(Kate's POV)
She means it.
I can see it in her face. The resolve. The willingness to sacrifice her own happiness for Ethan's good.
This is not an act.
This is love.
True love. The kind that puts the other person first before oneself.
A weight I didn't realize I've been carrying on my shoulder lightens at this moment.
"What do you think I built Hale Global on?" I ask.
The question throws her. "I'm sorry?"
"The empire. The success. The wealth. What do you think that came from?"
"Strength. Strategy. Business acumen."
"Risk," I correct her. "I built it on risk. On betting everything when others doubted. On choosing what mattered over what was easy."
I stand. Walk to the window overlooking the gardens.
"My family didn't want me to marry Ethan's grandfather. Thomas Hale was beneath
