Chapter 16 - The Broken Contract
Three days after returning to Manhattan from the Connecticut summit, Clara sat at the obsidian desk in Gabriel’s sixty-fifth-floor office.
The Vance-Sterling merger was officially completed, dominating the financial news cycles and cementing Thorne Capital as the undisputed king of media acquisitions.
Gabriel stood by the window, watching the rain beat against the glass, his shoulders tense beneath his tailored charcoal suit coat.
He walked over to the desk, carrying the original, black leather folder that contained their Master Financial Guarantee and Medical Trust Agreement.
Without saying a word, Gabriel opened the folder, took the formal legal contract between them, and tore it in half down the center.
Clara gasped, sitting up straight in her chair as she watched him tear the thick parchment into smaller and smaller pieces before tossing them into the trash bin.
“What are you doing, Gabriel?” she asked, her voice trembling with a sudden, overwhelming wave of anxiety and confusion.
“I am setting you free, Clara,” Gabriel said quietly, leaning his hands on the desk edge and looking down at her with dark, sorrowful eyes.
“The merger is closed. My company is secure. Your brother’s medical trust fund is fully paid and permanently transferred into his personal name without any conditions.”
He reached out, his fingers hovering over her left hand before pulling back without touching her, as if he didn't trust his own self-control.
“You spent six months of your life trapped in my penthouse because I forced you into an unthinkable bargain when you were at your most vulnerable.”
Gabriel straightened up, putting his hands into his suit pockets to hide their trembling from her watchful gaze.
“You don't have to pretend to love me anymore, Clara. You are completely free to take off that ring and walk out of here whenever you are ready.”
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The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence, broken only by the rhythmic drumming of the rain against the massive panoramic windows.
Clara looked down at the heavy five-carat diamond glittering on her finger, realizing that the cage doors were wide open, but her heart had no desire to escape.
