The Manhattan skyline spreadbefore him as he stood in his kitchen, taking in the view. Three days had passed since Martha’s Vineyard—three days of conversations stretching into the night, of rediscovered laughter, of plans made and unmade. Three days of finding their footing on new ground.
Today, they would return to Oath Capital together. Not as boss and assistant engaged in an elaborate charade, but as two people choosing to build a life from the wreckage of what had broken.
His phone buzzed on the counter.
DEVNEY: On my way. Bringing coffee from that place on 3rd you pretend not to like. Your kitchen remains tragically understocked. Don’t argue.
RONAN: I wouldn’t dream of it.
Fifteen minutes later, the elevator’s chime announced her arrival, then she appeared in the kitchen doorway, golden hairloose around her shoulders, a cardboard drink carrier in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other.
“Your breakfast delivery has arrived,” she announced, her tone triumphant, chasing the morning hush from the room. “Fresh coffee and croissants, because life’s too short for stale bagels.”
“Is that so?” he asked, accepting the bag she thrust toward him. Their fingers brushed in the exchange, sending a current of awareness through him that he no longer tried to suppress.
“Absolutely. You don’t do anything halfway, Ronan Wilder.” She moved to the cupboard where she knew his plates were kept. “Including breakfast.”
He watched her navigate his kitchen with ease, setting out plates and butter, arranging the flaky pastries like she’d done it a hundred times before. The domesticity of the scene struck him hard—how she had slipped into the empty spaces of his life, filling them with color and movement and sound. How natural it felt to wake up with her beside him, to share coffee and quiet morning conversation after the passion of the night before.
“Are you nervous?” he asked, as she arranged their breakfast on the island between them.
“About walking into Oath Capital after my dramatic exit? About facing an office full of people who witnessed the entire debacle?” She released a shaky breath. “Terrifiedwould be more accurate.”
“We don’t have to do this today,” he said, reaching across the counter to take her hand. “The company will survive another day without us.”
Her fingers tightened around his, her eyes meeting his, clear and unwavering. “Yes, we do. The longer we wait, the harder it becomes. Besides,” she added, “I’ve never been good at backing down from a challenge.”
“No,” he agreed. “It’s one of your most infuriating qualities.”
“You find me infuriating?” she asked, her tone light.
He circled the island to stand before her, close enough to feel the warmth that always seemed to radiate from her—now inextricably tied to memories of her fingers in his hair as the fever ravaged him, of her in his kitchen making soup, of her dressed in his T-shirt.
“Infuriating,” he confirmed, his voice dropping to a whisper as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Challenging. Essential.”
The slight catch in her breathing sent satisfaction coursing through him. For a man who had built an empire on his ability to read markets and predict outcomes, discovering the impact of his touch, his words on this woman, felt like the most valuable intelligence he’d gathered.
“We should eat,” she said, though she made no move to step away. “Before the croissants get cold.”
“Yes,” he agreed, reluctant to break the moment. “Can’t have cold croissants.”
They ate in comfortable silence for a few moments before she spoke again.
“Have you decided what we’re going to tell everyone?” she asked, her voice casual.
“The truth,” he said. “That the relationship is real.”
“Simple and direct.”
“They don’t need any more,” he said firmly.
“And HR? I mean, there are policies in place.”
“About the CEO dating his assistant?” he asked. “I’m the CEO, Devney. I make the policies.”
She opened her mouth as if to protest, then shut it again, a short laugh escaping instead. “Well, when you put it that way.”
“Your position and value to the company remain unchanged,” he continued, his tone shedding its formal edge. “You’ve earned your place at Oath Capital through your ownmerit. We’ll make whatever adjustments are necessary, but I won’t shuffle you off to another department to make things neater on paper.”
