Chapter 11: Crossing Paths Again

The flight back from Paris to London felt entirely different from the journey there. Sitting in the quiet VIP cabin of the private jet, Clara

leaned her head against Ethan’s shoulder while the rain tapped gently against the thick glass window. Ethan’s arm was wrapped securely around her,

his fingers gently playing with hers. There were no more secrets, no more distance—only a shared determination to face whatever storm awaited them

at Vance Global Headquarters.

“My father called a emergency board meeting for 10:00 AM,” Ethan said quietly, his voice breaking the peaceful silence. He looked down at his

tablet, where dozens of urgent emails from senior directors were piling up. “He’s going to motion for a vote of no confidence against me as CEO.”

Clara sat up straight, looking into his calm, composed face. “Can he actually do that? You’ve just delivered the highest Q3 profits the company

has seen in five years.”

“In my family’s firm, profits aren’t the only metric,” Ethan explained, a dark shade of realism in his eyes. “Arthur believes that an alliance

with Julianna’s family—the DuPont Group—is essential for our expansion into Asian markets. By publicly rejecting her, I’ve angered their major

shareholders.”

Clara took a deep breath, reaching over to grip his hand tightly. “Then we don’t play by their old rules. We show the board that your vision

doesn’t need an arranged marriage to survive. My agency has already secured secondary expansion contracts across Berlin and Vienna based solely on

our campaign’s success.”

Ethan looked at her with a mixture of admiration and warmth, a faint smile touching his lips. “You really are unstoppable, aren’t you, Miss

Montgomery?”

“I learned from the best, Mr. Vance,” she replied with a soft wink.

When the jet landed at Heathrow and their town car pulled up to the glass towers of Vance Global, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation.

Photographers and business journalists were gathered outside the main entrance, flashes blinding as Ethan helped Clara out of the vehicle.

Instead of slipping through the side doors or keeping their distance as they used to, Ethan gently took Clara’s hand in his, holding it firmly in

front of every camera lens. He didn’t offer a statement, nor did he hide. The message to the corporate world was crystal clear: they were standing

together.

As they stepped into the private executive elevator leading to the boardroom, Clara felt her heart racing, but holding Ethan’s hand gave her an

unshakeable sense of courage.