Ethan’s hand was steady on Elena’s back, guiding her from the chaos of Lily’s deranged attack. His face, which had been a mask of frozen fury, softened the moment his eyes met hers. “She can’t hurt you again. No one can.”
“Ethan, where are we going?” Elena asked, her voice trembling slightly as they entered a private elevator, ascending with silent speed.
“To the top of the world,” he replied, his voice a low rumble. The doors opened not to an office, but to a private, windswept observatory at the absolute peak of Zenith Tower. The entire glittering city sprawled beneath them like a carpet of diamonds.
Elena gasped, stepping towards the glass barrier. “It’s… breathtaking.”
Ethan stood beside her, his gaze not on the view, but on her reflection in the glass. “Five years ago, I was a janitor. People called me trash. But that was a disguise.” His voice dropped, laced with an authority that sent a shiver down her spine. “This tower, the banks that dominate that skyline, the media conglomerates… they are all minor assets of my family.”
Elena’s eyes widened, turning from the view to stare at him in disbelief. “Your family?”
“The Vance dynasty,” he declared, his name echoing with the weight of immense power. “I am Ethan Vance, the sole heir to that hundred-billion-dollar fortune.”
Her mind reeled. The Vances weren’t just billionaires; they were a global power, a legend whispered in the halls of finance. Before she could process the revelation, Ethan’s expression shifted from cold monarch to devoted man. “But that empire is an empty shell without its queen.”
Suddenly, the night sky exploded. A dazzling, silent fireworks display erupted over the city, forming four words in shimmering gold: MARRY ME, ELENA.
Amid brilliant fireworks, Ethan knelt, presenting a ring holding a flawless, radiant diamond. “Be my wife.”
Elena burst into tears of pure joy, her voice choked with emotion as she whispered, “Yes! Yes, Ethan, yes!” At that exact moment, the red dot of a sniper’s laser locked onto Ethan’s chest.