ログインSean's eyes narrowed. "What?""You heard me.""No. Say it properly."Edward hesitated.Sean's voice became dangerously calm. "Say exactly what you're trying to say.""That woman or this family."Sean laughed. "Wrong.""What?""Shannon isn't up for selection."Edward went silent."She's not an option on a fucking ballot."Sean paced toward the window. "You want my position? Come for it.""Sean.""You want the board to vote?" He smiled coldly. "Let them.""You think they won't remove you?""I think half of those people owe their current fortunes to decisions I made while you were sitting at home calling yourself chairman."Edward's breathing sharpened."For years, I've run Vale Group." Sean's voice lowered. "I expanded it, I pulled it through two market crashes, I negotiated the acquisitions you told me were impossible, I built relationships in countries you couldn't get a meeting in, so if you think one emotional offer I made while trying to prevent your twenty seven year old enemy fro
Breakfast had barely progressed when Sean's phone vibrated beside his plate.He ignored it.Kennedy noticed, not because there was anything unusual about receiving a message at seven in the morning when you ran a company the size of Vale Group, but because Sean had glanced at the screen and immediately turned it facedown again.Kennedy continued eating.Sean looked toward the staircase, nothing.He checked the time. 7:23. Shannon still hadn't appeared. He wondered if she was awake or maybe Aria was awake.He could text Ariabut Kennedy had specifically told him not to do that.Sean frowned. Technically, Kennedy had told him not to text Aria to wake Shannon. If Aria happened to already be awake...His phone vibrated again.Sean glanced down. This time, he picked it up. URGENT: Board meeting moved forward to 8:30 A.M.His expression changed.Another message followed almost immediately. Major shareholders requesting immediate review of last night's developments. Several institutional par
Amelia opened her eyes. That was worse, much worse. She could already imagine it. She would walk in, he would look at her and then what? Hi, Kennedy?She almost laughed. Twenty seven years. And she was going to give him hi? Maybe she'd say his name. Just... "Kennedy."Would he recognize her voice first?Would he recognize her face?Of course he would. She'd recognize him anywhere even after all these years.Would he think he was seeing a ghost?Would he hate her?Amelia's smile disappeared.He had every right to. That was the part she kept trying not to think about. Shannon was different, she hadn't abandoned Shannon knowingly, someone had told her that her daughter was dead, someone had apparently shown her father another baby's body and Amelia had mourned her daughter genuinely but Kennedy? That was different.She had left Kennedy knowingly, deliberately. She had looked at her father twenty seven years ago and asked him to make her husband believe she had died.Amelia squeezed her
Meanwhile the cabin was silent, outside the windows, there was nothing but darkness and the occasional glow of distant cities far beneath the aircraft. Amelia hadn't slept. She hadn't even tried. It's been Several hours into the flight. She remained seated beside the window with a tablet resting against her lap and a thick digital file open across the screen, SHANNON MILES, her daughter.Even seeing the name still did something strange to her chest.Amelia had spent the first hour simply staring at photographs. There were dozens, some recent, and some taken years ago.A university photograph, business events, fashion launches, pictures from Shannon's marriage, and photographs beside Rowan Whitmore. Then the newer ones, Shannon entering Vale Group, Shannon beside Aria Vale, and Shannon beside Sean.Amelia had enlarged every single one, studied every expression, every smile, and every tiny resemblance she could find. She'd even caught herself smiling at one photograph where Shannon app
Sean's jaw tightened. He could've snapped. Months ago, he would have instead, he looked toward the staircase then back at Kennedy. "Fine." He stopped pretending. "Shannon."Kennedy's expression changed immediately."I want Shannon.""You don't get my daughter as payment.""That's not what I meant.""It sounded remarkably close."Sean dragged a hand down his face. "I want you to stop trying to push me away from her because of what my father did.""No.""Chairman...""No."Sean stared at him.Kennedy calmly picked up his coffee again.Sean's eyes narrowed then... "Fine."Kennedy glanced up. "I'll take the Miles name."Kennedy almost choked on his coffee.The maid quickly looked away.Sean remained completely serious."What did you say?""I'll take your surname."Kennedy slowly put his cup down. "Whose surname?""Yours."Kennedy stared.Sean nodded. "I'll marry into your family."Silence."I don't mind."Kennedy continued staring."Sean Miles."Sean seemed to test it.Kennedy's expressi
Her father studied her. "What are you going to do?"Amelia didn't hesitate. "I'm going to her."His eyes widened. "Now?""My jet is being prepared."He stared at her then slowly smiled. "Of course it is."Amelia stood.Her father reached for her hand before she could move away.She looked back."Amelia." His expression became serious. "Kennedy thinks you're dead."She went still. "I know.""Your daughter thinks her mother is dead."Her throat tightened. "I know.""And you're about to walk into both their lives after twenty seven years."Amelia looked toward Shannon's photograph. Fear finally entered her eyes. Not fear of Kennedy, not Edward, not whatever truth waited behind the ambulance crash but Shannon. "What if she hates me?"Her father squeezed her hand.Amelia's eyes filled. "Kennedy didn't know she was alive." Her voice trembled. "But I..." She swallowed. "I chose to leave.""You chose to leave Kennedy." Her father corrected quietly. "You did not choose to leave a living daught
The hospital discharged them the next day.Shannon didn’t know whether that was fate or cruelty.She stood just outside the building, her fingers gripping the thin discharge papers in her hand as the sunlight hit her face. Too bright. Like the world hadn’t just ended for her.A few steps ahead Rowa
Shannon’s knees weakened beneath her. Three months of silence. Three months of absence. Three months where she wasn’t there. Her breathing grew uneven. Three months where someone else was. Her gaze slowly shifted back to Rowan. And this time she understood. Rowan watched her, something sharp
Rowan sat on the bed, his arm wrapped loosely around Evelyn.Evelyn stood close, too close, and Rowan leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world.Like he had done it a hundred times.Like it belonged there.“Stop!”The word tore out of Shannon befor
The guest room was at the end of the hall.Shannon paused at the doorway, her fingers resting lightly against the frame before she stepped in.It used to be a storage room now it was neat, cleaned and prepared.A bed, fresh sheets and a wardrobe that looked barely used.Shannon exhaled slowly and s







