Chapter 37
ELLORA
Walking into that boardroom with Holden felt like stepping into another world. The room itself was all polished wood, glass walls, a skyline view that looked like we were in the clouds, and at the head of it all, was him.
It seemed impossible that this belonged to him, to Holden Langton, the man who’d held me in my darkest days and then fought for me like no one else ever had. After working with him last night, however, I understood how he’d gotten this far.
Watching him in action had been incredible. I’d known he must be good at what he did. He wouldn’t have built an empire otherwise, but actually seeing him do his thing had been something else entirely.
The man could make zoning regulations sound thrilling and now, in this setting, it was like watching him come alive.
He had that quiet kind of command, the kind that didn’t need volume to hold a room.
Standing at the head of the table in a brand new, perfectly fitted navy suit with a crisp white shirt, he looked every bit the powerful businessman he was.
Every movement was precise, every word measured. He didn’t just talk to the board. He read their faces, pivoted his tone, and landed every point like a man who played the game better than anyone else.
I mostly stayed quiet, chiming in only when he looked my way, explaining the community aspects and how the shops could contribute to the space. He smiled at me every time I spoke and it gave me this stupid fluttering in my chest that I tried to ignore.
By the time we wrapped up, the room was silent. All their questions had been answered, the objections reasoned away, and the pitch done. My breath caught in my lungs as I waited for the verdict.
For a second, I thought it hadn’t worked, but then one of the board members, an older man Holden had referred to as Prescott earlier, leaned back in his chair, tapping his pen against the table.
“So, let me get this straight. This version costs us less and earns us more in the long term?”
Holden nodded, calm and confident. “It doesn’t just cost us less.
It’s costs us significantly less, but the end result is the same in terms of revitalization.
The neighborhood is still expected to flourish in the aftermath.
It’s just a more authentic version of the same plan, using what’s already there instead of replacing it all. ”
After he said it, it was like the floodgates finally opened.
The same people who’d been ready to fight him tooth and nail two hours ago were suddenly nodding and smiling, their eyes gleaming with greed.
They were already talking over each other about how to rebrand it and how good the community-friendly spin would look in press releases.
It was a little nauseating, hearing it phrased like that, but it was also victory. Holden shot me a glance, one corner of his mouth lifting.
It looked like we’d done it. Against every odd, we’d pulled it off.
As the meeting broke up, a few board members even came over to shake my hand, telling me what a refreshing perspective I’d brought.
I smiled and thanked them, even though I could tell they didn’t actually care about the community.
It was all about the optics to them, but since it saved the neighborhood, I could live with that.
When we finally stepped into the hallway, Holden exhaled like he’d been holding his breath the entire time. “Holy hell, they actually went for it.”
I grinned, light-headed with relief. “You’re very persuasive, Mr. Langton.”
He laughed softly. “You’re not so bad yourself, Ms. Kinney.”
“Thanks, but I need a drink and about sixty hours of sleep.”
“Let’s start with the drink.” He took my hand right there in the hallway on the executive floor of his offices, ignoring the way his staff gawked at him as he led me to the elevator.
We ended up at a little rooftop bar nearby, still vibrating with post-victory adrenaline. Bree, Mercedes, and Kody joined us after I’d texted to tell them the good news. I introduced Kody and Mercedes to Holden, who knew Kody casually from social events they’d attended over the years.
Kody immediately slipped his arm around Mercedes’s shoulders, as disgustingly in love with her as always, and then Jimmy showed up at Holden’s invitation, buying the table a bottle of ridiculously fancy champagne.
It was the first time our worlds were colliding like this.
Holden, the billionaire developer who always looked like he’d stepped out of an academic magazine spread, sitting around a table covered in half-empty glasses and snack bowls, next to my friends who laughed too loud and talked over each other.
Then there was Kody, a billionaire in his own right, but who’d been around me for so long now that I often forgot all about it.
It should’ve been awkward, but somehow, it wasn’t. Mercedes leaned in close to me. “So this is the famous Holden, huh? I’m assuming you two worked things out?”
“Yep.” I grinned at her. “It’s amazing how much things can change in a couple days.”
Her gaze traveled to Holden. “Especially when you’ve got a hot professor, hopefully reformed playboy, and stupidly in love billionaire at your side. Trust me, I know.”
“Definitely reformed.” Holden smirked, obviously having overheard. “I’ll take the rest of it, though. I’ve been called worse.”
Jimmy snorted where he was sitting beside him. “Yeah, you have. Usually by me.”
I laughed. “The way I heard it, you’re the infamous bad influence.”
“Infamous? That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever called me,” Jimmy said, clutching his chest dramatically. “Seriously, thank you.”
Kody grinned. “You think you’re infamous? I heard Holden once fired half a company’s board mid press conference.”
Holden shrugged, evidently unbothered about the fact that Kody knew this about him. “They were being inefficient.”
“You can’t just fire people in front of the media, man.” Kody laughed.
“Sure you can,” Holden said dryly. “You just need good lighting.”
Bree snorted into her drink. “God, I love it when rich people try to act normal.”
“Hey,” Holden said with mock offense ringing from his tone. “I am normal. I do my own laundry sometimes.”
“Yeah?” Bree asked, a teasing grin on her lips. “Do you separate colors and whites or just hope for the best?”
“That depends on how much I care about the shirt,” he deadpanned, and they all cracked up.
I hadn’t seen him this relaxed in weeks. His arm was draped along the back of my chair, his hand occasionally brushing against my shoulder. Every once in a while, he gave me a look that made everything else just fade out for a few seconds.
Jimmy caught it the next time it happened and groaned. “Oh god, they’re doing the eye thing again. Get a room, you two.”
Mercedes laughed. “Don’t be mean. It’s new love. They can’t help it.”
Bree clapped her hands. “Even if they could help it, they shouldn’t. I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for them to get it together.”
Jimmy raised his glass. “To love, work, and not demolishing people’s livelihoods.”
Everyone cheered and clinked glasses, laughing. Holden and I looked at each other, smiling like idiots. My cheeks were probably glowing pink, but I didn’t even care. Although I hadn’t told him yet, I did love him, so I didn’t bother denying it or brushing it off.
Somewhere between the teasing, the champagne, and the easy comfort of it all, I leaned into him, resting my head against his shoulder. His fingers brushed my hand under the table, and for the first time in a long time, everything felt right.
The world wasn’t perfect, but this moment was, and I’d been waiting for so long to find a moment just like it that I was grabbing on with both hands and never letting go.
It was late afternoon by the time we left the others, still riding that high of everything somehow working out. Bree had kissed me on both cheeks like we’d just won an Oscar, and Jimmy had clapped Holden on the back, muttering something about, “pulling off an actual fucking miracle.”
Holden’s hand found mine as we walked to his car, holding me close but not saying a word. I rested my head against his bicep, feeling like we’d run an emotional and a physical marathon in the last twenty-four hours.
We ended up back at his penthouse together, but the place didn’t feel intimidating anymore. Maybe because it was his. Maybe because I’d finally started to understand the man who lived here.
He closed the door behind us, and before I could say a word, he kissed me. Hard and with so much meaning that I could feel the relief in it, that finally moment after so long and so much uncertainty.
It deepened fast, all the laughter of the afternoon turning into breathless sounds that filled the quiet. My back hit the wall, his hands braced beside me. His front pressed to mine, and when his mouth found mine again, the kiss was softer and my heart did that stupid flip thing again.
“Holden,” I murmured between kisses, pushing my fingers into the thick hair at the back of his head and pulling him closer. “I’m sorry.”
He nipped at my lips. “Sorry for what?”
“Not hearing you out.” We were both breathing hard and my hormones were running away with me, but this needed to be said. “It was such a shock, and I was already emotional, and—”
“And I should’ve told you as soon as I realized what was happening,” he whispered into my mouth. “This wasn’t your fault, baby.”
“Maybe not, but it wasn’t really yours either. I believe you would’ve told me as soon as you’d had time to process. You couldn’t have known I was going to call your office the next day, so it’s not really your fault either.”
“It’s behind us,” he murmured, finality ringing from his tone. “I’m just glad we were able to fix my mistake. Now that I got you back, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”
“I know I’m the luckiest girl.”
We kissed again, messy and hungry, and when he finally pulled back, we were both smiling like we’d forgotten how to stop doing it.
He brushed his thumb over my cheek, his blue eyes bright. His body thrummed with some kind of tension all of a sudden. “I have something to show you.”
My heart pounded, my body on the cusp of starting a riot if he didn’t touch me soon, but I raised an eyebrow anyway. “Is that a line? Because if it is, you don’t need it. I think we’re past that point.”
He laughed softly. “It’s not that kind of something. I’ll show you that later if you want, but there’s something else I want you to see for now.”
Pushing away from the wall, he stepped back and ran a hand through his hair, suddenly looking shy in a way that did bad things to my heartbeat. “Come with me.”
I took his hand when he offered it to me, kicking off my heels and padding barefoot after him in his fancy penthouse. My lips were still swollen and my pulse was still kicking against my veins. “Where are we going?”
“My study.” He didn’t offer any explanation, just winding his fingers tightly around mine and leading me down a hall that lit up automatically as we walked.
Whatever he was about to show me, I had the feeling it wasn’t just a thing. It was something bigger. Something that might change everything. Again.