Chapter 10 - The Queen of Sterling Holdings
One Year Later.
The rain was pouring outside the massive windows of the penthouse, almost exactly the same way it had on the night Harper first walked into the Obsidian Club.
Harper stood by the glass, holding a mug of tea, watching the storm. She wore one of Julian’s oversized button-down shirts, her bare legs curled underneath her.
She heard the soft padding of footsteps behind her, and then strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against a broad, warm chest. Julian buried his face in her neck, pressing a soft kiss to her pulse point.
"What are you thinking about, Mrs. Sterling?" he murmured, his voice thick with sleep.
"I was just thinking about my neon yellow jacket," Harper smiled, leaning back into him. "I wonder if I still have it in the closet somewhere."
Julian chuckled, his hands resting on her stomach. "If you ever wear that hideous thing again, I'm divorcing you."
"You couldn't," Harper teased, turning around in his arms and wrapping hers around his neck. "I own half the company now."
It was true. After Marcus was removed and sent to federal prison for corporate espionage, Julian had completely restructured Sterling Holdings, appointing Harper as the head of their massive new philanthropic division. Lily's surgery had been a complete success, and she was currently running around the Hampton estate with the family dogs.
"You don't just own the company," Julian said softly, the teasing leaving his voice, replaced by that dark, absolute devotion he reserved only for her. "You own me."
Harper looked up into the eyes of the man who had bought her for an empire, only to surrender his heart entirely.
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"Good," Harper whispered, pulling him down for a kiss. "Because I'm never letting you go."
The thunderstorm raged outside, but inside the golden cage that had become a home, there was nothing but warmth. The contract had expired months ago, but the vow Julian Sterling made across that crowded room had turned out to be the greatest promise he ever kept.
