Mirror Crown
I held her gaze as she stared at me—half surprised, half unsure she heard me right.
"I'll buy it," I said again, firmer this time. "Your family's company. You won't have to be pulled by their strings anymore. I'll talk to my dad first thing tomorrow, then have my team handle the acquisition."
Her lips parted, but no words came out yet. So I leaned in, finishing the promise.
"And when it's done… I'll register half of it in your name. Only your name."
She finally blinked, pulling her hand back slightly, almost like she didn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you joking? Christian, that company is one of the biggest fashion conglomerates in the country. That's not something you just… buy over dinner."
I smirked. "You forget who I am."
Correction— who they think I am.
I took another sip of wine like I was doing nothing more than offering her a new dress or a weekend getaway, not rewriting the future of an empire.
She stared at me for a moment, trying to piece it all together. "Why would you even want to do that? Why would you give me half?"
"Because I'm tired of seeing people I care about suffer just to survive in a life they never chose," I said. "Because I've got more power than I know what to do with. And if I can use it to free you from your family's grip—even just a little—then why wouldn't I?"
Truth was, I didn't fully know why I said it.
Maybe it was guilt.
Maybe it was the power trip of becoming the savior I never got to be in my old life.
Or maybe… I just liked how she looked when she didn't have to pretend to be strong.
"You'd really do that?" she whispered.
"I will. Tomorrow," I said simply. "I'll talk to my dad. This crown might be heavy, but I'm learning how to use it."
Tasha looked away, blinking rapidly, like she was holding back tears. "I don't even know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything." I stood slowly, offering her my hand. "Just walk through this world like you own it. Because half of it's about to have your name on it."
She took my hand—tentatively at first—but her fingers tightened around mine like she finally felt safe for the first time in a long time.
And as we left the restaurant, I didn't feel like an impostor anymore.
I felt like the king this world needed.
Even if I was still learning how to wear the crown.