Chapter 10 - The Masterpiece
Six months after the green crayon incident, the Vale estate held a small, private celebration. There were no mobsters, no business associates, and no armed guards patrolling the perimeter—just a warm family dinner in the grand dining room.
In Adrian’s private study, a new framed art piece hung proudly on the mahogany wall right beside his grandfather’s vintage oil painting.
It was a piece of heavy white cardstock covered in thick, chaotic strokes of purple, yellow, and bright green crayon. Across the bottom, written in Rachel’s neat handwriting, were the words: Portrait of a Happy Boss, by Lily Bennett (Age 3).
Adrian sat at his desk, signing a final set of shipping documents, when Rachel walked in holding a cup of coffee with honey—the exact way he liked it now.
She set it down, noticing him staring at the framed crayon drawing on the wall.
“Do you think your business associates will judge you for having kindergarten art hanging in your high-level corporate study?” Rachel teased softly, leaning against the edge of the desk.
Adrian looked up, taking the cup from her hands. He caught her wrist gently, pulling her down onto his lap with a casual intimacy that would have shocked anyone who knew him six months ago.
“Let them judge,” Adrian said, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in the crook of her neck. “They only see the monster I used to be. You and Lily... you’re the ones who saw the man underneath.”
May you like
Rachel smiled, resting her hands against his broad shoulders, feeling the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat.
Outside, the iron gates of the estate stood open to the evening breeze, welcoming a future they had all built together—out of grief, out of danger, and out of a single, reckless stroke of a green crayon.
