The hospital room felt peaceful for the first time in months. My brother was sleeping, his breathing deep and even, no longer hooked up to the terrifying machines that had been his only company. I sat by the window, watching the sunset over the Enugu skyline.
"You're thinking about the street again," a voice said.
I turned to see the Ice Queen. She had changed into a simple, elegant black dress. Gone were the sharp blazers and the "CEO" armor. She looked like a woman who had finally put down a heavy burden.
"I'm thinking about how much has changed in seventy-five chapters," I said, a small smile playing on my lips. "A few months ago, I was wondering where my next meal would come from. Now, I'm sitting in a VIP suite with the most powerful woman in the country."
She walked over and stood beside me, her hand resting on my shoulder. "You aren't just sitting with her. You're the reason she's still here. The Board confirmed the final transition today. Catherine is officially stripped of all titles. The company is mine... truly mine."
"So, the 'Hidden Husband' isn't needed for the shares anymore?" I asked, looking into her dark eyes.
She didn't answer with words. She reached into her small clutch bag and pulled out a small, velvet box. She opened it to reveal two matching platinum bands—simple, elegant, and permanent.
"The old contract was for 365 days," she whispered. "But I don't want a deadline. I want a partner who doesn't care about the fine print."
I took the box from her hand, my heart hammering. "Are you proposing to your own husband?"
"I'm proposing to the man who saved my life," she corrected me.
I took the ring and slid it onto her finger, then let her do the same for me. It wasn't a corporate merger. It wasn't a play for the media. It was real.
But just as I pulled her into a kiss, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was an unknown number. Usually, I'd ignore it, but something about the timing felt wrong. I picked it up and saw a single text message:
"The Queen thinks she won the war. She forgot that her father had more than one secret. Check the basement of the old family house in the sector. The real contract hasn't been signed yet."
My blood ran cold. the sector ? That was her father's hometown.
I looked at the Ice Queen. She saw the look on my face and her smile vanished. "What is it? What happened?"
"It's not over," I whispered, showing her the screen. "There's something in the sector Something your father hid."
The romance of the night was shattered. A new mystery was calling us tback into the shadows.