“Please don’t do this,” Cliff pleads over speakerphone, for the hundredth time in the last couple of days. “We should just elope.”
“If that was a solution, I’d jump on it,” I murmur as I drive up to large gates I know all too well. They swing open automatically, and I frown in surprise. Was it Zane who registered my number plate, or was it his grandmother? Unease runs down my spine at the thought of either of them having such easy access to information about me. I’ve only had this car for a few days, yet it’s clearly in their systems.
“I don’t think your grandfather will actually declare bankruptcy if we elope. I’m not sure what he’s thinking but—”
“He will,” I interrupt. “He already has his lawyers on standby for the filing.” I just don’t understand why — why would he rather join hands with the Windsors than accept Cliff’s help? It’s true the Emersons can’t do as much for us as the Windsors can, but given enough time, I can rebuild everything we’ve lost. If Zane truly stopped undermining my efforts, I could. I just don’t understand why he’d want to join hands with the people who put us in this position in the first place. Why them? Why now?
Déjà vu hits me hard as I navigate the roads inside the Windsor mansion effortlessly. I hadn’t been thinking about it consciously, yet somehow, I find myself pulling up to Zane’s house. It still feels so natural — it still feels like home.
“Celeste,” Clifton says as I park my car in the same spot that used to be mine. “I don’t have to say it for you to know this wasn’t just a business deal to me. In the last couple of years, you’ve come to mean more to me than you could possibly know. I want this with you, even if it’s one-sided, even if the chances of you ever feeling the same are virtually non-existent.”
I lean back in my seat, my heart heavy. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, meaning every word, even as my gaze roams over Zane’s front door and his unchanged lawn, an unwanted hint of longing settling deep in my chest. “To be honest, Cliff… I’d also hoped we could make it work. If there’s anyone I’d want to love, it’s you.” I push my hair behind my ear and draw a shaky breath, steeling myself. “But ultimately, our marriage was about saving Harrison Developments, and whether I like it or not, Windsor Hotels could do for us what no one else can.”
To say I feel conflicted about marrying Zane would be putting it mildly. I have no doubt it’ll be hell — there’s too much history between us, too much hatred, and far too much that was left unresolved. This union might benefit our families, but it will destroy me. If I’m lucky, it’ll ruin him too.
“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”
I watch through my windshield as Zane’s front door opens, and he leans against the doorway, dressed in an impeccable three-piece suit. He looks more dangerous than ever before, his expression entirely unreadable as he watches me.
“No,” I answer, tearing my eyes off Zane. “I really am sorry, Cliff. If we could… I’d like to stay friends if that’s something you’d be interested in. I know this is… it’s not what either of us wanted.”
He sighs. “If that’s the only way I get to keep you in my life, I’ll take it. I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me, Celeste.”
I draw a shaky breath and grab my phone, looking down at it with a heavy heart. “I need to go, but I’ll speak to you later, okay?”
He hums in agreement, and I end the call before taking a moment to gather my courage. All the while, Zane just stands by his door, his posture relaxed and his eyes on me. Looking at him hurts, and I hate that it isn’t the same for him. He’s angry about everything I’ve done to him, but he’s not hurting like I am. I’m sure he isn’t struggling to sleep at night like I am. He’s not haunted by the past, the mistakes we both made, the pain we caused.
I’m trembling as I step out of the car and try my hardest not to show it. If he notices it, he doesn’t let on. Zane merely raises a brow as I walk up to him, the smooth stones underneath my heels reminding me of the first time I came here.
“I see you’ve come to a decision.”
I nod, and he steps aside to let me into his home. My eyes widen as I take in the unfamiliar interior. He didn’t just erase everything we built, he obliterated it. The entire layout of his house seems to have changed to create far more open spaces than there used to be, and the color scheme is vastly different. Gone are all the shades of emerald we chose together, replaced by a monochrome black and white with some dashes of a masculine mahogany hue.
Zane leads me to his living room and gestures at his dark brown leather sofa, the contrast stark. I used to love his white fabric sofa — it was nearly identical to mine, and we spent so many nights on it, trying to watch a movie only to find ourselves wrapped up in each other halfway through.
He sits down opposite me in a matching armchair. “What did you decide?” His voice is different from what I’m used to. He sounds professional and distant, and somehow, it just makes my heart ache. He’s never treated me this way before, and somehow, I find that I prefer his hatred over this level of indifference.
“You act like I genuinely had a choice.”
He sighs. “We’ll need a comprehensive set of rules.” He reaches for a black folder on his coffee table and hands it to me, clearly well-prepared for my visit. It just makes me feel all the more helpless. “We only need to remain married for three years. After that, we can divorce without losing our individual shares. Considering that this is a merger, it won’t be possible to avoid each other completely afterward, but it’s something.”
I nod as I flick through the documents, making a mental note to have my lawyer go through this on my behalf. “That seems reasonable.” Three years… it sounds long, but it’ll fly by. It’s a small sacrifice to make, and deep down, I think it’s something Lily would forgive me for. She wouldn’t want me to walk away from an opportunity to save Harrison Developments, would she?
“We will have to abide by my grandmother’s rules in that time, which includes both of us having to live on the Windsor Estate. There is no getting out of it, and I don’t recommend that we try. There are, however, some additional house rules I’d like to discuss.” I raise a brow, waiting for him to elaborate. Zane pulls on his tie to loosen it and looks away. “The observatory and my home office are off-limits. You’re free to use anything else, but those two places will remain locked and off-limits to you.”
I draw a shaky breath, remembering how he once said he’d gift the observatory to his wife. I suppose it’s something he’s saving for someone else. Is there already someone he’s got in mind? Will he marry me only to count down the days until he’s free to be with her? The thought doesn’t sit well with me.
“I’d also like you to stay out of my private affairs, and as much as you can, I want you to stay away from my family. Three years from now, I want a clean break. If I hadn’t kept messing with Harrison Developments, we wouldn’t be in this situation now. It’s time I let go of the old resentment that held me in its clutches.” He looks at me then and sighs. “Truthfully, you’re not worth it.”
I flinch, and something dark unfurls in my stomach — a deep need, a desire to inflict the same pain I’m feeling. “What private affairs? This document states that infidelity is expressly forbidden. That doesn’t mean not getting caught, Zane. It means not straying at all.” My mind drifts back to Lily’s diary, and pain tears through my chest at the thought of missing the signs all over again, of there being someone else when I’m the one he’ll call his wife.
He inhales deeply and pinches the bridge of his nose. “My patience is limited,” he warns. “You know full well that it means I don’t want you to be part of my life any more than you need to be. I don’t want you around my friends and my siblings, don’t want you anywhere near me unless you absolutely have to be. Clear?”
I nod and try my hardest to ignore the sting of rejection. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. In return, I want your promise that you truly will do everything in your power to restore Harrison Developments to what it was, even if it’ll have a new name. All the employees we lost, our properties, everything.”
“I can do that.” He hesitates then, distaste flashing across his face. “This is perhaps too much to ask of someone like you, but my siblings are incredibly worried about me. Try not to do anything that’ll make them worry further.”
My heart twists at the thought of his brothers, Sierra, and Raven. I’ve hurt them so deeply, and facing them again won’t be easy. I still remember the many times Sierra came to find me after everything went down, Raven by her side. They both pleaded with me, tried everything they could to make me feel better, begged for an explanation when Zane and I ended things. “I won’t,” I tell him, my voice hard.
He nods and reaches into the inner pocket of his suit jacket before handing me an invitation card. “Good. Because next week, we’re flying to Hawaii for Dion’s vow renewal, and I’ve been instructed to bring you with me.”
