Public Claim
663 Words
The boardroom was silent.
12 men in suits. Isabella with her phone raised, recording. Lawyers waiting.
And me. In Damian’s oversized shirt. Hand in his behind his back.
“Public indecency,” Isabella repeated. “Grounds for removal. Unless, Damian… your wife is carrying the Black heir.”
Her eyes were smug. She’d won.
Clause 4.2. The heir. The shares. Everything.
Damian didn’t look at her. He looked at me.
Grey eyes asking a question I’d never heard from him: _Do you trust me?_
I squeezed his hand once. Yes.
He turned to the board. Let go of my hand. For half a second I panicked.
Then his arm came around my waist. Pulled me flush against him. In front of everyone.
“No heir,” he said. Voice flat. Final. “Contract amended last night. Clause 4.2 void. Ava’s terms.”
Isabella laughed. “Amendments need board approval—”
“They have it.” Damian’s thumb brushed my hip. Possessive. Steady. “Right here.”
He looked down at me. And in front of 12 board members, his ex, and 3 lawyers… he kissed me.
Not punishment. Not boardroom teasing.
Real.
His mouth came down on mine slow. Like he had all the time in the world while the company burned. Like I was the only thing in the room.
One hand cupped my jaw. The other held my waist like he’d drown if I pulled away.
I gasped into his mouth. Rule 1 shattered. Rule 2 forgotten.
This wasn’t for them. This was for me. For the “you’re mine forever” he whispered last night. For the forehead kiss in the study.
When he pulled back, his forehead stayed against mine. Breathing hard.
“I choose her,” he said to the room. But only to me. “Over the shares. Over Black Corp. Over my father’s legacy. I choose Ava.”
The board members shifted. Uncomfortable. One cleared his throat.
“Mr. Black, you realize without Clause 4.2, Vance Holdings gets 51%—”
“Let them have it,” Damian cut him off. Eyes never leaving mine. “I built Black Corp. I can build another. I can’t build another her.”
Isabella’s phone dropped to her side. Face pale. “You’re insane. You’d be broke.”
“I’m already broke,” he said. Finally looked at her. “Broke without her.”
He turned. Scooped me up like I weighed nothing. Like Chapter 6 all over again. But this time in front of everyone.
“Meeting adjourned,” he told the board. “Black Corp belongs to Vance now. I belong to my wife.”
The elevator doors closed behind us before anyone could speak.
Silence.
Then Damian set me down. Caged me against the glass wall. City spinning 80 floors below.
“You just watched me lose a billion-dollar company,” he said. No regret. Only heat. “Any regrets, Mrs. Black?”
I touched his face. The CEO mask gone. Just Damian. Broken and choosing me.
“No,” I whispered. “Any regrets, Mr. Black?”
His mouth curved. “Only that I didn’t kiss you like that in the boardroom 9 chapters ago.”
Then he kissed me again. Deep. Desperate. Like he was memorizing me before the world ended.
The elevator dinged. Penthouse.
He didn’t stop kissing me as he carried me out. Didn’t stop as he kicked the door shut. Didn’t stop as he laid me on the bed.
This time there were no rules. No punishment. No contract.
Just his shirt coming off. Just my hands on his chest. Just Damian Black choosing me over everything.
And for the first time since Chapter 1… I chose him back.
The city lights blurred through the glass as his mouth moved to my neck.
“You’re mine,” he murmured against my skin. Not a claim. A thank you.
“Forever,” I whispered back.
And this time, I meant it.
- Writer
