Chapter 78 The Real Proposal

Chapter 78 The Real Proposal


Harper stared at the photo on Sebastian's phone, that vulnerable moment frozen forever. Twenty-two years old, completely shattered, giving up on the future she'd planned.

"How did he get this?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"He's been digging for weeks. Probably has investigators tracking down everyone you've ever known." Sebastian's jaw was tight. "This is psychological warfare. He wants you scared."

"It's working." Harper wrapped her arms around herself. "What else does he have? What other moments is he going to weaponize?"

Sebastian turned her to face him, hands firm on her shoulders. "It doesn't matter."

"How can you say that? He's going to…"

"He's going to what? Show people you had a panic attack in grad school? Release photos of you being human?" Sebastian's voice was fierce. "Harper, there is nothing in your past that makes me love you less. Nothing Marcus can dig up that changes how I feel about you."

"You don't know that. You don't know what he might find…"

"Then tell me." Sebastian took her hands. "Right now. Every secret you're afraid of. Every moment you're ashamed of. Tell me and we'll face it together before Marcus can use it against us."

Harper pulled away, pacing to the balcony railing. Below, Seattle glittered in the darkness, millions of people living their private lives. Hers was about to become a public autopsy.

"After grad school, I was a mess for a while," she said finally. "I moved back to Seattle, stayed with Aunt Eleanor. I was depressed. Really depressed. She made me see a therapist."

"That's good. That's healthy."

"I tried to…" Her voice broke. "One night, about six months after I moved back, I took a bottle of sleeping pills. Not enough to do real damage, but enough that Eleanor found me passed out and called an ambulance."

Sebastian went very still behind her.

"They put me on a psychiatric hold. Seventy-two hours. When I got out, Eleanor made me promise I'd never do anything like that again. Made me swear I'd fight." Harper's tears fell freely now. "I've kept that promise. I got better. Got therapy, got medication for a while, learned coping strategies. But if Marcus finds that hospital record…"

"He'll try to paint you as unstable. Unfit." Sebastian's voice was hollow. "Use it to question your ability to be a mother."

"Yes."

"Look at me."

Harper turned. Sebastian's eyes were wet.

"You survived," he said. "That's not a weakness. That's the strongest thing I've ever heard."

"Marcus won't see it that way…"

"I don't care what Marcus sees." Sebastian crossed to her, cupping her face in his hands. "I care what I see. And I see a woman who faced the darkest moment of her life and chose to keep living. Who built a life worth living. Who's about to become a mother to our child."

"What if I can't do it? What if I fall apart again?"

"Then I'll be there to help put you back together. Just like you've been doing for me these past months." He kissed her forehead. "Harper, I'm not afraid of your past. I'm not afraid of your struggles. I'm only afraid of losing you."

Harper let herself lean into him, this man who'd started as a stranger with a contract and become her everything.

"I don't want to do this anymore," she whispered.

Sebastian pulled back. "Do what?"

"The contract. The performance. The constantly wondering if we're real or manufactured." She looked up at him. "I want to be your wife because I choose to be, not because we signed paperwork. I want this baby to be born into something honest and real."

"What are you saying?"

Harper took a shaky breath. "I'm saying let's tear up the contract. Void it. Start over."

"The five million…"

"I don't want it. I never wanted it. I wanted to save the hotel, but not like this. Not with this cloud hanging over us." She grabbed his hands. "We'll find another way to fund the renovation. Take out a loan, find investors, I don't care. But I need this marriage to be real. Just us. No conditions."

Sebastian stared at her like she'd offered him the world. "You're sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything."

He kissed her then, deep and desperate, like he'd been waiting his whole life for this moment. When they broke apart, he was smiling through tears.

"Okay. We void the contract. But Harper?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to marry you again. Properly." He dropped to one knee right there on the balcony, the Seattle skyline glittering behind him. "Not because of a business deal or because you're pregnant or because Marcus is attacking us. Because I love you. Because I can't imagine my life without you. Because you're the bravest, most stubborn, most beautiful person I've ever known."

Harper's breath caught.

"Will you marry me?" Sebastian asked. "For real this time. No contract. No conditions. Just you and me building a life together."

"Yes." The word came out choked with tears. "Yes, of course yes."

He stood and kissed her again, and for the first time in months, Harper felt like she could breathe.

They called their lawyers at eight PM to start the contract dissolution paperwork. Called Claire to tell her the plan. She cried happy tears and immediately started planning a real wedding.

At midnight, Sebastian found Harper in the nursery they'd started setting up in the spare bedroom. She was sitting on the floor surrounded by paint swatches, trying to decide between three shades of cream.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"Too wired. Too happy. Too terrified." She looked up at him. "Is this insane? Tearing up a five-million-dollar contract in the middle of a corporate war?"

"Completely insane." He sat beside her, taking in the paint samples. "But also the sanest thing we've done."

"Marcus is going to use this. He'll say it proves the marriage was fake, that we're only voiding the contract because we got caught."

"Let him. We know the truth." Sebastian picked up a paint swatch labeled "Whisper." "This one. It's soft without being boring."

Harper smiled despite her anxiety. "You have opinions on nursery paint?"

"I have opinions on everything involving our kid." He placed a hand on her stomach. "How are you feeling? Nausea better?"

"A little. Still can't handle coffee. Or eggs. Or anything that smells too strongly."

"I'll make you toast in the morning. Dry, like you like it."

The domesticity of it made Harper's chest ache. "I'm scared, Sebastian."

"Of Marcus?"

"Of everything. Of being a mother. Of screwing up this baby the way my parents screwed me up. Of falling apart again when things get hard." She leaned against his shoulder. "Of losing you."

"You're not going to lose me." His voice was certain. "And you're not your parents. You're you. And our kid is going to be so loved they won't know what to do with it all."

"How do you know?"

"Because I see how you fight for the people you love. You fought for your aunt's legacy. You're fighting for the Adriatic. You fought for me when Marcus tried to destroy everything." He kissed the top of her head. "Our baby already has the fiercest advocate in the world."

Harper wanted to believe him. Was trying to believe him.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Jessie: Just saw the news about voiding the contract. Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?

Harper typed back:I'm okay. Better than okay. I'm engaged. For real this time.

Jessie's response was immediate: ABOUT DAMN TIME. Also I'm crying. Also I'm bringing champagne tomorrow. Non-alcoholic for you obviously.

Harper showed Sebastian the text. He laughed, the sound warm and genuine.

"She's a good friend."

"The best. She tried to talk me out of the contract in the first place." Harper set her phone down. "She said any marriage that started with a legal document instead of love was doomed."

"Smart woman."

"She also said that sometimes people surprise you. That maybe the contract was just the excuse we needed to take a chance on each other." Harper looked at him. "Think she was right?"

"Definitely." Sebastian pulled her closer. "I never would have had the courage to pursue you without the contract as cover. Too scared of rejection. Too convinced I was fundamentally unlovable."

"And now?"

"Now I know better. Because you love me. Stubborn, broken, terrified me. And that changes everything."

They sat there in the half-finished nursery, making plans for a wedding and a baby and a future that finally felt real.

At one AM, Harper's phone rang. Unknown number. She almost didn't answer, but something made her pick up.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Colton. It's Detective Sarah Chen, Seattle PD." The voice was professional, careful. "I'm calling about Marcus Colton. He was arrested an hour ago."

Harper's stomach dropped. "Arrested for what?"

"Breaking and entering, attempted theft, and violation of a restraining order. He was caught trying to access Colton Industries headquarters. Security footage shows him attempting to break into Sebastian Colton's office."

Sebastian was already pulling out his own phone, texting Claire and their lawyer.

"Is he…where is he now?" Harper asked.

"King County Jail. Bail hearing is set for tomorrow morning." Detective Chen paused. "Mrs. Colton, the restraining order he violated was one filed by his ex-wife. She's been documenting harassment for months. His arrest tonight triggered a deeper investigation into his activities."

Harper thanked her and hung up, hands shaking.

"Marcus was arrested," she told Sebastian. "Trying to break into your office."

"Looking for what?"

"I don't know. But the detective said his ex-wife has a restraining order against him. That there's an investigation into harassment."

Sebastian's expression was grim. "He's unraveling. Completely."

"Is that good for us or bad?"

"Both. It means we're winning, but it also means he's unpredictable now. Dangerous." Sebastian pulled her close. "We need to be careful. Very careful."

At two AM, Claire called. "Have you heard?"

"About Marcus? Yes."

"There's more. His ex-wife gave a statement to police claiming Marcus has been stalking her for six months. She has emails, texts, photos of him sitting outside her house." Claire's voice was tight. "She also said Marcus has been obsessed with 'reclaiming what was stolen from him',meaning Colton Industries. She thinks he's capable of violence."

Harper felt ice slide through her veins. "Should we be worried?"

"I've hired private security. They'll be at the penthouse and the Adriatic starting tonight. And Harper?" Claire paused. "Maybe you should consider staying somewhere else for a few days. Just until we know Marcus is contained."

"I'm not running from him."

"It's not running. It's being smart."

Harper looked at Sebastian, who was already shaking his head.

"We stay here," she said. "Together. With security. But we don't hide."

After Claire hung up, Sebastian pulled Harper into bed, holding her close despite the late hour and the chaos swirling around them.

"I meant what I said earlier," he whispered in the darkness. "You're not losing me. Whatever Marcus does, whatever happens, I'm here."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Harper closed her eyes, trying to believe in promises and futures and love strong enough to survive anything.

At four AM, she woke to Sebastian's phone buzzing. He answered it groggily.

"What? When?" He sat up abruptly. "We'll be right there."

"What's wrong?" Harper asked, fear sharp in her chest.

Sebastian's face was pale in the dim light. "That was the security company. Someone tried to break into the Adriatic an hour ago. The alarm scared them off, but Harper,they left something behind."

"What?"

"A container of gasoline and a box of matches."

The implication hung in the air between them, terrifying and clear.

Marcus wasn't just trying to destroy their reputation anymore.

He was willing to burn it all down.