Chapter 103 Crowns Of Glass And Glory

Chapter 103 Crowns Of Glass And Glory
ROSEMARY

The Forbes cover landed like it was a thunderclap in the middle of an otherwise ordinary Tuesday.

I stood in the sun drenched boardroom, the glossy magazine spread open on the long mahogany table, my face staring back at me under the bold headline:

"Rosemary Laurent: The Heiress Who Rewrote the Rules of Global Power.”

The article was a glowing profile to say the least - detailing the aggressive expansion plan and the buzz it had generated within and outside the company, the Marseille triumph, and the way I had turned crisis into conquest after the Lyon accident.

Analysts called me visionary while Industry leaders praised my steel. Social media was already flooding with praise, hashtags trending, and messages pouring in from every corner of the world.

For a moment, I let myself feel it - the rush of validation and the sweet burn of hard won recognition. This was the kind of moment I had dreamed about in the quiet hours of my youth, when the weight of the Laurent name had felt like both crown and cage. I had done this, even after all of my doubts and dark days.

This was not the work of my father. Not the work of Mario Dale. This was all me.

The board members clapped. Nyra whooped dramatically from the corner, already planning how to leverage the publicity. But as the congratulations washed over me, I felt a hollow ache suddenly settle deep in my chest.

Julian should have been here.

The thought came unbidden, sharp as a hidden blade. He should have been standing beside me, that possessive, proud glint in his eyes, whispering something filthy in my ear about his plans for celebrating properly later.

Instead, the space beside me felt like an indignant wound that refused to close.

I smiled for the cameras, shook the right hands, and gave the perfect soundbites. But inside, the victory felt incomplete - it felt like a crown of glass that glittered beautifully but offered no warmth.

NYRA

Justin and I touched down in Paris early that afternoon, the jet lag mixing with the giddy afterglow of our time in the U.S. The moment we stepped into the Laurent headquarters, Rosemary pounced.

She took one look at my slightly mussed hair and the faint mark on my neck and grinned like a cat who had swallowed the canary.

“Wow,” she said, dragging out the word with wicked delight.

“Why does my best friend look like she spent the entire trip getting thoroughly ruined in the best possible way? Spill. I want every freaky detail from the trip. Don’t leave anything out.”

I laughed, my cheeks warming despite myself.

“You’re terrible. You're just trying to get back for me teasing you and Julian. But yes… it was memorable. We had it multiple times. Justin has stamina I did not expect from a Dale.”

Rosemary’s eyes sparkled with genuine amusement as she pulled me into her office, closing the door behind us.

"Well, as someone who has slept with a Dale, I would say that they have pretty amazing stamina," she replied with a smile as the door closed.

I gave her the highlights of the trip - telling her of both the romantic things and the non romantic ones. I also gave her a perfume that I had bought for her. She hugged me tightly afterwards saying it was really thoughtful.

When the atmosphere turned serious after we started discussing Laurent Group business, I decided to bring what was really on mind up.

“You need to confront your own wild past, Rosemary. The Scarlet nights and all of that. Julian knows about them and he did not leave you. And whoever is sending him those videos is using them as weapons. You can’t keep running from that part of yourself if you want to face him properly.”

She looked away, her jaw tight.

“I know. I’m just starting to realize that my secrets are just as dangerous as his. Maybe more.”

ROSEMARY

Later that evening, alone in the penthouse, I stood at the window with a glass of wine, the Forbes cover still open on the table behind me.

The adulation had poured in all day - it felt like there were endless messages, calls, and invitations. I was being celebrated as one of the most powerful women in the world.

And yet, the victory felt hollow without Julian there to share it with. I almost could not believe it.

I missed his arrogant smile and his possessive touch. I missed the way he could make me feel both challenged and cherished in the same breath.

But I was still angry and still hurt. I was still terrified of what the full truth might do to us when it finally surfaced.

We had finally begun our separation period unofficially.

And I was starting to wonder if love was strong enough to survive the wreckage that we had both created.

JULIAN

In the hotel room across town, I stared at the same Forbes cover on my laptop screen, a glass of whiskey untouched on the table beside me.

She looked beautiful. I did not even have the words to use to properly describe her in that moment. She looked goddess like. Radiant. Untouchable.

And somehow, I had never felt further from her.

The separation was supposed to be the end of everything. I missed her fire. I missed her laugh. I missed the way that she challenged me like no one else ever had.

I found myself looking through all the photos and videos I could find of her on Google. Looking at the woman the world knows and not the one with dirty secrets.

Somehow, it made me want her even more.

But it also made me wonder if we were both too broken to ever fit together properly again.

And more than that, I was starting to really realize that the end of the contract - if it ended the way it did - was going to be nothing but the beginning of something even more painful for both of us.

And I could not allow that.