It had been three weeks since the press release. Three weeks since Nancy rewrote her own story.
Her company was thriving. Her name was stronger than ever. Clients trusted her more, respected her more. She had turned her pain into a platform.
But late at night, when the noise faded…
She still thought of him.
Of Adrian.
Of the fire.
Of the hurt.
Of that damn kiss.
---
Friday Evening – Charity Gala at the Hawthorne Hotel
The city's elite had gathered for a charity auction. Nancy arrived in a deep emerald dress that turned every head in the room—including Adrian's.
He approached slowly, careful, like one wrong step would shatter everything.
"You look powerful," he said.
Nancy's lips curled. "I am."
They stood there for a moment, the orchestra humming behind them, the room buzzing around them—but their world was quiet.
Adrian reached into his coat pocket and handed her a velvet box.
She hesitated.
"It's not a bribe," he said. "It's just... something you deserve."
She opened it.
Inside was a delicate gold bracelet—simple, elegant, engraved on the inside with three words:
"Chose you anyway."
Nancy stared at it, then at him.
"You shouldn't have," she said, but her voice cracked.
"I know," he replied. "But I couldn't help it."
---
Meanwhile – A New Threat Emerges
Far from the glitz of the gala, Lily met with someone in the shadows of a rooftop bar. Her career may have burned, but her hatred still smoldered.
The man across from her sipped his whiskey.
"I hear Carter & Co. is expanding," he said. "Thinking of making her fall harder?"
Lily smiled. "I already tried the heart. Now we go for the empire."
She slid a folder across the table. Inside—documents Nancy had never seen. Documents that could ruin more than just her business.
They could destroy everything.
---
Back at the Gala – The Dance
Adrian held out his hand. "One dance. No contracts. No conditions."
Nancy hesitated.
Then took it.
They moved slowly across the floor, neither saying a word, both lost in the storm of everything they hadn't said.
It wasn't forgiveness.
It wasn't surrender.
But maybe…
It was the beginning of something new.