Chapter 7 - The Empire We BuiltSix months later, the front page of the Chicago Tribune featured a very different kind of headline:
“Tech Giant Ethan Moretti and Chief Architect Claire Hayes Announce Merger of Moretti Technologies and Vanguard Restructuring Initiative—Plus Upcoming Wedding Bells.”
The reception was held at a private estate overlooking the lake, surrounded by close friends, colleagues, and federal officials who now treated Ethan with the kind of cautious respect reserved for legends.
I stood on the glass balcony of the penthouse overlooking the glittering night skyline of Chicago, wearing a simple, elegant ivory gown that caught the moonlight. The ghosts of Vanguard, the terrifying nights in the warehouse, and the cold lunch at the Italian restaurant on Randolph Street felt like a lifetime away.
Footsteps echoed softly behind me.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, pulling me back against a warm, solid chest. Ethan rested his chin on my shoulder, inhaling the scent of my hair with a soft sigh of pure contentment.
"Penny for your thoughts, Mrs. Moretti-to-be?" he murmured against my ear.
I smiled, leaning back into his embrace, resting my hands over his arms. "I was just thinking about the day you walked into that restaurant, asked if I was on a date, and blew up my entire life."
Ethan chuckled, a rich, vibrating sound that warmed the cool autumn air. "Best decision I ever made."
"You were terrified," I teased, turning around in his arms to look up into his dark, devoted eyes.
"Petrified," Ethan admitted without hesitation, his hands sliding down to rest securely on my hips. "Because I knew that if I lost you, I would lose everything that ever mattered."
May you like
"Well," I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck as the city lights twinkled below us like a million quiet stars, "you're stuck with me now."
"Good," he murmured, kissing me softly under the Chicago sky. "Because I never had any intention of letting you go."
