Chapter 10 - The Empire We Chose
That evening, after the guests had departed and the estate had settled back into a peaceful, starry quiet, Nia stood out on the second-floor balcony, looking out over the moonlit hills of Connecticut.
Footsteps approached softly from behind.
A warm wool jacket draped over her shoulders, followed by strong, familiar arms wrapping securely around her waist. Adrian rested his chin comfortably on her shoulder, breathing in the scent of jasmine and evening air.
“Penny for your thoughts, my love,” Adrian murmured softly.
Nia smiled, leaning back against his solid chest, her hands reaching up to clasp his wrists.
“I was just thinking about the first day I arrived here,” Nia confessed, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. “Standing at the front gate, carrying my suitcase, wondering if I was going to survive twenty-four hours with four feral boys and a legendary crime boss.”
Adrian chuckled, a rich, vibrating sound against her back. “And what’s your clinical verdict now, Dr. Carter?”
Nia turned in his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck, looking up into his deep, loving gray eyes with absolute confidence.
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“My clinical verdict,” Nia whispered, rising slightly on her toes to meet his lips, “is that we make an incredible team.”
Adrian smiled—a warm, unbreakable expression of pure happiness—and kissed her deeply under the stars, sealing an empire built not on fear, but on light, family, and grace.
