Chapter 79: YOU DESERVE TO KNOW ALL OF IT
Chapter 80
Ren
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I felt the sudden, rigid tension take over her entire frame before I even looked down.
Her hand, soft and warm in mine, went completely limp, her fingers trembling slightly against my palm as the manager’s crisp words hung in the air of the high-end lobby.
"Have Daniel upload the full breakdown to my secure terminal," I said, my voice smooth, calm, and completely unbothered as I tapped the tablet screen to sign off on the intake log.
"Did the Frankfurt acquisition close this morning?"
"Yes, Sir. The final contracts were signed at seven a.m.," the front desk manager replied instantly, keeping his posture straight and his head bowed in deep respect. "Everything has been routed to your private floor."
"Good," I murmured, handing the encrypted tablet back to him with a single, dismissive nod. "That’ll be all."
"Thank you, sir." The manager bowed once more before backing away toward the marble desk.
I turned my attention back to the woman beside me, sliding my fingers through hers and locking them tight.
I knew the storm that was brewing inside her mind. I could feel her rapid pulse hammering right at her wrist.
Questions...dozens of them...were racing through her head, burning in her throat, making her dark eyes wide and glossy with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
But I didn’t say a word to explain myself just yet. I wasn’t going to have this conversation in the middle of a lobby with people watching us.
I was going to answer every single question she had. Every last one. But only when I had her safe and completely isolated behind my closed doors.
Without breaking stride, I guided her and Theo straight past the sleek brass turnstiles toward the private executive elevator at the back of the ground floor.
Lumi walked beside me in total silence, her posture stiff, her small designer bag clutched tightly against her ribs.
Senior executives in tailored suits stepped aside, lowering their heads as we passed, and security guards stood at strict attention, clearing a direct path for us.
Lumi didn’t look at any of them. She kept her jaw set, her breath coming in short, fragile hitches as her mind tried to process the staggering display of power around her.
We stepped into the high-speed lift, and the brass doors slid shut, sealing us in quiet luxury as the lift began carrying us straight up to the top floor.
Lumi held back her burning questions during the quiet ride up, keeping her composure completely intact while the floor counter clicked rapidly toward the sky.
The elevator chimed softly, its doors sliding open directly into my private suite...a sprawling, glass-encased sanctuary of dark mahogany, plush leather, and sweeping panoramic views of the entire city skyline.
Standing near the massive desk was my personal assistant, Marcus, holding a stack of leather-bound files.
The moment the doors opened, Mark looked up. His eyes flicked from my face down to my hand, tightly holding onto Lumi and Theo.
A quick flash of surprise crossed his face, but he instantly schooled his expression, bowing his head in deep, silent respect.
"Cancel my remaining meetings. No one comes up to this floor for the rest of the day." I commanded, my voice low and authoritative.
"Understood, Sir," Marcus said without asking a single question. He gathered his files, stepped into the staff elevator, and vanished.
The quiet click of the sliding doors echoed through the massive, sunlit room.
The moment we were completely alone...with Theo wandering off toward a glass display case near the corner...Lumi turned to look at me, her cheeks slightly flushed.
I leaned down close to her ear, keeping my voice soft so Theo wouldn’t pick up on the tension in the room.
"I’m going to call Meg. She’s one of my senior administrative assistants...she’s a mother herself, completely trustworthy.
I’ll have her take Theo down to the executive kids’ room on the fifth floor so he can play. That way, you and I can actually talk, okay? He’ll be completely fine."
Lumi looked over at Theo, then back at me, letting out a quiet breath of relief before giving me a soft, understanding nod.
"Okay." I walked over to the desk, pressing the button on the intercom phone.
"Meg, step up to my office for a moment."
"Right away, Mr. Alpha," her crisp voice answered through the speaker.
A minute later, the private elevator chimed and the doors slid open. A warm, middle-aged woman stepped out, dressed in a sharp gray suit, smiling gently the moment her eyes landed on us.
"Meg, this is Lumi and her son, Theo," I said, stepping forward.
"Take Theo down to the playroom on the fifth floor, please. Make sure he gets whatever snacks or juices he wants, and keep a guard posted outside the door."
"Of course, sir," Meg replied warmly, crouching down to Theo’s eye level with a bright, friendly smile.
"Hi there, little guy. We have a huge room downstairs filled with Lego sets, video games, and giant race tracks. Want to come check it out?"
Theo’s eyes lit up instantly. He looked up at Lumi for permission, and when she smiled and nodded, he eagerly ran over and took Meg’s hand.
"Can we build a castle?"
"We can build whatever you want," Meg chuckled, leading him into the elevator before the brass doors closed smoothly behind them.
Now, the floor was truly ours. Silence settled back over the massive room.
Lumi took three hesitant steps toward the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Her dark eyes swept over the pristine marble, the massive mahogany desk, and the endless expanse of skyscrapers stretched out beneath us.
She turned back to face me, her hands coming up to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with complete, jaw-dropping shock.
"Ren..." she whispered, her voice trembling in the vast, quiet space. "How? How were you able to do all of this? Did you... did you get this from....?"
"No," I said immediately, my voice firm.
I walked over, taking her gently by the elbow and guiding her toward the plush leather armchairs set up in front of the window. "Sit down, Lumi."
She sank into the chair slowly, still looking around as if she had stepped into a dream.
I dragged my heavy executive chair around from behind the desk, placing it directly in front of hers so our knees were almost touching.
Sitting down, I rested my elbows on my knees, looking straight into her wide, glossy eyes.
"My father didn’t give me a single dime for this, neither did I get it from where you’re thinking" I explained, my voice low and steady.
"This came from my grandmother, she transferred my grandfather’s entire personal inheritance directly into my name." Lumi blinked, her eyebrows pulling together in deep confusion.
"Your grandmother? But... is Neve aware of this? Does your family even know?"
"They know I took the inheritance, yes," I said, leaning back slightly.
"They knew my grandmother left it to me, but honestly, none of them paid any real attention to it.
My father explicitly stated years ago that he didn’t want anything to do with my grandfather’s old money or his business ventures.
He considered it a distraction from pack affairs. But the money was sitting there, and someone had to run it. When I finally stepped in and took control of the accounts years ago..." I paused, letting out a heavy breath.
"Even I was surprised by how deep it went. The foundation was massive, but it was dormant, mismanaged, and outdated."
"So what did you do?" she asked, her voice hushed with fascination.
"I rebranded the entire company," I told her, my eyes locking onto hers.
"I restructured the holdings, brought in my own team, built new branches here in the UK, and expanded the portfolio until it grew into what you’re looking at today. I turned my grandfather’s legacy into an empire."
Lumi stared at me for a long, quiet moment, taking in my simple t-shirt, my dark jeans, and the worn leather jacket resting over the back of my chair. A faint, disbelieving laugh escaped her lips.
"You..." She shook her head, looking at me up and down. "You really don’t act like someone who’s this rich, Ren. You don’t walk around like a man who owns a skyscraper." A small, dry smile touched the corner of my lips.
"There’s no need to act rich if you’re actually rich, Lumi. Only broke people who just touched money for the first time act arrogant or let it control them. True power doesn’t need to make noise."
She looked at me, her eyes softening, filled with a deep, breathless wonder that made my heart beat heavy against my ribs. "Why are you telling me all of this now?"
Instead of answering right away, I pulled my heavy leather chair forward until my knees touched hers.
I reached out, taking both of her small, warm hands in mine, wrapping my broad palms securely around her fingers.
Lumi gasped softly, her eyes darting nervously toward the massive glass walls surrounding the office.
"Ren, stop!" she whispered frantically, trying to pull her hands back. "What are you doing? The walls are literally made of glass! Your staff walking past... they can see us!"
"Relax, babe," I rumbled, holding her hands firm, refusing to let her pull away. "Look closer at the glass."
She hesitated, glancing toward the transparent wall, her eyebrows drawing tight.
"It’s one-way smart glass," I explained softly, a gentle warmth lacing my voice.
"From the outside, it looks like a solid black mirror. No one can see inside this room. We’re the only ones who can see out. You are completely safe here with me."
Lumi let out a soft, embarrassed breath, her shoulders relaxing as she stopped tugging against my grip. She looked down at our joined hands, her cheeks flushing a delicate, beautiful shade of pink.
I squeezed her hands gently, bringing them up to rest on my knee.
"I’m telling you all of this because I already spoke my mind back at the apartment, Lumi. I told you how I feel about you. I told you I’ve loved you for half my life. So now that everything is out in the open, I don’t see any need to hide a single thing from you anymore. My past, my money, my life...you deserve to know all of it."