Chapter 47: Bad Ex
He stopped breathing for just a moment. Then he pulled my hand free, lifted my chin, and kissed me properly. "I will have to taste and find out."
He loved this about me, that I could be so many different things in moments like this. Sometimes I was completely enchanting, sometimes I let myself go entirely, sometimes I was almost reckless with him. Whatever form it took, the result was always the same. It always made him want more. Their kisses deepened, breaths Starkled together, and dinner became a far more satisfying affair than anyone in the living room could have anticipated. As his hand brushed along my legs, something else crossed his mind too. It was almost time to give me the other surprise he had been quietly preparing.
Two full hours passed before dinner finally made it to the table. Nicole stared at the spread laid out before her, and the word surprised did not even begin to cover it. She had never imagined that the CEO of Hairuit Entertainment, one of the most powerful men in the industry, would be standing in a kitchen cooking a meal like this. No wonder I was so willingly devoted to him.
"Thank you, Big Boss, for this reward!" Nicole declared with complete sincerity.
"Control that expression, you look like you are about to auction the food off," I said, laughing despite myself.
"How did you know what I was thinking, Valerie? I feel so seen." Nicole leaned into my arm with a grin before narrowing her eyes. "Anyway, what were the two of you doing in that kitchen for two whole hours?"
"Eat first. We have something important to do after dinner," Caspian said smoothly, redirecting the conversation without missing a beat.
"What are you planning?" I looked at him with genuine curiosity.
"You will find out when the time comes." He ran his hand through my hair with quiet affection, and I felt myself lean into it without thinking.
Nicole and Quinn exchanged a glance. No one else in this world, they both silently agreed, could make me look quite like that. But as warm and full as the evening already felt, the biggest surprise of the night had not even arrived yet.
Chapter 43
After dinner, Caspian led me toward the main living area of the manor. When we walked in, I was surprised to find a small group of American men already seated inside, waiting. I had no idea what Caspian had planned, and he must have sensed the confusion on my face because he gently touched my arm. "No need to be nervous," he said quietly.
It did not take long before the man in charge stood and began speaking with Caspian. I listened carefully, and slowly the pieces came together. Caspian wanted to purchase insurance for my legs.
It was not unheard of for people in the public eye to insure parts of their bodies, but that was usually done for publicity, to generate headlines and conversations. This felt entirely different, and I grabbed his arm before things could go any further. "Caspian, I do not think I need..."
"Do not overthink it," he said, his voice calm and certain. "Your legs need protecting. They are the most beautiful legs I have ever seen on any modeling stage."
"But..." I still hesitated.
"Listen to me." He gently nudged me toward the valuer. "You never allow me to do anything for you. Are you going to take away my right to do even this much?"
I could not argue with that. And honestly, since I was not particularly famous at that moment, I assumed the valuation would come in at a modest number. With that thought in mind, I stopped resisting and let the process move forward.
Then Caspian stepped in before the valuer could finish. "Whatever the final estimated amount turns out to be," he said without any hesitation, "I want the insured amount increased by ten times."
Ten times.
That would be over one hundred million dollars.
Quinn and Nicole stood to one side in complete silence, too stunned to speak. What struck them most was that Caspian was not doing this for attention or for any kind of image. There were no cameras, no press releases. He was simply making sure that I was protected, that I would be covered no matter what happened to my legs from this point forward.
I stayed quiet throughout the whole thing, my thoughts spinning. Then Caspian put his arm around my shoulder and spoke softly. "This industry is chaotic and unpredictable. I cannot promise that ten or twenty years from now, Hairuit will still stand exactly as it does today. So I want to do everything within my reach right now to give you peace of mind. I want the road ahead of you to have some protection built into it."
"Then why not buy insurance for yourself as well?" I asked. A single tear slipped free before I could stop it.
Caspian leaned close to my ear and let out a quiet, warm laugh. "Because I do not have beautiful legs like yours."
I looked at him in the soft glow of the room and felt something enormous settle over me. This was the Caspian who did things for me without ever asking for anything back. I had entered this marriage with a motive once, and he had known that, and he had never once held it against me. Instead, he had simply loved me in ways I had not known to expect.
"Do you know how many promises I am making to myself right now because of what you have done?" I asked.
"Huh?"
"I have promised myself that I will never leave this man," I said, completely serious, "unless I die."
Caspian laughed, quiet and graceful as always. When something was worth it to him, he gave without condition and without regret. I was the first person who had ever made him feel that way.
That was simply how life worked sometimes. One person could shatter your heart without a second thought, while another would hold it like it was the most valuable thing in the world. No one should ever waste tears over someone who did not deserve them.
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