Chapter 27: VALE GLOBAL HOLDINGS
Chapter 27
Lumi
The conditioned air of the small regional airport terminal in my hometown hit me the exact same way it had only a few weeks ago.
The woman who had landed here a few weeks ago had been a bleeding casualty, looking for a place to hide.
The woman stepping off the plane today was a commander returning to her base.
I wasn’t here to heal my broken heart anymore, I was here to weaponize the pieces of it.
I needed money. I needed raw, undeniable power. If I wanted to wrench my three-year-old boy away from Callum’s toxic grip, I couldn’t just be an ex-wife with a good lawyer.
I had to become a threat. I had to build my mother’s dead company back up from the absolute scratch until it was an empire large enough to crush Callum’s entire logistics network.
Beside me, Ren walked with his usual unhurried, predatory grace. He didn’t look tired at all, despite the brutal flight we had just endured.
His bandaged right hand tucked casually into the pocket of his dark leather jacket.
He hadn’t complained once. Not when I demanded we pack our bags in under twenty minutes in London, not when I insisted on booking the fastest flights available, and not when I told him we were going straight to my apartment and moving to my company before we did anything else.
He just executed exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it, moving like a man who had dedicated his entire life to keeping me grounded.
My phone buzzed in my palm. I pulled it out, the screen illuminating my face in the dim afternoon light of the terminal.
*Neve: I just saw your text about landing!! God, Lumi, I wish I could talk, but the gallery director just pulled me into a production meeting for the summer expo.
I’m so sorry I can’t call right now. I still don’t even know when they’ll let me fly out to join you guys. Is Ren behaving? Please tell me he’s looking after you. I love you so much. Be safe.*
I swallowed the small lump in my throat and quickly typed back: *He’s being perfect. Don’t worry about me. Focus on your expo. Love you.*
I slid the phone back into my pocket, a faint, familiar pang of guilt hitting my chest.
Neve had no idea about the terrifyingly beautiful storm that was brewing between her brother and me.
She had no idea how close I had come to staring at his lips in that London hotel room, or how much I was leaning on his strength just to keep my feet moving.
To Neve, Ren was just her dependable, protective younger brother—the guy she had sent to act as a bodyguard and a driver. To me, he was rapidly becoming the only anchor I had left in a world that had thrown me into the dark.
"The cab is waiting at the lower curb," Ren’s deep voice broke through my thoughts, a low, soothing rumble that pulled me right out of my head.
He guided me gently by the elbow, his touch brief but warm enough to send a quiet ripple under my skin.
Derek had made sure a local taxi was locked down for our immediate arrival.
We hopped into the back of the cab, the familiar streets of my hometown rolling past the windows.
Within twenty minutes, the driver pulled up to the curb of the apartment complex where I had been staying with Neve just weeks prior.
We walked up the stairs, the key turning smoothly in the lock. The apartment was quiet, smelling faintly of Neve’s lavender linen spray, a safe haven from the chaos across the Atlantic.
"You should head home, Ren," I said, turning to look at him as he dropped our heavy duffel bags by the entryway.
I knew he had his own place in this town, a space entirely his own where he could finally rest, shower, and change his clothes properly.
"Go drop your things off. I’m just going to freshen up quickly, and then I’m heading over to my mom’s company. It’s only a few miles away."
Ren didn’t even blink. He leaned his massive frame against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an unyielding intensity.
"I’m fine. I’ll go home later. Right now, I’m staying right here until you’re ready to move."
"Ren, you’ve been flying for hours..."
"Lumi," he rumbled, cutting off my protest with a soft, authoritative tone that left absolutely zero room for negotiation. "I’m not leaving you alone today. Freshen up. I’ll be waiting."
Realizing it was entirely useless to argue with an alpha who had made up his mind, I let out a soft sigh and headed into the bathroom.
I washed the travel grime from my face, pulled my hair back, and changed into a crisp pair of dark trousers and a structured blazer. I needed to look like the legacy I was about to reclaim.
When I walked back out into the living room, Ren was already standing by the front door, his posture alert and ready.
We left our heavy luggage in the apartment, taking only my purse and my notebook, and headed down the stairs to call another cab to take us the few miles down the road to the Reed Building.
But the moment we stepped out of the apartment building’s main entrance and onto the pavement, I froze entirely. My jaw slacked slightly, my eyes widening in sheer surprise.
Parked right there in the building’s designated visitor spot was Ren’s heavy, blacked-out motorbike, its metallic frame gleaming under the afternoon sun. Beside it sat his car, both vehicles sitting perfectly detailed and ready for use.
I turned my head to look up at him, completely baffled. "How... how is your bike already here? We literally just landed. We took a cab straight from the airport."
A slow, dark smile touched the corners of Ren’s lips, a flash of quiet amusement dancing in his eyes as he looked down at my stunned expression.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys, the metal jingling softly in the quiet afternoon air.
"I told you, Lumi. Derek is smart," he rumbled softly, his voice vibrating with a touch of pride.
"I had him arrange for my garage keys to be picked up the moment we boarded the plane in London. My vehicles were dropped off here an hour before our flight even touched down. I don’t like being dependent on public transport when I have a job to do."
A strange, fluttering sensation bloomed deep in my stomach, a mixture of awe and an intense warmth that I had to force myself to bury.
The level of protective detail this man put into looking after me was staggering. He didn’t just follow me across the ocean; he mapped out my entire environment before my feet even touched the ground.
"We’ll take the car," I muttered, trying to clear the sudden tightness in my throat as I walked toward the sleek black sedan. "The company is only a few miles away, but I need a flat surface to write on."
Ren nodded once, walking over to unlock the doors. He slid behind the steering wheel, his massive frame instantly dominating the driver’s seat, and fired up the engine.
The car purred to life, a powerful, steady hum that matched the deliberate rhythm of his movements.
The drive was short, a brief five-minute transit through the familiar avenues of our hometown.
I sat in the passenger seat, my fingers tightly gripping the leather edge of my notebook, staring out the window as the massive glass structure began to loom in the distance.
The building stood in the middle of the street, looking completely abandoned.
It had been abandoned for years now, with no one caring about it.
Looking at it, it looks like something impossible. But impossibility isn’t in my dictionary.
The massive sign out front used to gleam with gold leafing.
VALE GLOBAL HOLDINGS
Today, the bronze letters were tarnished, covered in a thin layer of city grime, the corporate logo looking like something that was dead.
The gate had already rusted, Ren pushed it open slowly and we stepped in.
The building felt half-dead, the bustling, electric energy of my childhood completely replaced by a hollow, echoing quiet that made my chest tighten.
We moved through the steps slowly as I took note of all the things that needed to be changed.
We needed a working elevator. Almost everything here needed changing. I’m sure by the time I’m done renovating, I’ll have nothing left in my savings.
Ren reached out and pressed the button for the penthouse floor without me even having to say a word. He just knew.
"You’re quiet," he murmured, his dark eyes catching mine in the reflection of the polished elevator doors.
"Just taking notes," I whispered, pulling a small, leather-bound notebook and a pen out of my purse.
