Isabella POV
Damien's hands were everywhere, claiming and possessing with a desperation that matched my own. He pressed me against my bedroom wall, his mouth hot and demanding against my throat, and all I could think was finally.
Finally, no more doubts. No more questions. No more Marcus Blackwood poison seeping into what we'd built.
"Seven years," Damien growled against my ear, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin. "Seven fucking years I've wanted to do this."
"Then stop talking and do it," I gasped, my nails digging into his shoulders hard enough to leave marks.
He lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carried me to the bed. The silk sheets were cool against my overheated skin when he laid me down, but his gaze was pure fire as he stared down at me.
"You're so goddamn beautiful," he said, his voice rough with need. "Every fantasy I've had, every dream that kept me awake... none of it compared to this."
"Show me," I challenged, reaching for him. "Show me what seven years of wanting looks like."
What followed was possession in its purest form. Damien's hands mapped every inch of my body like he was memorizing a treasure map, his mouth following the path his fingers traced. When he finally moved over me, when he joined our bodies with a thrust that made me cry out his name, it felt like coming home and falling apart all at once.
"Mine," he said as we moved together, his gray eyes holding mine captive. "Say it, bella. Tell me you're mine."
"Yours," I gasped, my body arching beneath his. "Always yours."
The words seemed to shatter his control. He took me harder, deeper, until I was mindless with pleasure and desperate need. When the climax hit, it was with the force of seven years of suppressed longing finally set free.
After, we lay tangled in sheets and satisfaction, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat slow to normal rhythm.
"Blackwood's not done," Damien said quietly, his fingers combing through my hair.
"I know." I traced patterns on his chest, marveling at how right this felt. "What's our next move?"
"We go on the offensive. Stop reacting to his moves and start making our own." His arm tightened around me. "But first, we need to solidify the merger. Make it legally bulletproof so he can't find any cracks to exploit."
"The board meeting tomorrow?"
"Among other things. I want our lawyers to draft ironclad contracts that protect both companies and our employees. Blackwood's going to try to poach our best people, maybe even attempt a counter-offer for Sterling Industries."
I lifted my head to look at him. "You think he'll try to buy the company out from under us?"
"I think Marcus Blackwood is the kind of man who doesn't accept defeat gracefully. Today was just the opening move." Damien's expression hardened. "He made one mistake though."
"Which was?"
"He threatened what's mine." The possessive edge in his voice sent heat spiraling through me all over again. "I don't respond well to threats."
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, interrupting the moment. I glanced at the screen and felt my blood run cold.
"It's Henry Morrison," I said. "At eleven PM. This can't be good."
Damien sat up, immediately alert. "Answer it. Speaker phone."
I hit accept and put the call on speaker. "Henry?"
"Isabella, where are you?" Henry's voice was tight with panic. "We have a situation."
"What kind of situation?"
"The kind where three board members just called emergency meetings to discuss your removal as CEO. Again." Henry paused. "Someone's been feeding them information about your... relationship... with Cross. They're calling it a conflict of interest that compromises your judgment."
I felt Damien tense beside me, his hand finding mine in silent support.
"Who's behind it?" I asked, though I already suspected the answer.
"James Pemberton's leading the charge, but he's got backing from investors I don't recognize. Big money, Isabella. The kind that can buy board votes."
Blackwood. It had to be. Moving faster than we'd anticipated, applying pressure through channels we hadn't protected.
"How long do we have?" Damien asked.
"The emergency board meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at seven AM," Henry said. "One hour before the merger announcement press conference."
Perfect timing. Remove me as CEO just before we could announce the merger that would save Sterling Industries and destroy Blackwood's plans.
"Can you stop it?" I asked.
"Not legally. They have the votes and the justification. Isabella, I'm sorry. I tried to convince them this was premature, but..."
"But they're scared," I finished. "And scared people make stupid decisions."
After ending the call, I stared at the ceiling while my mind raced through possibilities and contingencies.
"We move up the timeline," Damien said finally. "Announce the merger tonight, before they can vote you out."
"On what grounds? We need proper documentation, board approval, legal frameworks..."
"We have all of that. I had my lawyers working through the night after our meeting with Blackwood. All we need is your signature and we can make this public immediately."
I turned to face him, seeing the predatory satisfaction in his gray eyes. "You planned for this."
"I planned for every possibility." His smile was sharp enough to cut glass. "Including the one where Marcus Blackwood tried to remove you before we could complete the merger."
"And if the board votes to remove me anyway?"
"Then they'll be voting to remove the co-CEO of Cross-Sterling Industries, a position that's protected by merger agreements they can't override." Damien's hand cupped my face. "Trust me, bella. I won't let them take you away from me again."
Twenty minutes later, I was dressed and sitting in Damien's car while he made rapid-fire phone calls to lawyers, board members, and media contacts. The city flashed by outside the windows as we headed toward Cross Enterprises, where an emergency team was waiting to finalize documentation that would change everything.
"Sarah's already contacted the major financial networks," Damien said after ending another call. "We'll have prime time coverage for the merger announcement."
"And if this backfires? If the market reacts badly to the rushed timeline?"
"Then we weather the storm together." He caught my hand, bringing it to his lips. "Isabella, I know this is happening fast. I know it feels like we're gambling with your legacy."
"Our legacy," I corrected. "We're in this together now."
The Cross Enterprises building was lit up like a Christmas tree despite the late hour. Lawyers, accountants, and media specialists moved through the lobby with the kind of focused energy that came from working on something that would make history.
"Ms. Sterling." Sarah Martinez appeared with a tablet and that crisp efficiency I was learning to appreciate. "The merger documents are ready for your review. Legal's already confirmed they're bulletproof."
I spent the next hour reading through contracts that would bind Sterling Industries to Cross Enterprises in ways that went far beyond business partnerships. It was comprehensive, protective, and surprisingly generous in terms of maintaining Sterling Industries' autonomy.
"You could have taken everything," I said to Damien as I signed the final page. "Why didn't you?"
"Because taking everything would have been revenge," he said quietly. "This is something else entirely."
"What is it?"
"Love." The word hit me like lightning. "This is what love looks like when it's backed by three billion dollars and seven years of determination."
Before I could respond, Sarah appeared again with news that made my blood run cold.
"We have a problem," she said. "Someone leaked news of the emergency board meeting to the press. It's all over the financial networks."
She handed me her tablet, and I felt my heart sink as I read the headline:
"Sterling Industries Board Moves to Remove CEO Hours Before Merger Announcement"
"Blackwood," Damien said grimly. "He's trying to make it look like the board has no confidence in your leadership."
"Or," I said, reading further into the article, "he's trying to make it look like I'm being removed because of my relationship with you. Listen to this: 'Sources close to Sterling Industries suggest that Isabella Sterling's judgment has been compromised by her romantic involvement with the man who spent months attacking her company.'"
The implication was clear. I was either incompetent or compromised, and either way, I shouldn't be running Sterling Industries.
"We stick to the plan," Damien said firmly. "Announce the merger now, before the board meeting. Once it's public, they can't reverse it without looking like they're sabotaging their own company."
"And if they vote to remove me anyway?"
"Then we remind them that removing you means removing half of the leadership team that just saved their company from bankruptcy." Damien's smile was pure predator. "They want to play dirty? We'll show them what dirty looks like."
Two hours later, I stood beside Damien in front of a hastily assembled press conference, cameras flashing and reporters shouting questions. The merger announcement had been perfectly choreographed, professional and confident and utterly unshakeable.
"Sterling Industries and Cross Enterprises are pleased to announce a strategic merger that will create one of the city's most powerful business entities," I said into the microphones. "This partnership combines Sterling's established reputation with Cross's innovative approach, ensuring continued growth and job security for all employees."
"Ms. Sterling!" A reporter shouted from the back. "Is it true that your board is meeting tomorrow to discuss your removal?"
I felt Damien's hand at my back, warm and steadying.
"The board of Sterling Industries fully supports this merger and the leadership team that made it possible," I said smoothly. "Any reports to the contrary are based on speculation and outdated information."
"What about your personal relationship with Mr. Cross? Has that influenced your business decisions?"
This was the question I'd been dreading, the one that could make us look unprofessional or compromised.
"My personal relationship with Mr. Cross began seven years ago, long before either of us was in a position to make corporate decisions," I said firmly. "Our business partnership is based on strategic compatibility and shared vision for the future."
It was a diplomatic answer that revealed nothing and everything. Yes, we were involved. No, it didn't compromise our judgment. Yes, this merger was both personal and professional.
After the press conference, as we rode the elevator back to Damien's office, I felt the weight of what we'd just done settling on my shoulders.
"No going back now," I said.
"No going back," he agreed, pulling me into his arms. "Any regrets?"
I thought about the Sterling legacy, about my father's expectations, about the safe, predictable future I'd been raised to want. Then I looked into Damien's gray eyes and saw something better than safety.
I saw forever.
"None," I said, and meant it completely