The press conference was packed, not with scandal-hungry reporters this time but with investors, environmental leaders, city officials, and tech entrepreneurs. The room buzzed with anticipation, the kind usually reserved for IPOs or presidential bids. But this wasn't about politics or money.
It was about legacy.
Grace stood backstage, her nerves low but alive. Beside her, Liam adjusted the cuffs of his navy suit, crisp and custom but nothing compared to the way he looked at her.
"You ready to change the city?" he asked.
She smirked "Only if you're ready to let me put my name first."
His grin was instant. "Cole-Vale Innovations does have a ring to it"
She kissed him quickly, business and love perfectly balanced in that fleeting press of lips. They had come so far through sabotage, heartbreak, exile from the public's good graces and they hadn't just survived it. They'd turned it into fuel.
Now, they were ready to build something that would outlive both their names.
The lights came on. The announcer spoke:
"Please welcome co-founders of the new sustainable smart city initiative: Grace Cole and Liam Vale."
They walked onto the stage side by side no hiding, no hierarchy. Just equals.
Grace took the mic first, her voice steady and clear.
"This is more than a project," she said. "It's a promise. To the people of this city. To the planet. To the future"
She gestured to the holographic model spinning slowly behind them: green rooftops, clean-energy transit, tech woven seamlessly into old architecture. A city where luxury and sustainability didn't compete but completed each other.
"I once called this project dangerous," Grace admitted. "And it was. But now it's different. Now, it's a collaboration. A partnership between Veracore strategies and Vale Systems designed by the community, funded ethically, and driven by innovation that doesn't compromise values."
Then Liam stepped forward "I built my empire with efficiency, with speed. But Grace taught me to build with purpose. With conscience. She's not just the heart of this project ,she's its spine."
There were murmurs of approval, not just for the plan, but for them. The couple that had gone from opponents to partners. From scandal to standard-bearers.
The crowd erupted when the presentation ended. Reporters clamored for comment. Investors swarmed. But Liam only had eyes for one person.
"You realize this makes you my boss now," he murmured, his hand grazing hers as they descended the stage.
She smiled, radiant and sure. "I was always your boss. You're just finally admitting it."
They slipped into a side room, breathless with adrenaline and something more intimate relief. Triumph. A future fully owned.
Liam leaned close, voice low and reverent. "We just changed the city, Grace ."
"No," she whispered, her hands curling around his lapels "We changed everything"
And as he pulled her in, kissing her like the deal had just been sealed with fire and fate, there was no press, no politics, no past that mattered anymore.
Just them.
Co-founders. Lovers. Equals.