Chapter 20 - The Empire of TwoFive Years Later.
The cover of TIME Magazine sat framed on the polished mahogany desk. The bold, golden letters across the top read: THE NEW DYNASTY.
Below the headline was a stunning portrait of Khloe and Marcus Thorne. They were sitting side by side, looking directly into the camera. They weren't smiling, but they didn't need to. The image exuded an aura of untouchable power, absolute loyalty, and unbreakable unity.
"Mom! Dad!"
The heavy doors of the Thorne Industries boardroom burst open. Eight-year-old Leo ran into the room, followed closely by his five-year-old sister, Maya, who was already wearing one of Khloe’s discarded blazers that trailed on the floor behind her.
Marcus, who was in the middle of closing a multi-billion-dollar merger on a conference call, immediately hit the mute button. The terrifying CEO vanished, replaced instantly by the doting father.
"What's the emergency, monsters?" Marcus asked, scooping Maya up and placing her on the boardroom table.
"Uncle Rick says we can't have ice cream before dinner, but I told him you're the boss of everything!" Leo declared, crossing his arms.
Khloe chuckled, walking over from the window where she had been reviewing her own hotel expansion plans. She ruffled Leo's hair. "Uncle Rick is a doctor, Leo. He knows best. But... maybe we can negotiate a treaty."
"A treaty?" Maya asked, tilting her head.
"Ice cream after dinner, but double scoops," Marcus proposed smoothly, leaning in as if closing the biggest deal of his life. "Do we have a deal?"
Leo pretended to think about it, then stuck out his small hand. "Deal."
As the kids cheered and ran back out to their uncle, Marcus stood up and wrapped his arms around Khloe from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, looking out the massive window at the sprawling metropolis of New York City below them.
They owned it. All of it.
The Thorne-Sterling empire was the largest corporate conglomerate in the world. Their enemies were ruined, their legacies secured, and their family was thriving.
"Double scoops, Thorne? You're a soft negotiator these days," Khloe teased, leaning her head back against him.
"Only with them. And with you," Marcus murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her neck. "With the rest of the world, I'm still a bastard."
Khloe turned in his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck. She looked into the eyes of the man who had once broken her, the man who had humbled himself, fought for her, and built an empire just to lay it at her feet.
"You're my bastard," Khloe whispered, pulling him down for a kiss.
Marcus smiled against her lips, his hands pulling her impossibly closer.
May you like
The assault, the betrayal, the pain of the past—it was all just a shadow in the rearview mirror. They had walked through the fire, and they had come out on the other side forged in gold.
They were untouchable. They were infinite. And they were finally, entirely, happy.
