The car was a bubble of quiet, the adrenaline from the press conference slowly dissipating. I stared out the window at the blurring city, the image of our joined hands on the podium still burning behind my eyes. Then my phone, now alive in my clutch, chimed—a specific, insistent tone I hadn't heard in days.
Sienna.
The screen glowed with her text: Okay, WHAT?! Are you alright? Talk to me. Now.
A real smile, the first one that felt like it belonged to me and not to the woman at the podium, broke through my calm facade. I hit call.
"Start talking, Sterling. And don't you dare leave anything out," her voice rushed out, a lifeline to a world that existed before all this.
I let out a soft, breathless laugh, the sound strange in my own ears. "It's… a long story."
"I've got time. I've cancelled my entire day for this. Are you hurt? Are you in some kind of witness protection? Because the news is saying you're engaged to a Vancourt, but not the one I thought, and I'm having a serious crisis of confidence here."
I glanced at Kaelen. He was watching me, his phone forgotten in his hand. His gaze was intent, cataloging the shift in my posture, the ease in my voice.
"I'm fine, Sienna. Better than fine, actually."
"Prove it. Coffee. Now. I need to see with my own eyes that you haven't been replaced by a highly sophisticated android."
I gave her the name of a small, discreet cafe tucked away in a quiet lane. "Give me twenty minutes."
I hung up, the ghost of the smile still on my lips. I turned to Kaelen. "That was Sienna. She's… demanding a debrief."
I expected him to have the driver pull over. Instead, he leaned forward slightly. "The café on Elm Street," he told the driver, his voice calm. Then he settled back, his gaze on me.
"You don't have to come," I said.
"I know," he replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I want to meet the friend who makes you smile like that."
The simple statement landed with more weight than any grand declaration. He wasn't just inserting himself into my life; he was curious about the parts of it that had nothing to do with him.
As the car navigated the streets, I caught him watching me again, a quiet, unreadable expression on his face. It wasn't the look of a strategist. It was softer, more wondering.
The café was all warm wood and the rich, bitter scent of espresso. Sienna was already there, perched on the edge of a velvet banquette, her phone clutched in her hand. She saw me, her face flooding with relief, and then her eyes slid past me to Kaelen.
Her jaw went slack.
She stood up, her usual unflappable confidence momentarily short-circuited by the sheer, formidable presence of the man following me. He was in his element even here, his tailored suit and severe handsomeness making the cozy café seem suddenly like a film set.
"Sienna, this is Kaelen," I said, the introduction feeling both surreal and perfectly normal.
"Hi," she managed, her voice a little faint. She cleared her throat, visibly pulling herself together. Her eyes, sharp and protective, scanned him from head to toe. "So. You're the upgrade."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. "It seems so."
We slid into the booth. Sienna leaned forward, her elbows on the table, all her focus now a laser on Kaelen. "Right. Ground rules. I'm Sienna. I've been her best friend since we were twelve and thought glitter was a viable fashion choice. My primary function is to be her hype woman and her attack dog. So, just so we're clear, you're on probation."
I groaned, but Kaelen didn't flinch. He met her gaze head-on, a glint of genuine amusement in his steely eyes. "Understood."
A waiter came, and Kaelen ordered for the table with a quiet authority that had the young man nodding deferentially. The moment he left, Sienna launched her offensive.
"Okay, first question," she began, tapping a finger on the table. "And I want a real answer, not a press release. What is it, exactly, that you like about Elara? And don't say her business acumen. I will know if you're lying."
I felt a flush creep up my neck. Kaelen, however, seemed completely unruffled. He took a slow sip of his espresso, his gaze drifting to me, thoughtful.
"The silence," he said, his voice low and measured.
Sienna blinked. "The… silence?"
He nodded, his eyes still on me. "Most people fill the space with noise. With what they think they're supposed to say. She doesn't. She watches. She listens. And when she finally speaks, it's because she has something worth saying." He paused, his gaze intensifying. "It's… a rare thing."
The answer was unexpected. Sienna looked momentarily stunned and confused, then a slow, approving smile spread across her face.
"Okay. Not bad. Second question." She leaned in even closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "The ex-girlfriend situation. Give me the broad strokes. Any crazy ones I should know about? Any who might pop up with a vendetta?"
"Sienna!" I hissed, mortified.
Kaelen actually let out a soft huff of laughter, a rough, infrequent sound that did strange things to my stomach. "No exes, no vendettas," he assured her, his tone dry. "My life hasn't exactly been conducive to… long-term attachments. Until now."
The 'until now' hung in the air, a simple, devastating addendum.
Sienna's eyes widened, and she mouthed 'wow' at me before turning back to him, emboldened. "Alright, final question. The big one. Living arrangements. I assume you're not planning on some tedious long-distance thing? So, what's the plan? Is she moving into your sterile billionaire villa, or…?"
"Sienna, for God's sake, that's enough," I cut in, my cheeks burning. This was too much, too fast.
But Kaelen's calm voice cut through my protest. "I'm having a property near the Sterling mansion looked at."
Both Sienna and I stared at him.
He turned his gaze to me, his expression utterly serious. "It's important for you to be close to your father. And I won't have you living out of a suitcase in a place that doesn't feel like yours." He paused, letting the significance of that settle. "We'll find somewhere together. Decorate it. Make it a home. Then we'll move in."
The world seemed to narrow to the space between our booth and the table. He wasn't just making a logistical decision. He was building a life, and he was designing it deliberately, thoughtfully, withme. It was the most unromantically romantic thing anyone had ever said.
Sienna was utterly silent for a full five seconds, her mouth slightly agape. Then she slowly picked up her coffee cup, took a long sip, and set it down with a definitive click.
"Okay," she said, her voice full of newfound respect. She then fixed him with a final, serious look. The playfulness was gone, replaced by a fierce, unwavering loyalty. "Just so we're one hundred percent clear, Kaelen. If you hurt her, I don't care how many companies you own. I will find you."
Kaelen set his cup down. He looked from Sienna's determined face to mine, and his expression became utterly solemn. The mask of the businessman was completely gone.
"I have no intention of ever letting that happen," he said, his voice a low, resonant vow that seemed to absorb all the sound in the room. The sincerity was absolute, leaving no room for doubt.
Sienna held his gaze for a long moment, then gave a single, satisfied nod. "Good."
Out on the sun-dappled street, the city noise rushed back in. I felt lighter than I had in months. On impulse, I linked my arm through Kaelen's. He stilled for a fraction of a second, then looked down at me. The morning sun caught the grey in his eyes, turning them to silver. He didn't smile, but the intensity in his gaze was a different kind of warmth. He pulled me just a fraction closer, his hand covering mine where it rested on his arm.
The foundation we were building wasn't just made of power and strategy. Right there, on a busy sidewalk, with the taste of coffee and laughter still on my tongue, we laid another brick—one made of something far more unshakeable.