Chapter 17 - A Seat at the Table
“Ready, Executive Pastry Chef?” Roman asked with a quiet, loving smile.
“Ready, Mr. Duca,” Clare replied, kissing his cheek gently.
Roman pulled open the heavy glass doors of Honey & Rye Bakery. The waiting crowd erupted into thunderous applause, flashbulbs exploding as Clare and Lily stepped out together to cut the bright blue ribbon stretched across the entrance.
The bakery was instantly packed with joyful customers, filling every table with warmth, laughter, and the heavenly scent of fresh baked pastries.
Victoria Vance watched from a distance across the street, her career ruined and her father’s firm stripped of its influence, forced to watch the woman she had tried to destroy become the celebrated heart of the city’s culinary scene.
Inside, at the cozy wooden table near the sunlit window, sat a framed photograph taken on the day of the grand reopening.
It showed Clare, Roman, and Lily standing together in the bakery kitchen, covered in flour, laughing happily with their arms wrapped around one another—a true, unbreakable family forged through love, courage, and resilience.
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Clare walked over to the table, placing a fresh plate of warm cherry tarts in front of Roman.
👉 Roman looked up at her, reaching out to gently catch her hand in his.
