The private airport of Ehrenfeld was, once again, the stage for an ending. But the air was different from that of the arrival. There was no longer uncertainty—only the echo of an absolute conquest, a territory marked by hands that never hesitate.
Selene Virelli appeared first. She carried neither folders nor tablets; her arsenal was of another kind. She wore a cream-colored tailored suit that screamed success—impeccable, untouchable. She approached Adrian as the operators loaded the last pieces of luggage onto the jet.
"Seventy–thirty is an expensive lesson, Adrian," she said, stopping at a professional distance that was nonetheless charged with complicity. "But I have to admit—working under your shadow accelerates results in a way that's… addictive."
Adrian watched her with that calm Selene had learned to decipher like a secret code."Consider that extra ten percent a learning fee, Selene. You've proven you can purge your own system without me having to ask," he replied, referring to Max's dismissal. "Ehrenfeld is in your hands. Don't make me come back because of a management error."
Selene smiled—a shark's smile, recognizing another predator of her kind."You won't. By the time you return, Aurora Capital will be the backbone of this region."
The handshake was firm, dry—an alliance sealed to survive distance. Selene withdrew with the elegance of someone anointed by power, leaving the space open for the true protagonist.
Katherine Sterling stepped forward.
The wind on the runway stirred her hair, but she didn't flinch. Something had changed since the kidnapping and rescue: fear had evaporated, replaced by a cold, majestic acceptance of her destiny. She was no longer a bargaining chip; she was the future Mrs. Valmont—and she walked like it.
"Last semester," she said, with a melancholy she didn't try to hide. "Who would have thought the man who controls the flow of capital for two cities would have to sit in a classroom listening to management theories?"
Adrian let out a brief laugh, almost human."Appearances must be maintained, Katherine. The university is the perfect stage to observe who will be pawns… and who mistakenly believe they can be kings."
Katherine stepped closer, closing the distance. There were no press cameras—only guards forming a steel ring fifty meters away.
"Come back soon," she whispered.
Adrian didn't answer with words. His hand slid to the back of Katherine's neck, fingers sinking lightly into her hair, and he pulled her to him.
The second kiss had nothing to do with the first. The ceremonial one had been a contract; this was a claim. Long, deep, marked by his possession and her fierce acceptance. It tasted of red wine, of farewell, and of a silent promise: when he returned, the rules would no longer be merely diplomatic.
When they parted, Katherine's cheeks were faintly flushed, but her gaze was steady."Go," she said. "Valenheim is waiting for you."
Adrian nodded, climbed the jet's stairs, and before the door closed, cast one last look at Ehrenfeld. He had arrived as an investor; he was leaving as an owner.
Three hours later, the jet landed in the capital. The black Mercedes waited on the tarmac.
Adrian descended expecting to see Astrid leaning against the car, wearing that cynical smile and the first button of her blouse undone. But only the driver stood there, rigid as a statue.
"Where is she?" Adrian asked, his voice dropping an octave. The air grew heavy.
"Miss Astrid… hasn't responded to coordination calls, Mr. Valmont. She said she had 'matters of greater urgency than being a welcoming committee.'"
Adrian clenched his jaw. The punishment for that insolence was already forming in his mind.
He entered Astrid's office.
Her scent permeated the room—her unmistakable perfume, dense and dangerous, mixed with the metallic cold of the furniture and the polished leather of the executive chairs.
She was there, seated behind her desk. She raised her face for barely a second, then lowered it immediately, as if even a shared glance were too much. Her posture remained elegant, calculated, but her eyes glimmered with that faintly unnatural pink sheen—the permanent mark left by Li Shen's poison. Astrid trembled slightly; not from fear, but from a need only he could satisfy.
When she saw him, she wanted to throw herself into his arms. The impulse was immediate, visceral. But she restrained herself.The woman who was now the city's rising star, who dominated boardrooms and financial headlines, suppressed the urge, biting her lower lip and gripping the edge of the desk to keep from giving in.
"One week, Adrian…" she finally whispered. "You had your fun."Her voice was broken, loaded with rage and need. "One week of enduring your absence."
He didn't answer with tenderness. He advanced toward her with the unhurried calm of a predator who knows his prey has nowhere to run. Each step made the parquet creak beneath his feet, setting the rhythm of the inevitable.
He grabbed her by the hair and forced her to lift her face. Astrid let out an involuntary moan—half relief, half agony.
"Are you rebelling against me?" he murmured, his voice vibrating against her skin. "You are mine, Astrid. My property."
"Then why did you leave me alone?" Her nails dug into his shirt, rage and desire intertwined. "You left me here… while you were with your fiancée."
Adrian yanked her to her feet and dragged her to the center of the office, between the executive desk and the trophy shelves. The space she ruled daily transformed into something else entirely—one where control no longer belonged to her.
"Your punishment for letting jealousy rule you and for not receiving me at the airport won't be silence," he said, his authority saturated with desire. "It will be reminding you exactly who owns every inch of your skin."
Astrid didn't try to flee. She arched toward him, demanding contact, accepting the brutal balance of pain and pleasure that only Adrian knew how to impose.
"Beg for mercy again, Astrid," he whispered as he unbuckled his belt. "I must break you in again… so you don't forget your place."
What happened in that office was impossible to put into words. Only afterward did Astrid realize she would need her secretary to bring her new clothes… including the most intimate ones.