Chapter 95

Elena stared at him in disbelief.

She coughed twice, eyes widening as she looked back at the estates on the screen.

"Wait... all of these? You're giving all of them to me?"

She grabbed the tablet and quickly swiped through the images again.

"That's such a waste!"

Still stunned, she turned to Richard.

"Why?"

Richard laughed and tightened the arm around her waist.

"If you want the simplest answer, I wanted to give you something. I've already given you a car and jewelry."

Elena stared at him.

"...So you moved on to houses?"

"Estates."

"That is not better."

His mouth curved.

"These properties are part of the Sterling family's private real-estate portfolio. They were acquired and developed as long-term family assets. To most people, they're extraordinarily expensive."

He paused.

"To me, the cost isn't the point."

He looked entirely too relaxed about it.

"And here you are worrying about whether I'm wasting assets before you've even married me."

Elena's face immediately turned red.

"Who said I'm marrying you?"

She pointed accusingly at the tablet.

"I'm saying properties like these could still generate value even if you never sold them. Private events, invitation-only retreats, luxury hospitality... there has to be something you could do with them."

Her confidence faded slightly as she spoke.

Everything she knew about business and investing had been crammed into her head over the past few weeks. Saying any of this in front of a man who had actually managed investments and projects on an enormous scale felt a little like a student raising her hand in class.

Still, she stubbornly finished.

"Giving them to me just doesn't seem very efficient. I already live here."

Richard lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms.

She was obviously overwhelmed by the scale of the gift, yet her first instinct was still to wonder whether the properties could be put to better use.

"If you think leaving them empty is wasteful, then use them."

His hand closed around hers.

"They'll be yours. If you want to leave them empty, use them, or turn one of them into something else, that's your decision."

Elena blinked.

"What?"

"You said they'd be wasted."

Richard smiled.

"So make use of them."

"That's different." Elena frowned. "You have an entire organization behind you. I wouldn't even know where to start."

"You've been studying."

Richard leaned back against the sofa.

"Think about it."

"..."

Elena narrowed her eyes at him.

Was this a gift or homework?

But the challenge in his gaze immediately brought out her competitive streak.

She stared at the screen for a while.

Then her eyes lit up.

"I've got one!"

She tugged excitedly on Richard's tie.

"What if I rent the lakeside estate out for filming?"

Richard said nothing.

Encouraged, Elena continued.

"Think about it. Streaming dramas, romance series, movies—they're always looking for convincing luxury locations. Especially when they need some billionaire's house or an old-money family estate."

She enlarged the images of the glass-walled residence on the peninsula.

"This one actually looks expensive instead of pretending to be expensive. A production could rent the whole place by the day. And if a major film wanted it, the location fee could be huge."

The more she talked, the more reasonable it sounded to her.

She lightly bumped Richard's leg with her foot.

"And maybe the other lakeside property could become some kind of private dance and wellness club?"

She frowned.

"Dance classes alone probably wouldn't make sense."

Elena thought harder.

"Maybe something private? Not many members, but... expensive ones?"

She stopped.

"That sounded terrible. You know what I mean."

Richard's mouth twitched, but he didn't interrupt.

When he didn't laugh at her, Elena became a little bolder.

"Yoga, movement training, physical recovery, nutrition programs... maybe art classes too?"

Richard finally reached up and tapped the tip of her nose.

"Renting it to film crews?"

A quiet laugh escaped him.

"Ellie, a production brings in lighting rigs, camera tracks, cables, heavy equipment, and dozens of people. Even a professional crew can damage custom woodwork, wall coverings, flooring, and finishes."

He glanced at the estate on the screen.

"The location fee you collect for a day might not cover the cost of repairing one damaged wall."

Elena's face fell.

"Well... how was I supposed to know you spent that much on the walls?"

Richard laughed.

"But your second idea has potential."

Elena immediately brightened.

"Really?"

"Really."

He pinched her cheek.

"With properties at this level, the building itself is only part of the value. Scarcity, privacy, and access matter just as much. A private salon, intimate dinners, wellness programs—what you're really building is a private membership community around a very specific clientele."

Elena listened intently.

"But if you do it, don't try to make it everything at once," Richard continued. "The positioning has to be clear. Art, dance, fashion, fine jewelry, couture—any of those could fit. Keep membership extremely limited. Fewer clients, higher standards."

Her eyes grew brighter with every sentence.

"So it could work?"

"It could."

Richard looked down at her.

"And if you decide to try it, I'll have a small team put together for you. Finance, legal, operations, security."

Elena blinked.

"...Maybe after I graduate."

Then her expression softened.

"And thank you."

Not only for the properties.

For taking her ideas seriously.

Elena picked up the tablet again and returned to the mountain estate. It sat deep among the trees, its secluded courtyards surrounding a natural mineral spring.

She wrapped both arms around Richard's neck and rested her face against him.

"I want to keep this one just for us."

Richard's hand settled at her waist.

"Just us?"

"Mhm."

She enlarged one of the photographs.

"The hot spring is private, and no one would bother us out there. When it gets really cold—or when you're exhausted from work—we can disappear for a couple of days."

Elena smiled.

"Just soak in the hot spring, watch the snow, and do absolutely nothing."

She tightened her arms around his neck.

"No guests. No meetings. No assistants."

Richard's gaze lingered on her face.

"Just the two of us?"

"That's what a secret place means."

Something shifted in his expression.

His hand tightened at her waist, drawing her closer until there was barely any space left between them.

"Careful, Ellie."

Elena blinked.

"What?"

"You're making that hot spring sound very tempting."

It took her a second.

Then heat rushed into her face.

"I meant watching the snow!"

"Of course you did."

"Richard!"

His quiet laugh disappeared against her lips.

He kissed her before she could protest again, slow at first, almost teasing. Elena's fingers tightened around the back of his neck as he drew her closer.

When he finally pulled away, she barely had time to catch her breath before his mouth found hers again.

This time, the kiss carried considerably less restraint.

Elena shifted on his lap, and Richard's arm tightened instinctively around her waist, keeping her against him. The warmth of his body seeped through the thin cotton of her T-shirt.

She broke the kiss first, breathless.

"You're the one who made it sound dirty."

Richard looked entirely unrepentant.

"I didn't say anything dirty."

"You didn't have to."

"Then perhaps the problem is your imagination."

Elena stared at him.

"My imagination?"

"Mhm."

She slapped a hand over his mouth before he could continue.

"You're impossible."

Richard caught her wrist and kissed the center of her palm.

The simple gesture somehow made her blush harder than the kiss had.

She immediately pulled her hand back.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"That."

His eyes held hers, amusement unmistakable.

Elena decided not to answer.

A while later, Richard checked the time.

"I have a video conference tonight."

"Then you should go," Elena said immediately. "Don't let me make you late."

"There's still time."

Richard turned off his phone screen, but instead of getting up, he looked at her.

"By the way, Legal sent the formal notice."

Elena paused.

"About Victoria?"

"Her five-year restriction is official."

The warmth in Richard's expression faded as easily as if a switch had been flipped.

"She won't be working or interning in any of Sterling Consortium's core business divisions during that period."