Chapter 43 Echoes
Valenticias POV~
Every headline, every boardroom glare degraded me, but Stefan — Stefan stood beside me. We had been hanging out, working late-night strategy sessions at Clawford, his hand brushing mine over coffee, his teasing grins easing my fears. Yesterday, as I left an auction, my phone pinged with his text: Run away with me tomorrow. My lakeside cabin, just us. My heart had jumped at the thought of a night away a salve to my shredded nerves. “Yes,” I'd answered, my voice shaking with relief and the need for him, his warmth, his strength.
Now driving through Wyllbron’s rolling hills, the city had vanished in the rearview mirror. Stefan’s Bentley buzzed, his profile intense against the twilight, his casual knit a pale foil to his usual suits. The cabin came into view, alongside a starlit lake, and the wooden porch hung with lanterns. There was smoke coming from the chimney, and from the crackling fire within he knew there would be refuge. I stepped outside, the night air biting cool, and Stefan held out a wool blanket and his disarming smile. “Welcome to my lair, heiress,” he taunted. I laughed, holding the blanket tight around me, my silk dress swishing. “You? A cabin guy? I pictured penthouses only.”
He beamed, poking my shoulder. “I’m full of surprises. Hungry?” His lightheartedness generated warmth, and I followed him indoors, to cedar walls and cushions and a haven of rugs.
We sat on either side of the fire, its light flickering on Stefan’s face when he handed me a mug of hot cocoa, and marshmallows on top. “Watch it, it’s hot,” he’d said with a smirk as I almost set it down on the counter. “Not as hot as you think you are,” I snapped back with a smile, my heart feeling similarly lightened by the banter. We roasted marshmallows, the cloying char hanging in the air, and I let myself loose. “Say something real to me,” he said, his voice soft and his eyes searching. I paused, then allowed a memory to spill, my voice low.
“My foster grandma, Margaret, taught me to swim in a Lovtan creek, with her hands strong on my back, laughing as I splashed. ‘You’re a mermaid, Valenticia,’ she’d tell me.” My throat constricted, with joy. “Her voice, it’s the only thing left I have of her.” Stefan softened his glance, his hand grazing mine with a spark. “She sounds like you — fierce,” he said, his thumb skimming my knuckles, making my pulse race.
Grimacing, he sat back down, his voice hoarse. “My turn. Haisley … she was the first investor in New Dream for me. I believed in her, however, she betrayed us to Golden. Nearly lost everything.” His eyes clouded over, fear glinting. “I’m afraid of having to let it go again, Valenticia. Or you.” I felt an undertone of vulnerability and I linked our fingers, my thumb grazing his, leaning in. “You won’t lose me,” I whispered, my heart open, the fire’s heat no match for his gaze.
We laughed, and the tension shattered, Stefan rising, eyes dancing with mischief. “Be brave, heiress, there is an adventure waiting for you.” He took me to the lake, with the rowboat waiting, lanterns lit. Happy, I gasped, and he lifted me in, his hand firm. “You planned this?” I asked, teasing. “Maybe I’m courting you,” he smirked, winking, and I laughed, easily this time. We floated under the moon, with his arm around me, warm against my dress. "Don't let me go, Valenticia," he whispered, his voice scratchy, his breath hot on my ear. I turned to face him, bold, and I brushed my lips against his cheek, letting it linger there, and a short soft sigh escaped me. "I don't know if I can," I murmured, meeting his eyes.
His lips were hot and hard against mine, a possessive edge that pulled another moan out of my throat, my fingers grabbing onto his sweater. His hands moved to my waist, drawing me against him, the boat swaying under me, the world dissolving into the taste and feel of him. We pulled apart, breathless. “You’re trouble,” he jested, his voice husky and I laughed, pressing against him, the calm of the lake settling.
Returning next to the fire, Stefan took a sketchbook from the pile and drew rapidly with his pencil. “A New Dream-Clawford production,” he exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. “A tech hub in Lovtan, AI-based, sustainable.” He was such an enthusiast that at my suggestion that he did not belong among them, he smiled and I leaned forward to add a suggestion. “And you’ll have community training programs — Wyllbron has to have the talent local.” Our minds meshed, he nodding, and I laughing. “Unstoppable,” he said, squeezing my hand.
I took a leather-cased notebook from my bag and handed it over to him. “For you," I said, my voice steady. “To write our plans.” He said as he took a deep breath and drew me in, pressing a kiss to my forehead, his lips warm. “You’re amazing,” he whispered. I blushed.
As the fire waned, we stretched out on a rug, marshmallows long forgotten. Stefan threw a marshmallow at me and missed by four feet, and I laughed and playfully hit his arm. “Your aim’s all bad,” I said, as he gasped, feigning outrage, and tackled me onto the rug, tickling my ribs. “Take that back, heiress!” My cries rang, and our laughter mixed with the music. We dropped to the floor, panting, and he dragged me to the cabin’s bedroom, which was a snug room with a quilted bed.
“Sleep here,” he said, pulling me onto the mattress, his sweater soft beneath my cheek. I yawned his arm around me. He pulled me nearer, the embrace was engulfing, his breath steady. “Sleep, Valenticia,” he whispered, kissing the top of my head and I fell asleep first, his heartbeat my lullaby.