Chapter 5

After Elara’s death, as Victor and everyone else had thought, his life was never the same. Things only worsened when his father discovered she had died after divorcing her; he blamed Victor relentlessly, a weight that pressed on him without mercy.

When his father found out that Victor was going to marry Serene, a new girl he barely knew, Victor’s father snapped.

When Elara ran away from home, she started working as a waitress. That’s how she met Victor's father .

Elara had taken him to the hospital when she found him in his car crying in pain due to a sudden pressure attack , and, as a reward for her kindness, Victor’s father promised Elara to set her up with his son. Victor was hesitant because he loved someone else but his father insisted, wanting to instill responsibility in him, finally Victor agreed, though he had made his own rules that they followed in their marriage.

Victor’s father had always loved Elara , and her death hurt him deeply. In his eyes, Victor was guilty.

That guilt had consumed him to the point that everything in his life was unraveling. His businesses were failing, nothing seemed to go right, and for the past five years, his life had been a mess.

Back to the present

Victor sat in his office, staring at the papers in front of him, thinking desperately about how to turn the company around. It was drowning in debt, and he felt the weight of every mistake pressing down on him.

Suddenly, the office door burst open. His father strode in, anger radiating from every movement, and threw a stack of papers onto Victor’s desk.

“What’s this?” he barked. “I thought you paid this off!”

“Dad, I was planning to ” Victor started.

“When?!” his father snapped, cutting him off. “Victor, you’ve really disappointed me. I worked my whole life for this company! And now you’re destroying everything before I even die…! First, you led to that poor Elara’s death, and now you want to ruin this company as well? Is it because of that girlfriend of yours? Are you still seeing her?”

“No, Dad. I’m no longer seeing her,” Victor said quickly.

“Good,” his father said sharply. “Because if you are, keep in mind, I will never let the two of you get married!

Anyway I’ve sent you an email. If you want to save this company, you need partnerships. Most of the companies have agreed.”he continued.

“Okay, that’s good, Dad. I’ll send the manager to meet them one by one,” Victor said, trying to sound confident.

“That’s not going to happen,” his father said, staring him down. “You must go yourself.”

Victor sighed, the familiar frustration welling up, but he knew he could no longer argue with his father. With a heavy heart, he agreed and his father left his office.

Victor sighed, slumping forward and hitting his hands against the desk. He was truly miserable. The weight of everything the guilt, the failures, the constant pressure pressed down on him like a storm he could not escape.

As evening fell, he set off to go back home. He had sold the house he once shared with Elara . He had lingered there for some time, but guilt haunted every corner, every room. He could no longer stay in a place that reminded him so painfully of what he had done . Selling it had been the only way to free himself… at least partially.

“I’ll do what Daddy wants,” he murmured to himself as he freshened up, stealing his resolve for the tasks ahead.

Early in the morning, Victor set off to the first company on his father’s list. They knew him well and were pleased he had decided to offer them a partnership. What they didn’t know, however, was that his company was teetering on the edge of collapse and he needed their support more than ever. He signed the agreement without hesitation.

By mid-morning, he had secured five partnerships. He glanced at the list and saw only one company remained. He couldn’t postpone it. The schedule was set for today, and there was no turning back.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way to William Holdings. It looked unfamiliar, a new company he had never heard of before. He sighed. Why did Daddy insist on a new company? But nevertheless, he entered with his assistant. Unlike the other companies, here no one knew him.

Victor looked around, trying to gauge the place. Approaching the receptionist, he said calmly, “I would like to speak to the CEO of this company.”

The woman looked up and asked, “Do you have an appointment with the CEO?”

“Yes,” he replied.

She nodded and made a quick call. “Please have a seat. The CEO is finalizing a meeting.”

Victor sat down, trying to maintain his composure. This had never happened to him before. Everywhere he went, no matter how busy the executives were, he had always been seen as important and always prioritized. But today, things were different,

He waited for an hour. The meeting was taking far longer than he had anticipated.

“Sir, are we still waiting, or should we go?” his assistant asked nervously.

Victor sighed. He wanted to leave as well, but since he was already there, he decided to wait. Besides, his father was always in a bad mood, and their relationship hadn’t exactly improved over the years. Hearing that he had left without signing would have caused a huge mess. So he waited.

Just then, a young woman appeared at the reception desk. “Who is Mr. Victor Carter?” she asked.

“I am,” he said, frustration evident in his voice.

“The CEO would like to meet you now. Sorry for the delay,” she added politely.

Victor adjusted his coat, leaving his assistant behind. He was determined to see the person who had kept him waiting this long.

He entered the office, and immediately noticed someone bending to pick something up under her chair, hands brushing the desk. For a moment, he assumed it was a man but then he saw the nails. A woman.

Suddenly, the woman straightened up from under the desk, flipping her hair back with a casual grace. She was beautiful but not just any beautiful. It was Elara.

Victor felt his knees weaken. His eyes refused to believe what they were seeing. He must be dreaming. The Elara he had known his ex wife had died five years ago in a fatal accident after their divorce. And yet, here she was, sitting before him, alive.

His heart raced uncontrollably. Elara? he finally managed to whisper, his voice barely audible.

But she didn’t respond. Her eyes scanned the room, as if she were looking for… Elara.

Then she spoke words that made Victor stumble even more.

“Who is Elara, Mr. Victor? I am Zara William. Please, take your seat so we can finalize this. I have to be somewhere else.” She said casually without glancing at him twice .

Victor froze, terror and disbelief rooting him to the spot.