Chapter 6: An Interesting Proposition

Elena’s POV

Before my eyes fluttered open, I felt a deep, throbbing ache all over my body. At first, I was confused.

The last thing I remembered was a figure emerging, his arm over his face, his eyes searching through the flames.

I couldn't see his face clearly, but a name echoed in my mind.

Lucian? Is it him?

But how could it be possible? After all the things he had done to me, why would he ever come back to save me?

A wave of intense self-loathing washed over me. I hated myself for still dreaming about him. He had chosen Lydia.

He had abandoned me and our unborn baby.

I forced my eyes open. I realized I was in an unfamiliar room. Carefully wrapped bandages covered my body.

My vision was a blur, but I could make out a man sitting by my bed. My heart hammered.

"Lucian... how could you..."

"You woke up sooner than I thought you would."

The voice was cold, sharp, and entirely wrong. It wasn't Lucian’s.

I was surprised to see a man I didn’t know sitting on an over-sized chair in the corner of the room.

He was wearing a white collared shirt, rolled up at the sleeves and simple dark denim jeans.

He sat casually with one leg crossed over the other, his arm slung over the back of the chair.

"Who are you?" I rasped.

This wasn’t Lucian. I didn’t understand why he was here.

"Leon Wentworth," he said, leaning forward. A cruel smirk played on his lips. "Does the name ring a bell?"

His name landed on my ears and my eyes widened.

He was Lucian’s greatest rival, the only man who dared to challenge him.

Even though the Wentworths had left the city to expand their global business, the commercial rivalry between the two of them had never ceased.

"You... you saved me?" I was stunned. Of all the people…my savior was Lucian’s worst enemy? But why?

"Don't get sentimental. I was at the hospital visiting my mother; she has Alzheimer’s," Leon said, spinning a lighter in his hand.

"I happened to overhear your little ‘scene’ with Lucian. Please excuse me for eavesdropping, but I simply couldn’t help myself."

He offered his excuses, but without a shred of shame.

"He was the 'Golden Boy', but he leaves his wife for his mistress, and then the mistress tries to burn her alive? A scandal like that could tank his entire company’s stock prices. I couldn't let my best piece of evidence die in a fire, could I?"

He chuckled, but there was no warmth in it.

Evidence. I was just a tool to him.

I looked down at my arms. They were wrapped in thick, white gauze.

I felt like a broken doll glued back together.

"There's no point," I said, tears leaking from my eyes.

"My baby is gone. My life is gone. I have nothing left. Why didn't you just let me burn?"

Leon stood up, his shadow looming over me. "So that’s it? You’re just going to give up?"

"Look at me!" I hissed. "I’m a monster! I have no money, no family, no face! I’m a ghost!"

"You're a coward," Leon shot back, his eyes flashing with disdain.

"If you wanted to die so badly, why were you screaming for help in that fire? Why were you clawing at the door? That’s how I found you."

I flinched. He was right. In those final moments, I had fought.

"Lucian and Lydia are probably celebrating right now," Leon continued, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"They’re in bed, laughing about how easy it was to get rid of you. If you die now, you’re doing them a favor. Is that what you want?"

"No," my teeth clenching so hard my jaw ached. "No!"

I clenched my fists. How could I let the people who destroyed me live so freely?

"Good," Leon sat on the edge of the bed. "I have a proposal. I give you a new identity. I give you the resources, the training, and the power to dismantle Lucian piece by piece. You work for me, you help me take his empire, and in return, you get your revenge."

I stared at his outstretched hand, my heart hammering against my ribs.

For years, I had been nothing but a perfect, obedient housewife. Could I really do this?

But then, the stinging of my wounds and my womb jolted me awake. I can't let them be happy.

I looked at Leon. I needed him. If I had to sell my soul to a devil to destroy a monster, then so be it.

"I'll do it," I said, my teeth clenching. "But I can't go back like this. Not as Elena."

I gestured to my bandaged face. "I want to be someone else. When I have the surgeries to fix this... I want a new face."

Leon’s smirk widened into a genuine grin. He seemed to enjoy the malice in my voice.

"A total transformation. I like it. Consider it done."

I reached out with my bandaged hand and gripped his.

Elena the housewife died in that fire.

The woman who woke up today was going to make Lucian regret the day he ever learned my name.

******** Three years later.

The familiar scent of the city swept over me the moment I stepped off the luxurious private plane and onto the tarmac.

The city smelled exactly the same as it did three years ago.

Butterflies bounced in my stomach as I clutched my Chanel handbag.

My designer shoes clicked against the ground as my assistant and I hastily made our way to the limousine waiting for us.

"The island bidding meeting is in three days. Here’s everything you need to prepare for it," my assistant, Fiona said, thrusting a manilla folder at me.

The island.

It was the reason I was back in the city. Leon’s company had sent me to secure the island development.

As one of the top negotiators for the company, I was confident we’d secure the contract.

"Miss," the chauffeur said as he opened the car door for me.

Sliding into the decadent limousine, I let the scent of leather wash over me.

I was no stranger to high-end limousines and private jets.

I’d spent the past three years working for Leon, and the job came with a slew of perks.

Designer clothes, a luxurious penthouse apartment, five-star restaurants, a personal assistant: my new life was dripping with opulence.

It was such a far cry from the desperate housewife I’d once been.

It was all thanks to Leon. He’d offered me a second chance and I’d seized it with both hands.

I’d worked relentlessly to help his family establish a strong foothold in the industry.

They were now an even bigger conglomerate than before, thanks to my assistance and hard work.

"I’ve booked you a room at the Regency downtown," Fiona told me.

"Thank you," I told her. I wasn’t the least bit nervous about returning to the city that had almost taken my life.

On the contrary, I’d come back to wage war.

Flipping through the document on the island bidding, I landed on the last page.

Lucian, just as we thought.

Our fiercest competitor.

I wasn’t afraid of him though. Not anymore. Lucian had become a distant memory, a lingering remnant of the person I once was.

I no longer lived in his shadow; I lived in the spotlight now.

Our counterattack was simple and straightforward. Do whatever we had to do. And show no mercy doing it.

The city sped by and I relaxed into the back seat of the limo.

Lucian had no idea what was about to hit him.

I was going to take this island contract right out from under him.

I was going to crush his company, just like he’d crushed my heart three long years ago.