His Secret Addiction

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Three

Damien's POV

Victoria invited us to dinner on Wednesday.

"Both of you," she said when she called. "At my place. Seven o'clock. Don't be late."

Alex looked skeptical when I told him. "Your sister wants to have dinner with us?"

"Apparently."

"Is this an ambush? Is she going to try to convince you to come back to Ross Industries?"

"Probably. But she's also making her famous lasagna, so it's worth the lecture."

We showed up at six fifty-five. Victoria's apartment was in Tribeca, modern and expensive and perfectly decorated. She answered the door in jeans and a sweater, looking more relaxed than I'd seen her in months.

"You came," she said, hugging me.

"You made lasagna. I'm predictable."

She hugged Alex next. "Thank you for coming. And for keeping my brother relatively sane through everything."

"That's generous," Alex said. "I think we kept each other sane."

Inside, Marcus was already there, opening wine in the kitchen. His husband Tom was setting the table. It felt deliberately casual, like Victoria was trying to prove this wasn't a business dinner.

We ate in the dining room. The lasagna was as good as I remembered. The stayed away from work for the first half hour. Tom told stories about his architecture firm. Marcus complained about a client who kept changing requirements. Alex talked about his first consulting project starting next week.

Then Victoria set down her fork and looked at me.

"I'm not going to ask you to come back," she said.

"Really?"

"Really. Sterling's running the company into the ground, the board is panicking, and everyone keeps asking when you're returning. But I'm not going to ask." She picked up her wine. "Because you're happy. First time in years. And I'm not ruining that."

"Thank you."

"However," she continued, "I am buying you out."

I set my glass down. "What?"

"Your shares. Thirty percent of the company. I want to buy them." She pulled out a folder from the side table. "Marcus and I worked out a fair price. Slightly above market value given current circumstances. You walk away completely. No ties to Ross Industries. No obligations."

I looked at the number on the paper. It was more than fair. It was generous.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you deserve a clean break. And because I don't want you tied to a company you don't want to run anymore." She slid the folder across the table. "Take a few days to think about it. But I'm serious."

Alex was quiet beside me. I could feel him processing what this meant.

"If I sell, you and Marcus control the majority," I said.

"That's the idea. We vote Sterling out. Bring in new leadership. Fix what he's breaking." Victoria leaned back. "But we do it without you having to be involved. You get your life back."

Marcus nodded. "We've already talked to three board members. They're ready to support us if you sell your shares to Victoria. Sterling's out within a month."

I looked at the papers. At the number that represented fifteen years of my life. My grandmother's legacy. Everything I'd built and protected and nearly destroyed myself.

"I need to think about it," I said.

"Of course." Victoria stood and started clearing plates. "Now, who wants dessert?"

**********************

We left around ten. Alex was quiet in the car ride home. I knew he was thinking about the offer. About what it meant for us.

"Talk to me," I said.

"That's a lot of money."

"It is."

"You could do anything. Start your own company. Invest in whatever you want. Travel for a year." He looked at me. "You don't have to decide based on me."

"I'm not. I'm deciding based on what I want." I took his hand. "Which includes you, but isn't only about you."

"What do you want?"

"I don't want to think about Ross Industries anymore. I want to invest in things I care about instead of managing things I don't. I want to have dinner with my sister without it being a negotiation." I paused. "I want more days like last weekend. Where we do nothing important and it feels like everything."

He smiled. "That's a good answer."

"Is it?"

"Better than I expected from someone who's terrible at knowing what he wants."

"I'm getting better at that too."

Back at the apartment, we got ready for bed. Alex was in the bathroom brushing his teeth when I made the decision.

I called Victoria.

"I'll sell," I said when she answered. "Send me the papers tomorrow. I'll sign them by Friday."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. You and Marcus will do better with the company than I ever did. And I'm ready to move on."

She was quiet for a moment. "I'm proud of you, Damien. For knowing when to let go."

"Thanks for giving me the option."

After we hung up, Alex came out of the bathroom.

"You called her," he said.

"I'm selling. It's done."

He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around me. "How do you feel?"

"Lighter, terrified, relieved." I held him tighter. "Like I just made either the best or worst decision of my life."

"It's the best," he said. "Trust me."

We got into bed. Alex curled against me immediately, fitting into the space he always occupied now.

"What happens next?" he asked.

"I don't know. That's new for me."

"Good new or scary new?"

"Both. Mostly good." I kissed his forehead. "I have some money coming. You're building a consulting practice. We figure out what life looks like when we're not in crisis mode."

"Revolutionary concept."

"Terrifying concept."

He laughed softly. "We'll figure it out."

"Together?"

"Obviously together. You're stuck with me now."

"Good."

We lay there in the dark. Outside, the city hummed. Inside, everything felt still and certain in a way it never had before.

I'd spent fifteen years running a company I didn't love. Building something for everyone else. Trying to live up to expectations that were never mine to begin with.

And now I was choosing something different. Something smaller and scarier and entirely my own.

With someone who made that choice feel possible.

"I love you," I said.

"I know." He pressed closer. "I love you too."

Simple words. But they meant everything.

No company, no title, no legacy to maintain.

Just us. Building something real.

And that was enough.

More than enough.

It was everything I'd been looking for without knowing I needed it.

**********************”

Morning came with coffee and lazy conversation.

Alex had a call with his first client at nine. I had nothing scheduled. No meetings, no emergencies, no obligations.

"This is weird," I said, drinking coffee at eight thirty with nowhere to be.

"You'll get used to it."

"Will I?"

"Eventually. Or you'll find new things to fill your time." He checked his phone. "I have to prepare for this call. Are you good?"

"I'm good. Go."

He kissed me quickly and disappeared into the office we'd set up in the spare room.

I sat at the kitchen counter with my coffee and thought about what came next.

For the first time in my entire adult life, I genuinely didn't know. And somehow, that felt exactly right.