Page 146 of The Temporary Bride

I lean in and press a soft kiss to his lips, taking my time with it as we lie together in the moonlight spilling in from the open windows. For a few moments, we just exist together, wrapped up in each other. The quiet is welcome after weeks of chaos.

Eventually, I break the silence with a hesitant sigh. “So… I caught the end of your conversation with my father, but I didn’t hear the beginning. What got him going?”

Tristan grimaces. “Oh, right. I forgot you didn’t know.”

I sit up slightly, regretting that I brought this up. I needed to know, but I should’ve known it would interrupt the peaceful moment between us.

“My brothers and I met with legal. We’re pushing forward with a lawsuit against MediaSphere, and it’s one hell of a lawsuit.”

“What are you gunning for?” I ask.

He blinks up at me. “Everything.”

I nod. I expected nothing less. I don’t regret it, either. After everything my family did, after how horrible they’ve been, they deserve this. Giving Tristan the green light was the right move.

But still, it feels strange to be discussing the downfall of the empire I helped build. The empire I was set to inherit. It feels even stranger to be… relieved, almost.

“He was confronting me about the papers. He’d just been served earlier in the day.”

“That makes sense.”

“Things didn’t really get heated on my part until… well.”

I bite back a smile. “Oh, I heard that part, trust me.”

“He mentioned that you’d quit your job,” Tristan says. The casual phrasing, as though Tristan and my father were just catching up, makes me snort a laugh.

“Yeah, I did. After what they did to you, and what they did to me, I couldn’t stay there.”

“I don’t blame you.” He reaches out to clasp my hand, lacing his fingers with mine.

“I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do now that I’ve quit at MediaSphere,” I admit in a whisper.

And there it is. The feeling I’ve been trying to keep at bay. Fear. I have no idea what to do with myself. I’ve spent so many years of my life shaping my career, knowing that I was destined to fill a role in my family’s company. Without that, I have no direction at all.

I know I’ll be taken care of. I’m married to the CEO of Thorne Enterprises. But I can’t stand the thought of being idle. I’ve always been ambitious. I like to be kept moving. The best thing about business was the feeling of chasing a project to its completion, and without that…

Tristan is quiet, listening. I wonder if he can hear the gears grinding in my head.

“I’ll probably have to start applying elsewhere. I just know that the interview process is going to be a bitch.” I sigh. “Everyone will want to know what happened at MediaSphere, and I just can’t stomach getting into it, you know? It’s a mess, but it’s a family mess. It feels like it should be at least a little bit private.”

He hums in agreement. “Well, have you thought about doing something else? Something outside of business development?”

I scoff, shaking my head. “I’ve been prepped for that role since my MBA. It’s the only thing on my resume.”

Tristan gives me a look I can’t interpret, tugging his lip between his teeth as he studies me. “I have an idea,” he says after a moment.

“What?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.

He starts to slide out of bed. I groan in protest as he moves his body out of my arms, but he smiles down at me and runs his thumb across my cheek, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Wait there, dimples. I’ll be right back.”

With that, he stands up and moves toward the door, leaving me nestled in the sheets. Without him beside me, the spell is broken. I no longer feel a gravitational pull to this bed. But I still lie back against the pillows to wait like Tristan asked me to.

Moments later, I hear the soft rustling of papers and he reappears, a binder under one arm. With a smile that hints at his excitement, he sits on the edge of the bed beside me.

“Our graphic designer did some sketches for me. A logo for the new movie studio.”