One month.
It was amazing how much a life could change in thirty days when you had the Vance fortune and the Thorne ruthlessness at your disposal.
The divorce had been finalized in record time. Adultery, attempted kidnapping, and corporate fraud tend to speed up legal proceedings. Mark hadn't just lost the company; he had been stripped of every asset, every bank account, and even the "Thorne" name, as Lucian's father had officially disowned that branch of the family.
I stood in front of the reinforced glass of the state penitentiary, wearing a cream-colored power suit and heels that cost more than Mark's bail.
When the guards led him in, I almost didn't recognize him. The "Golden Boy of Tech" was gone. His hair was buzzed, his skin was sallow, and the arrogance that used to define his face had been replaced by a hollow, haunted look.
He picked up the phone, his hands shaking.
"Aria," he rasped. "Please. You have to talk to the judge. Sarah... she's blaming everything on me. She's claiming I coerced her!"
I leaned back, my expression as cold as marble. "Isn't that what you did to me, Mark? You coerced me into giving you my youth, my brains, and my heart only to try and bury me when you were done."
"I was wrong!" he cried, slamming his fist against the glass. "I was blinded! That woman... she isn't even pregnant, Aria. The 'medical files' Lucian found? She faked the pregnancy with a hormone shot to trap me. She played us both!"
I felt a momentary flicker of irony. The "White Lotus" had played her final card, and it had backfired on everyone.
"She didn't play me, Mark. I walked away," I said, my voice steady. "I'm here to tell you two things. First, the Thorne-Vance Group has been liquidated. I bought the remains for a penny on the dollar. I've renamed it 'Aria Global.' Your name is officially erased from the industry."
Mark's face crumpled. His "legacy" was his only god.
"And second?" he choked out.
I held up my left hand. A massive, pear-cut blue diamond sparkled under the harsh fluorescent lights of the prison.
"I'm marrying Lucian. The wedding is this weekend. I wanted to thank you, Mark. If you hadn't been such a coward, I never would have found a real man."
I hung up the phone before he could scream. I didn't look back as I walked through the heavy iron doors and out into the crisp morning air.
A sleek black car was waiting. Lucian was leaning against the door, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. When he saw me, the corner of his mouth quirked up the only smile he ever saved for anyone.
"Did you get what you needed?" he asked, opening the door for me.
"I got my closure," I said, sliding into the plush interior. "Now I want my future."
Lucian climbed in beside me and immediately pulled me into his lap. His hands, large and warm, settled on my waist. "Your grandfather is already complaining that the wedding flowers are too 'modest.' Apparently, five thousand white roses aren't enough for a Vance."
"He's just excited to have a granddaughter who finally listens to him," I laughed, tracing the line of Lucian's jaw.
Lucian's gaze darkened, his thumb brushing my lower lip. "And what about you, Aria? Are you ready to be a Thorne? For real this time?"
"I'm ready to be your Thorne," I whispered.
He didn't wait. He leaned down, his kiss hungry and possessive, a stark contrast to the coldness of the prison I had just left. In his arms, I didn't feel like a victim or a survivor. I felt like a conqueror.
"One more thing," Lucian murmured against my neck, sending shivers down my spine. "I bought that warehouse where Mark tried to trap us. I'm tearing it down tomorrow. Would you like to be the one to press the button?"
I pulled back, a slow, predatory smile spreading across my face.
"No, Lucian. I don't want to blow it up. I want to turn it into a shelter for women who have been betrayed by men like Mark. I want to build something beautiful on top of his failures."
Lucian looked at me with an intensity that made my heart race. "God, I love how your mind works. That's my Queen."
As the car sped toward the Vance estate, I looked out at the city skyline. The "Positive" pregnancy test I had crushed a month ago was a distant memory. I was no longer the girl who built someone else's empire.
I was Aria Vance. And the world was finally listening.