Chapter 21

TWENTY-ONE

BASH

“Thank you, Austin,” Rowe called in his quirky billionaire voice, grinning forcefully. He buttoned his tuxedo and stepped around the table. “But you can step down now. There’s no need for you to accept this award for Sterling Chase.” He took a deep breath. “Sterling Chase can accept his own award.”

In the stunned silence that followed, Rowe stalked to the center of the banquet hall with the same spark in his eye as when I’d met him at the gala—the one that had first drawn me to him and had kindled a fire inside me wilder than anything I’d ever believed I could experience.

It had left me speechless then. It left me speechless now.

Silas dropped into the seat Rowe had vacated without taking his eyes off the spectacle. “What the fuck is he doing?” he whispered.

“I think he’s saving our asses,” I whispered back. And he looked magnificent doing it. His spine was straight as an arrow, his shoulders thrown back. His curls gleamed under the lights, and his tux caressed every inch of his frame exactly the way I wanted to. Exactly the way I would once this shit-show was over.

“Jesus, Bash. Should we stop him?” Silas demanded.

I shook my head. I trusted Rowe. Trusted him with my secrets. With my company. With my heart. And just like the first night we’d met, every cell of my body hummed with energy, waiting to see what lie he came up with next.

Austin’s eyes narrowed, but he tried to cover his anger with an uncomfortable chuckle. “Very funny, Rowe,” he said into the microphone. He glanced around, inviting others to share the joke. “He’s a burrito delivery guy, everyone, and he has a terrible sense of humor. Pay him no attention.”

My fists clenched on the tabletop.

“I’m not joking, Austin.” Rowe’s voice rang with authority—enough to startle the MC, who snatched back the award he’d been about to hand to Austin and stepped away. “And you’re the one who hasn’t been paying attention. Sterling Chase invented ETC and founded this company with a mission to foster entrepreneurship around the world. To support education. To save lives. To make the world better. You don’t deserve to accept this award on behalf of Sterling Chase.”

Shocked whispers flew around the room.

Oh my god, I had no idea.

Karen, didn’t I tell you there was something hinky like this?

I mean… he’s young, but like, look at the youngest Kardashian, right?

Does he always talk about himself in the third person like that? Rich people are so extra.

Austin shook his head. “You’re a fraud named Rowe Prince from Indiana, and I’ve never met you before tonight—”

Rowe shook his head sadly. “We met just last week, if you recall.”

“Ohmigod! You carried the chicken burritos!” Irma, one of our account managers, cried before her coworkers could shush her. “I recognize you!”

Rowe nodded. “Yes, madam, that was I. Sterling Chase goes by many names and wears many hats. I’ve chosen to live a more simple life because I find it fosters my creativity without distraction. But it’s also particularly handy when I want to observe my employees without calling attention to myself—”

“Ohhhh, fuck! He’s like that guy from that show who does the thing,” Landry’s date gushed, snapping his fingers. “Yassss!”

“Bet that’s one of his quirky billionaire eccentricities,” Miranda Baxter-Hicks suggested to no one in particular. “Sterling Chase is a Renaissance man.”

Rowe— Sterling— glanced over his shoulder and nodded gravely at her, accepting this praise. “Indeed, Miranda.” He turned back to the podium. “And I’m sorry to say that you, Austin, have disappointed me greatly with your attitude.” He clucked his tongue. “And your lack of scruples.”

“There is no Sterling Chase!” Austin shouted into the microphone. “Everyone knows that.”

Except everyone didn’t. Rowe was the sort of person everyone wanted to believe could be the billionaire founder of a company—young and angelic, a little outrageous, and drop-dead gorgeous. It didn’t matter what his real name was or where he came from. In fact, that would all add to the mystique. This audience wanted to believe.

When Austin looked around the room for allies, he found none. Even Clarissa was watching Rowe with surprise… but not a shred of suspicion. “My god,” she breathed. “This explains so much.”

“He’s Sterling Chase, alright!” a woman near the door volunteered. “I worked the reception desk at the Coalition for Children gala just like I’m doing tonight and gave him his name tag. And he said he liked playing pranks on his friends!”

“Good god, of course he’s Sterling Chase,” Constance Baxter-Hicks said, managing to sound both imperious and incredibly weary of the conversation. “Why are we even discussing this? I’ve known the man for simply eons. I was friends with his mother back in Illinois—”

“Indiana,” Miranda murmured.

“You know how bad I am with flyover states,” Constance sighed. “In any case, Sterling and I are quite, quite close. In fact, I credit him for my new fashion evolution. We’re having lunch at Jean-Georges next week. Bettina, dear, you’ll join us, won’t you?” She waved to a woman at a nearby table who looked delighted at the invite.

For the first time since he’d stood up, Rowe blinked uncertainly before he schooled his features back into his Sterling Chase expression and nodded politely.

I felt a brilliant smile break out on my face that I couldn’t restrain. The man was impossibly talented. Incredibly dedicated. Genuinely himself, no matter who he was impersonating. And yet he still couldn’t seem to wrap his head around how many people had fallen for him in such a short time.

Particularly me .

Constance winked at me, and I had only a second to marvel that Rowe had been right—the woman knew a lot more than she let on—before she said in a ringing voice, “Why not ask his boyfriend. Bash, darling, you’re on the board of directors at Sterling’s company, aren’t you? Do clear up this confusion so we can move on to the dancing.”

“I can’t believe anyone would accuse Sterling Chase of lying,” I said, rising to my feet and defying anyone to contradict me. “Sterling is the purest soul I’ve ever known and the greatest adventure I’ve ever encountered. That’s what first drew me to him. That’s what made me fall in love with him. It doesn’t matter what name he goes by. Sterling Chase is the love of my life, and I’m proud to serve at his side for as long as he’ll have me.”

Over-the-top? Yes.

Cheesy romantic? Fuck, yes, and Landry’s gleeful smile told me he was memorizing every word of “Big Daddy’s” big love declaration so he could quote it back to me.

But I meant every damn word.

And when Rowe’s big brown eyes went wide and shiny, when his lower lip trembled, then curved into the widest smile I’d ever seen, I didn’t give a fuck who else was listening or what they thought.

Rowe pressed a hand to his heart, right over the pocket where only he and I knew he’d tucked a bunch of brightly colored scarves—a hint of magic, hidden just out of sight. “Sterling Chase loves you, too,” he said softly, and I took a deep breath as something deep in my soul clicked into place like the dial on a telescope, shifting my whole future into focus.

Rowe turned to Austin. “The board of directors has been concerned about you for quite some time. We’ve set up a meeting for Monday. Ask any of them.”

“Oh, yes,” Silas said, his voice rumbling ominously. “I plan to be there, Sterling.”

“Same,” Landry agreed. “Even if I have to cancel my training session with French Alex.”

I had no idea who Alex was, but Landry’s date gasped, clearly impressed.

“But that’s not— The entire board is made up of liars!” Austin insisted. “Bash and the other members aren’t who they say they are. They are the ones who—”

“Please, Austin.” Rowe held up a hand. “You’re only making this worse for yourself. No one here wants to listen to your ramblings. I’m sure at this point there’s nothing you wouldn’t say or do to discredit me or the company, including lying about the board of directors.”

I ran a hand over my mouth, trying to smooth away my smile. The irony was so, so sweet. Austin, the asshole who’d been lying for his own gain for months, was finally telling the truth… but no one would listen.

“It’s not just me!” Austin insisted. “Justin knows! He’s the one who told me. Justin!” He used his hand to shade his eyes from the bright lights in the room. “Justin, I know you’re here! Come tell them what you told me about Sterling Chase.”

I glanced over at the Hardy Development table, which I’d avoided looking at all night, and saw Justin Hardy looking red-faced and unhappy. Seated next to him was an attractive woman with intelligent eyes who looked eager to see what would happen next. I wondered idly if this was the woman he was supposedly marrying for her intellectual property and whether she knew what she was in for.

Justin shook his head like the Judas he was. “Austin, buddy, you must be mistaken. I have the highest respect for Sterling Chase. The company’s been nothing but helpful to me in growing my business.”

Though Silas hadn’t so much as glanced at the Hardy table, I felt that seemingly innocuous comment hit him directly in the solar plexus, and he let out a shaky breath. After a beat, he turned to Landry’s date and yanked the phone out of his hands. “Sorry, bro,” he whispered, pocketing the video evidence of the drama.

“Jesus Christ, you’re all so fucking stupid ,” Austin wailed, running his hands through his hair. “This guy is nothing , and he’s manipulating you all—”

“Enough.” I stood up from the table and moved to where Rowe stood in the middle of the banquet hall. As soon as I reached him, Rowe turned and pressed his face into my lapel. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and kissed his unruly hair, inhaling just enough of his clean soap smell to make my fists unclench. “You’ve made a mockery of this event long enough, Austin. Everyone here tonight has seen exactly what kind of person you are, and they’ve seen who this man is, too. This is a man whose selflessness and loyalty are unparalleled. He’s sacrificed years of his life to create Project Daisy Chain, a project that will revolutionize emergency response and make ETC look like just the beginning. And tonight, he sacrificed his privacy in an effort to protect this company. That is who Sterling Chase is. That’s who Sterling Chase was always supposed to be. And you should never have been a part of it.”

Exit music swelled, and the presenter yanked Austin off the stage with the help of two burly security guards. It took a while for the poor presenter to get the crowd under control enough to continue the awards ceremony, but by then, it didn’t matter. I’d gotten my quirky billionaire out of the banquet hall and managed to find us a convenient potted palm just off the main lobby. I dragged him behind it and wrapped him up in my arms, right where he should have been all along.

“Oh, fuck. Holy shit.” Rowe trembled slightly as the adrenaline coursed through his system. “We did it. Didn’t we? I mean, that’s it, right? You’re safe?”

“We’re safe,” I confirmed. “Thanks to you. Austin’s suspicions will be meaningless after this. And come Monday, he’ll be reminded of the NDA he signed when he joined our company. He’s done.” I clasped him tighter until there wasn’t a millimeter of air between our bodies. “But you and I aren’t. Not by a long shot.”

“Did you mean it?” Rowe demanded breathlessly. He wrapped his arms around my neck and stood on his tiptoes, peppering kisses over my face and neck, everywhere he could reach. “What you said back there?”

“The part where I said you were the love of my life? Where I said you were my greatest adventure? Where I said I planned to be by your side forever? Fuck, yes, all of it. And don’t you dare make a liar out of me, Sterling Chase.”

He laughed out loud and looked up at me, eyes shining with a kind of unconditional love I couldn’t have purchased with all my billions, couldn’t possibly have earned in the short time we’d known each other, but which Rowe had bestowed on me anyway… and I would do my best to deserve.

“I’m still scared, you know. I still have no clue what our future might look like… but I want it. This. You . I want to join your group chat and let you buy me ridiculous tuxedos. I want you to meet my mom and talk to me for hours about Daisy Chain or whatever project we dream up next. I want to make sure Silas never gets near your toaster again, and I want to spend some more time talking to Dev’s horse. I want us to be together . Rowe and Bash. No matter which mega mansion we end up in.”

“Wherever we live, you’ll make it a home.” I pressed a soft kiss to his head before moving my lips down to his ear. “Whatever Sterling Chase wants, he gets.”

“And if Sterling Chase wants a fairy-tale ending?” he whispered, running his thumb over my cheekbone. “With a handsome prince, and true love forever, and the whole shebang?”

“Then I’d say we’re halfway there.” I grinned, feeling his body relax against mine as it began to move to the beginning of music coming from the other room. “Because I’ve found my Prince. And I could not love him more.”