Chapter 99 Adeline
Adeline's POV
My return to Percy’s penthouse was as anticlimactic. The penthouse was exactly as I had left it, yet it felt entirely different.
Maybe because when I had walked out of these double doors two weeks ago, the huge space had felt like a gilded cage. I had felt suffocated by the floor-to-ceiling windows, by the high-tech security, and by the heavy yet invisible weight of the syndicate pressing down on me.
But, right now as the Saturday morning sunlight poured across the pristine hardwood floors, I didn't feel trapped. I just felt safe.
I stood in the center of the master bedroom’s walk-in closet and unzipped the two large duffel bags I had brought over from Zara's, which was funny because I had gone to her with only one small duffel bag.
I pulled out my familiar blazers and silk blouses that Zara had gifted me. These outfits were worth over a thousand bucks, and yet she refused to take any of it back.
"You're like the sister I never had. I've always wanted to be able to share clothes." Fortunately for her, we were almost the same size, if not the same.
I stored the blazers carefully, as she taught me, and I found the process of it incredibly grounding. I wasn't running from anything. This was me putting down proofs of my existence here in this house.
"I hated looking at that empty rack." I paused and turned around with a soft smile on my lips.
Percy was leaning casually against the doorframe of the closet with a steaming mug of black coffee in one hand.
Seeing him in a pair of soft gray sweatpants and a fitted white t-shirt and his dark hair still messy from sleep was a privilege I knew absolutely no one else in the world got to experience. He looked relaxed, but his dark eyes were tracking my every movement with possessive warmth.
"I have to admit." I teased gently, hanging up a black pencil skirt, "Zara’s guest room had better throw pillows, but the company here is better by far."
Percy let out a low, rough chuckle. He pushed off the doorframe and walked into the closet, setting his coffee mug down. He closed the distance between us, and his large hands came up to rest on my waist, pulling my back flush against his chest.
"You can buy all the throw pillows you want, baby." Percy murmured, pressing a lingering, hot kiss to the sensitive skin just beneath my ear. "You can redecorate the entire floor. Just don't ever pack these bags again."
I let my head fall back against his shoulder, letting my eyes flutter shut as the intoxicating scent of his unique scent of cedar and scotch envelops me.
"I'm not going anywhere, Percy," I promised softly. "I'm done running."
He let out a long breath as if hearing those words out loud finally settled a deep, lingering fear inside his chest. His arms tightened around my waist, holding me like I was his entire world.
We stood there in the quiet closet for a long moment, just existing and reveling in the quiet of the afternoon. Eventually, Percy pulled back just slightly to reach into the pocket of his sweatpants.
"When you left," Percy started, his voice dropping into a deeper, much more vulnerable register, "you left this on the table. I kept it in my safe. I looked at it every single night trying to figure out how to be the man who deserved to put it back on you."
I turned around in his arms to see that in the center of his scarred palm was the diamond ring. The flawless, brilliant-cut stone caught the morning light and shined brightly.
Two weeks ago, that ring had felt like a brand, like a mafia boss claiming his property, but looking up into his now soft eyes, I knew the truth. I know that it was a promise that wherever I went, the entire weight of the Akilov syndicate stood right behind me.
Percy didn't try to slide it onto my finger. He just held it out to me, leaving the choice entirely in my hands.
"I am a violent man, Adeline," Percy whispered fiercely. "I command shadows and I ruin people who cross me. I can't change that, but I swear to you, my hands will only ever bring you into the light. You will always be safe with me."
Tears pricked the back of my eyes, a massive wave of overwhelming love rising in my chest.
I didn't hesitate. I reached out, and my trembling fingers plucked the heavy diamond ring from his palm.
Percy’s breath hitched as I held his gaze with absolute, unwavering certainty. I slowly slid the ring back onto my left ring finger, and it was just as if it never left my finger.
"I know," I whispered, resting my hands flat against his chest, right over his racing heart. "I accept the dark, Percy, because it's yours. It's only your darkness I'm willing to accept."
That made him lose control completely. He let out a ragged groan as his hands came up to tangle desperately in my hair as he pulled me up and crashed his mouth down onto mine.
The kiss was consuming, tasting of coffee and raw, unfiltered devotion. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back with every ounce of the same passion that he showed and the love I had for him.
He backed me up until my spine hit the closet island, lifting me effortlessly by the thighs so I was sitting on the polished marble. My legs instantly wrapped around his waist to pull him closer.
There were no more secrets between us, no more fear and no more hiding in the shadows. The King of New York had his Queen back, and God help anyone who tried to threaten our reign.