," Lucian said, stepping out into the cool air. "She’s gone, Elara. She can never hurt us again."

Elara let out a long, shuddering breath. "And Julian?"

"I spoke to him downstairs," Lucian admitted. "He... he told me that he’s taking a job in Boston. He said he realized today that while he loves the twins, he can’t be the father they need if their real father is standing right there."

Elara turned to face him. Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears. "He left?"

"He stepped back," Lucian corrected. "Because he’s a good man. Better than I deserve."

He walked closer, stopping just inches from her. The air between them crackled with five years of unsaid words, of pain, of longing.

"I should go," Lucian whispered, though his feet didn't move. "You need rest. The kids need stability."

"Lucian," Elara said softly.

"I’m trying to do the right thing, Elara. I’m trying not to push. I’m trying not to be the Shark who takes what he wants."

"Stop," she said, her voice trembling. "Stop trying to be the 'right' man and just be my man."

Lucian froze. He looked at her, searching for any sign of hesitation. He found none.

"Elara, if I kiss you now," he warned, his voice rough with desire, "I’m not going to stop. I’m going to spend every day for the rest of my life proving that I’m worthy of you. I’m going to be messy, and protective, and I’m going to love you so hard it terrifies me. Are you ready for that?"

Elara stepped forward, closing the gap. She reached up, her hands tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck—a gesture she hadn't made in five years.

"I don't want perfect, Lucian. I just want you. The father who built a bridge. The man who slept in my hallway."

Lucian let out a groan that sounded like a prayer. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him, and crashed his lips onto hers.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a collision. It tasted of rain, and apologies, and a hunger that had been starving for five years. Lucian kissed her as if she were the only air in the world, his hands roaming over her back, memorizing her all over again.

Elara melted into him, the scent of him—sandalwood and rain—flooding her senses. This was home. It was messy, and broken, and scarred, but it was home.

When they finally broke apart, breathless and dizzy, Lucian rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you," he whispered, the words raw and terrifyingly real. "I love you, Elara Vance. I love you, Ella V. I love all of you."

Elara smiled, and for the first time, it reached her eyes completely.

"I love you too, Shark Man," she whispered. "Now come inside. Your children are sleeping, and your wife... your wife is finally ready to come home."

Lucian lifted her into his arms, carrying her across the threshold as the city lights twinkled behind them, witnessing the start of a new reign.