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Aria had suffered and sacrificed for Primo, and while Damian had every intention of treating her like a queen for as long she would allow it, she deserved financialautonomy.
Having her own money would assure her independence, allow her to spend money without feeling the need to consulthim.
He’d given her all the security information to access the accounts, instructing her to change the passcodes and PINS as she sawfit.
At first, she hadn’t said anything, and he’d worried that it was too soon. That she wasn’t ready to think about Primo’s money, about the fact that she’d been an unwitting participant in the aspects of the business that sickened her, now shut down byDamian.
But then she’d looked up with tears in her eyes and thrown her arms aroundhim.
“Thank you,” she’d said against hischest.
He’d pulled back to look at her. “For what? It’s yourmoney.”
“Maybe, but no one’s ever wanted me to be independent before. No one’s ever trusted me to be independentbefore.”
“I trust you,” he said. “And I want you in my life because you want to be here, not because you don’t have any wayout.”
He hadn’t mentioned the money since, had no intention of keeping track of what she did with it. She was a grownwoman.
A smart, strongwoman.
She didn’t need him to babysit her — which didn’t mean he wouldn’t protect her with hislife.
He looked at his phone, then closed his computer and started gathering the things he would need to work at home after dinner. It was after six p.m., almost ten hours since he’d seen Aria, since he’d heldher.
In other words, toolong.
He closed his office door and made his way down the hall, already anticipating the night ahead. He would stop and get takeout on the way home. He would start a fire in the study — one of the last of the season probably — and he and Aria would eat at the table in thekitchen.
Afterward they would read for a bit. Aria would probably grow sleepy in his arms as she did most nights, tired from her long days in the greenhouse, the hours she still spent at the firingrange.
He would carry her to bed, tuck the covers around her, make love to her if she wasn’t too tired. Only when she was sound asleep would he slip out to finish hiswork.
He was waiting for the elevator when he heard the voice of his assistant call out behindhim.
“Mr.Cavallo!”
He turned with a sigh. “Yes?”
“I just had a few things I wanted to ask you aboutit…”
“Are any of them urgent?” heasked.
“Well, no, not really,” she said, her cheeksflushed.
“Then it will wait until tomorrow, MissSherman.”
He stepped into the elevator. Aria waswaiting.
