"Love?" Marcus let out a short, humorless laugh. "Don't make me laugh, Ethan. We both know love doesn't last. You've seen it yourself through us. Love was never strong enough to keep your mother and me together."
He shook his head, scoffing openly at the idea of Ethan claiming something so naïve.
It reminded him of his own early days with Stephane.
Their marriage had been arranged. Strategic. Practical. But over time, they had grown into it. Learned each other's rhythms. Shared laughter in the quiet hours. For a while, it had felt real.
They had called it love.
But what had it amounted to?
Marcus had been determined to expand his empire. Every meeting, every investment, every calculated risk was meant to secure their future. He believed he was building something permanent.
Stephane, on the other hand, had waited.
Waited for him to slow down.
Waited for him to notice.
Waited for the man who once held her hand to choose her over ambition.
