Chapter 5 - The Public AnnouncementThe word hung in the air between us like a physical blow, heavy enough to stop time itself.
Finn froze mid-step, his hands still trembling in the air. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, his brain struggling to process a sentence that defied every law of nature, family, and sanity he thought he understood.
“M-my... what?” Finn choked out, his voice cracking into a pathetic squeak.
“You heard me,” Ronan said calmly, stepping forward until he towered over his son by a full head. “Last Tuesday, in a private ceremony witnessed by federal magistrate Judge Vance and two corporate counselors, Lara and I were legally married. She is no longer your ex-girlfriend, Finn. She holds forty percent voting shares in Callahan Development, joint ownership of this building, and my complete, undivided protection.”
I remained seated at the head of the conference table, calmly sipping my espresso as I watched the utter, total collapse of Finn Callahan’s fragile universe.
“You’re lying,” Finn whispered, backing away toward the glass doors, shaking his head in frantic denial. “Dad, you’re insane. You married her just to spite me? She doesn't love you! She’s twenty-four years old! She’s just a gold-digger who—!”
Before Finn could finish his insult, Thomas stepped out from the hallway shadows, grabbed Finn by the scruff of his expensive designer blazer, and lifted him off his feet with effortless strength.
“Let’s go, kid,” Thomas rumbled quietly. “Show’s over.”
“Dad! Dad, you can’t do this to me! I’m your son!” Finn screamed as Thomas dragged him backward out of the boardroom, the heavy glass doors swinging shut behind them, muffling his frantic cries until they faded down the hallway.
When the floor fell silent again, the tension in the room shifted, replaced by a heavy, pulsating intimacy.
Ronan turned around slowly and walked back toward me. He didn't look like a ruthless corporate boss anymore; there was a quiet vulnerability in his dark eyes, mixed with a fierce, burning hunger that had been simmering beneath the surface for weeks.
He stopped right beside my chair, placing his hands on the armrests, caging me in.
“Was that too dramatic?” Ronan asked quietly, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.
“It was theatrical, terrifying, and completely insane,” I replied, looking up into his eyes without a trace of fear. “I love it.”
Ronan let out a deep, rumbling laugh, then leaned down. His lips brushed mine in a slow, deliberate kiss that tasted of espresso, cedarwood, and absolute victory. It wasn't the tentative, careful kiss of a business arrangement; it was real. It was fierce, claiming, and entirely consuming.
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“The press conference is scheduled for tomorrow morning,” Ronan murmured against my lips. “The society pages are going to lose their minds when they find out the real reason Finn got kicked out of his penthouse.”
“Let them talk,” I whispered, sliding my arms around his neck. “We’ve got an empire to run.”
