Chapter 10 - Forever And A Secret
Victoria Sterling held the hostile takeover documents in the air like a bloody trophy.
Daniel stood proudly beside her, completely satisfied with his cowardly betrayal.
Ryan slowly brushed the dust off his perfectly tailored suit jacket and let out a soft chuckle.
"You really should have read the fine print on those stock transfers, Victoria," Ryan said calmly.
Victoria’s confident smirk faltered for a fraction of a second as she looked down at the paperwork.
"Three days ago, I legally transferred eighty percent of my personal shares into an untouchable blind trust," Ryan explained.
"And the sole beneficiary of that trust is my legally wedded wife, Ellie Blackwood."
Victoria’s face completely drained of color as she frantically flipped through the pages.
"As for the deed to the diner you are holding so tightly," Ryan continued, pointing at the envelope.
"That is a completely worthless photocopy I printed in my office an hour ago."
Right on cue, dozens of heavily armed FBI agents flooded the shipyard from every hidden shadow.
They had been monitoring the entire exchange through a wire Ryan had securely hidden under his collar.
The agents quickly placed Marcus, Victoria, and Daniel in heavy steel handcuffs, reading them their rights.
Daniel screamed and cursed at me as they aggressively dragged him toward a waiting police cruiser.
I watched him go without a single shred of regret or sorrow in my heart.
Ryan walked over to me, wrapping his warm, strong arms securely around my trembling shoulders.
"It is finally over, Ellie," he whispered, pressing a tender kiss to the top of my head.
"We don't have to fake this marriage anymore, Ryan," I said softly, looking up into his beautiful dark eyes.
He smiled, a bright and entirely genuine expression that made my soul feel completely weightless.
"I haven't been faking it since the moment I first saw you," he confessed beautifully.
Six months later, we had a real, incredibly private wedding ceremony on a beautiful tropical beach.
The reception was perfect, filled with genuine laughter, beautiful music, and the overwhelming feeling of true love.
I slipped away to my private bridal suite to quickly touch up my makeup before the evening fireworks.
Sitting perfectly center on my pristine vanity mirror was a small, black velvet box.
I curiously opened the lid, finding a heavy silver key resting on top of a handwritten note.
May you like
"Ryan protected you perfectly from the Sterlings, but he never told you who really ordered your father's murder."
"I will be seeing you very soon, little sister."
