Romane von okwarahchidinma81

Grant stood up and shoved past murmuring relatives, ignoring Christine’s hissed warning to “stay put.” His pulse roared in his ears as he chased after the woman that had just exited the room. He couldn’t let her walk away. Not again.He caught sight of her just as she turned the corner toward the elevators, her stride long, unhurried, as though she owned not just the hallway but the entire tower.“Scarlett!” His voice echoed down the marble corridor.She didn’t stop. Didn’t turn.He pushed harder, closing the distance, his shoes hammering against the polished floor. Just as the elevator doors began to slide shut, he thrust his hand between them, forcing them open.She was already inside, standing tall, her reflection fractured in the mirrored walls. Her expression was carved from ice.Grant stepped in, chest heaving. The doors shut behind him with a metallic thud. The confined space tightened around them like a vice.He pushed the button for the ground floor and was silent a moment be

“Who does she think she is to keep us waiting almost an hour?” Christine’s voice cracked through the conference room where her family members all sat. “She sets the date and time and still manages to keep us waiting!”“I think she would show up mother, you need to calm down” Louis muttered, his jaw tight. His gaze shifted to the empty head chair, the one that used to belong to their father. Now it sat waiting-for her.Grant leaned back in his seat, arms folded, expression unreadable. But the slight twitch in his jaw betrayed him. He hadn’t wanted to come. He hadn’t wanted to be trapped in this room with his family-waiting for the ghost of his past to walk in and prove how alive she truly was.He looked at every face along the long table. There were his uncles and aunties and close family lawyers, all expectant- hoping Scarlett was bringing good news. But how good would the news really be for the company if she had a child for Grant but was not willing to involve herself anymore?“Fran

The rain had started pouring when Grant heard a familiar voice behind him. One he didn’t want to hear ever again in his life.“How fast regret swarms in when a man realizes what he’s lost” Cassian stepped behind him, pride written all over his raised shoulders.Grant stiffened before turning,his eyes narrowing “You always do enjoy slithering where you're not wanted.”Cassian stepped closer, rain slicking his dark hair back “ I don’t slither Ashbourne. I arrive exactly where I need to be.”“And where is that, sucking up to my wife?” The words came out before Grant could stop them.“Your ‘wife’? “ Cassian chuckled. He lifted a brow” you the woman your family signed off like a business contract? Don’t dress it up with a word you’ve never honored”“You don’t know anything “ Grant felt his blood begin to boil under his skin.“Oh but I do, more than you wish I would . Let’s see-”, he put his index finger on his chin like he was trying to think “- Scarlett and I are more like best of friends

The organ’s last notes faded into the silence of the chapel, leaving only the faint rustle of designer fabrics and murmured condolences. The Ashbourne funeral was supposed to be a statement of legacy, but all anyone could think about now was the ghost who had returned wearing heels sharp enough to cut through any pride.Christine’s nails dug into the handle of her designer clutch as she leaned toward her son. Her whisper was anxious with an undertone of fear.“Grant, we cannot let her walk out of here without confronting her.”Grant kept his eyes fixed on Scarlett. She sat three rows ahead, poised in that tailored suit, her back a straight line of defiance. She hadn’t looked at him once the entire service. His throat tightened.“This isn’t the place,” he muttered.“It has to be the place.” Christine’s eyes flashed. “Do you think she came here by accident? She’s taunting us, parading herself in front of the entire city. We corner her before the ceremony ends. Before she slips away.”L

Manhattan.The sky above was a shade of blue that felt staged-too immaculate for a funeral. But Charles Ashbourne would have wanted it this way,a large crowd and unforgettable headlines.Outside the grand chapel,velvet ropes lined the cobblestones, struggling to hold back the swarm of paparazzi and onlookers scraping for the tiniest glimpse they could get. Long range cameras clicked repeatedly like buzzing bees.This wasn’t just a funeral- it was an event. Billionaires, senators, royal heirs and Manhattan’s elite gathered in the finest designer black, each more concerned with their image than grief.The Ashbourne family sat inside at the front pews. Christine sat between her two sons, Grant and Louis, faking to wipe an invisible tear every now and then.Behind them sat other extended family members and when Grant turned to make sure everyone was present, he caught a glimpse of Diane in the family row. His stomach soured instantly.She was the new lady his mother wanted him to marry and

Four years later. Napa Valley- California.Sunlight poured through the windows of Scarlett’s estate, dancing across the gleaming Italian floors. Outside, her home was nestled in between rows of lush vineyards that stretched into the hills like something out of a fairytale. A vintage crystal chandelier sparkled above her open-spaced living room and a grand staircase curved at the far end of the room.The air was crisp ,perfumed with a faint mix of grapes, lavender and roses. Scarlett Monroe was no longer the ex wife who was forcefully divorced and sent away or the girl who had scrubbed tables in a rat-infested motel. She was now a self made billionaire and CEO of Monroe Luxe.Co - an elite interior branding company that catered to private jets, luxury hotels and billion-dollar real estate empires. She was wealthy!Her phone buzzed on speaker as she leaned on the edge of her sleek marble counter. Roxy’s voice came through the line, now smoother but unmistakably her. Their friendship ha