LOGINAmber POVI sat quietly beside Grandfather's hospital bed, trying to process everything he had told me.The engagement.The kidnapping.The castle.The Vincents.Every answer seemed to create a dozen new questions.For a few moments, neither of us spoke.The steady rhythm of the heart monitor filled the silence between us."You know what bothered me the most?" Grandfather finally asked.I looked up."What?"His expression turned thoughtful."You weren't traumatized."I frowned immediately."What do you mean?"A sad smile crossed his face."When children are kidnapped, they usually come back frightened."A pause."They cry."Another pause."They have nightmares."I knew exactly where he was going."They don't trust people anymore."Grandfather nodded."Exactly."His gaze drifted toward the hospital window."But not you."A strange feeling settled in my chest."You came home dirty."A pause."Hungry."Another pause."Completely unbothered."I stared at him.That sounded ridiculous."You
Amber POV I stared at my grandfather in silence. Every answer he gave seemed to create ten more questions. For years, I had assumed my kidnapping was an isolated incident. A tragedy. A crime committed by opportunists who saw a vulnerable child and took advantage of the situation. Now I wasn't so sure. Now it felt like another piece of a much larger puzzle. Grandfather leaned back against the hospital bed, exhaustion visible on his face. The conversation was clearly taking a toll on him, but he continued anyway. "When you disappeared, I searched everywhere." His voice was quiet. Painfully quiet. "You have no idea how many people were looking for you, Amber." I swallowed hard. "I hired private investigators. Security firms. Former military personnel. I contacted every business partner, every government official I knew. I even offered rewards." His hand tightened around mine. "And still, there was nothing." The room fell silent. Only the rhythmic beeping of the monitors
Amber POVThe silence after my question stretched painfully.The truth about what?Neither man answered immediately.Grandfather looked exhausted.Not physically.Emotionally.For the first time in my life, I saw hesitation in his eyes.Real hesitation.The kind that belonged to someone carrying a burden for decades.Mr. Sun looked between us before finally sighing."You should tell her yourself."Grandfather nodded once.Slowly.Then he looked at me."Amber."His voice was still rough from the poison and the surgery.Weak.But determined."I need to speak with you alone."I froze.The seriousness in his tone immediately made my stomach twist.Mr. Sun stood first.Without argument.Without complaint.As he reached the door, he paused briefly."The others will arrive soon."He looked directly at my grandfather."Don't hide behind half-truths this time."Then he left.Outside, I could hear voices approaching.Jason.My grandmother.The children.Adrian.Clara.Mr. Sun intercepted them b
Amber POVThe arrival of Adrian and Clara somehow made the hospital suite feel smaller.Not physically.Emotionally.There were simply too many people now.Too many voices.Too many personalities colliding inside what had become our temporary headquarters.And honestly?I welcomed it.For weeks everything had revolved around poisonings, investigations, hospitals, and death.Seeing people laugh felt almost foreign.Clara looked beautiful.Exhausted.Pregnant.But beautiful.I hadn't realized just how much time had passed until I saw her.The last time we had worked together in person, her pregnancy had barely shown.Now...Now there was absolutely no hiding it."Seven months?" I asked in disbelief.Clara smiled while rubbing her stomach."Seven months."I stared."How are you still walking?"Adrian looked horrified."Amber!""What?"Clara laughed."I ask myself the same thing every morning."The children immediately surrounded her.Which, in hindsight, should have worried me.Alice was
Amber POV I was exhausted. Not the kind of tiredness that sleep fixed. Not the kind that disappeared after a good meal or a weekend away. I was mentally exhausted. Physically exhausted. Emotionally exhausted. The strange thing was that I had always thrived in chaos. I liked impossible deadlines. I liked solving problems. I liked looking at situations everyone considered disasters and finding opportunities hidden inside them. But this... This was different. The poisoning. The hospital. The Vincents. The castle. The investigations. The companies. The children. The country. Everything felt like too much. Time had started slipping through my fingers. Days blurred together. Meetings merged into conference calls. Hospital visits blended with construction reports. I honestly wasn't sure how long it had been since I had slept more than four consecutive hours. The only reason I was still functioning was Jason. I knew it. He knew it. Neither of us said it out loud.
Jason POVMr. Asher remained unconscious.The doctors called it a positive sign that he was stable.They called it encouraging that there had been no further complications.They called it promising that his organs were functioning normally.None of that changed the reality.He still hadn't woken up.Every morning Amber visited his room before touching her phone.Every night she sat beside his bed before going to sleep.Sometimes she talked to him.Sometimes she sat in silence.Sometimes she simply held his hand.And every day he remained asleep.The attack had created another problem as well.One nobody had anticipated.The Asher Corporation suddenly had no leader.A week ago Amber had been formally introduced to the board.A week ago several executives hadn't even recognized her.A week ago she had been Chairman Asher's granddaughter.Now she was the heir.The acting leader.And whether she wanted it or not...The future of the Asher empire.The board meeting happened three days afte
Adrian left the office, but not before stopping at the door. “You will regret ever standing in my way, Amber.” His voice was low. Controlled. Promising. Then he walked out. I remained standing in front of Grandfather’s desk, the Zoom meeting still active behind me. The screen displayed a gri
By the time Jason returned with the doctor, Madam Sun and I had already reached an understanding. Not friendship. Not trust. A truce. The terms were clear. The online rumors surrounding me would be handled by the Sun family’s media division immediately. The slander from the White Group would n
My feet moved before my mind could catch up. In two strides, I reached them. My hand shot out, gripping the woman’s forearm mid-motion. “Just what do you think you’re doing?” She stiffened. Slowly, she turned her head and gave me a once-over—from my heels to my face—clearly unimpressed.
I didn’t cry. I didn’t shake. I didn’t look back, or mourned the life and the years i will never get back, lost forever. I just went home, time to pack and say goodbye to my old life. The penthouse doors opened with biometric recognition the moment I stepped inside. Floor-to-ceiling glass. Marb







