24

Elena

I woke up feeling completely refreshed.

Months had passed since that fateful day of retribution, and my new life had officially begun. I got out of bed, took a warm bath, and dressed in a sharp, tailored suit fitting for the Chairwoman I now was. As I picked up my handbag, my phone screen lit up with a notification:

【Good morning! How are you feeling today?】

I smiled warmly as I read Roxy’s text. Ever since everything went down, she had made sure to send me a message like this every single morning.

【I’m doing wonderful, thank you. Have a great day!】 I typed back before slipping my phone into my purse.

I walked down the grand marble staircase, where my new housekeeper greeted me with a polite bow.

“Good morning, Chairwoman. Your breakfast is prepared.”

“Thank you,” I replied, enjoying a quick, quiet meal before stepping out to my car.

It was my original luxury car—the one Adrian thought he had hidden away in his friend’s garage. Kane made sure every single piece of property stolen from me was recovered, down to the last cent.

As for the Blackwood family, their fates were sealed in the darkest corners of the city.

Vivian had lost her pregnancy from the trauma and stress and was now forced to work off her debt at one of Kane’s adult establishments. Eleanor spent her days scrubbing floors as a lowly cleaner under constant supervision.

Adrian, reduced to nothing, survived as a male escort, forced to entertain wealthy, older women just to stay alive. And John... John didn’t survive his broken legs. His body was unceremoniously buried in a shallow, unmarked grave.

And Lucas? The court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His crimes went far beyond what anyone knew. Years ago, he had choked a young girl to death, and Eleanor had paid off the victim’s grieving mother to keep her quiet.

But once the floodgates opened and his victims came forward, the mother finally demanded justice for her daughter. Every single parasite got the exact ending they deserved.

My assistant, Liam, bowed respectfully as he opened the rear door of my car.

“Good morning, ma’am.”

“Good morning, Liam,” I said, stepping inside.

When we pulled up to the company, I stepped out with my head held high, walking through the grand glass entrance with quiet confidence.

“Good morning, Chairwoman,” the employees greeted me in unison, bowing as I walked past the lobby.

When I first reclaimed my father’s legacy, the formal titles and bowed heads felt overwhelming. But over time, I grew into the role. My father built this empire with his sweat and blood, and I was going to protect it. When I took over, Adrian had embezzled millions, driving the firm to the brink of bankruptcy—but one man had stepped in to save me from total collapse.

I pushed open the heavy wooden doors of my top-floor office, only to stop dead in my tracks.

“What are you doing here?” I gasped softly.

A tall, handsome man stood up from the leather sofa, holding a velvet box in his hands.

“I came to see you... and to give you this.”

Damian. My ex-fiancé.

He was the man who had poured his own resources into saving my company during its worst crisis. For months, he had visited me every single day, patiently expressing his love, and every single time, I had turned him down out of fear and guilt.

Damian walked toward me, dropped to one knee, and opened the velvet box to reveal a breathtaking diamond ring.

“Please be mine, Elena,” Damian said, his eyes shining with deep sincerity. “Become my wife. I promise to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”

Tears welled in my eyes as painful memories fought with the beauty of the present.

“Damian... my body... the doctors said I might never be able to bear children. I don’t know if I can ever give you a family—”

“I don’t care,” he interrupted softly, taking my hand gently in his. “I will wait for you as long as it takes. We will consult the best specialists in the world, and even if we can’t, it changes nothing. I love you, Elena. Please... say yes.”

A tear slipped down my cheek. After everything I had put him through, how could a man like him love me so unconditionally?

I extended my left hand, my voice trembling with raw emotion.

“Yes... yes, I will marry you.”

A breathtaking smile spread across Damian’s face. He gently slipped the ring onto my finger, stood up, and pulled me flush against his chest, capturing my lips in a deep, passionate kiss.

“I will love you and protect you forever, Elena,” he whispered against my lips.

“I love you too, Damian,” I murmured, wrapping my arms around his neck and resting my head against his chest.

This time, there were no secrets, no poisons, and no betrayals. I had rewritten my destiny.

The woman who once lay helpless on a hospital bed, surrounded by the people who wanted her dead, was gone. In her place stood a woman who had reclaimed her life, her father’s legacy, and her own happiness.

And as I rested my head against Damian’s chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, I finally understood something.

My first life had ended in betrayal.

But this life?

This life was mine.

And for the first time, I had no reason to fear what tomorrow would bring.

I had survived hell, rewritten my fate, and found the love I had once thought I would never deserve.

This time, I wasn’t dying for my happy ending.

I was living it.