All Chapters of Second Chance At Rebirth: Beneath The Ashes: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Christine’s POVSuddenly, there were continuous notification sounds from my phone. I checked and realised it was a news notification from different news channels. I tap on the screen as I lean back in my leather chair.My coffee mug, still warm, rested in my hand, the bitter aroma of dark roast curling up to meet me. I took a slow sip, savoring the burn on my tongue as I scanned the headlines. HollywoodWhispers.net had a bolder take. “Is Zane Cade a Predator? Leaked Footage Sparks Outrage.” ScandalSheetOnline.com wasn’t far behind, its garish red banner screaming, “Zane’s Dark Secret: Actress Claims ‘He Laughed When I Cried.’” And then there was EmpowerHerNow.org, framing it as a rallying cry: “Adriana’s Story: A Call to End Abuse in Hollywood.”Twitter was a wildfire. Hashtags like #ZaneCadeExposed and #JusticeForAdriana trended globally, with thousands of users piling on. “Disgusting pig,” one tweet read, attached to a still from my edited video, Zane’s hand gripping Adriana’s wrist

Christine’s POVThe next day, the morning air was cold against my skin as I stepped out of the car. I didn’t go to the family’s company today. The thought of sitting in that suffocating office, under Grandfather’s cold gaze, made my skin crawl. Instead, I headed to Cristainternational, my tech company, the one place where I could breathe, where I’d build something that was mine. The sleek, modern building loomed ahead, its glass building catching the winter light. My reflection stared back at me, my eyes steady despite the storm brewing inside. I looked like a woman in control, and I needed to be.I’d made my decision. I was done with the family’s company. Done proving myself to people who’d never see me as anything. I’d said no to marrying Francis, that spineless leech, and I knew Grandfather would cast me out soon enough. The family’s company wasn’t crumbling yet, but it wasn’t succeeding yet. One more push, one catastrophic misstep, and it would collapse under its own weight. That

Lisa’s POVThe moment I stepped through the front door of my grandfather’s mansion, a crash echoed from the inside, as if glass shattering against the stone. My heart lurched, and I froze, my car keys still dangling in my hand. Another crash followed, then a bellowing angry and frustrated yell that made goosebumps all over my body. Grandfather’s voice roared through the walls. “He thinks he can steal it! Steal my company! That ungrateful boy!”I dropped my purse as I hurried toward him. My mind raced at the thought of Christine. It had to be Christine, I know she’s responsible for grandfather’s anger.My jaw tightened at the thought of her smug face, her perfect composure that always made me uncomfortable.When I reached the study, the sight inside stopped me cold. Grandfather stood behind his mahogany desk, his face alarming red, veins bulging at his temples. His white hair was disheveled, sticking out in wild tufts as if he’d been yanking at it. Papers were strewn across the floor,

Christine’s POVThe air in my corner office felt heavier than usual. His eyes burned with a stubborn intensity that I recognized all too well, a Harrington trait, one I’d inherited despite his insistence that I wasn’t “truly” one of them.“Christine,” he called, his voice filled with tremor of frustration, “you’re not listening. You have to find a way to stop Francis from taking the company. This isn’t just about you, it’s about our legacy, everything I’ve built, everything your father and I sacrificed for. If you can’t stop him, you’ll have to marry him. Whether you like it or not.”I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking softly under my weight, and fixed him with a steady gaze. My fingers, laced together on the desk, tightened slightly, the only outward sign of the fire sparking in my chest. “Marry him?” I repeated, my voice cold, each word cutting through. “You’re sitting there, holding proof of his betrayal, pictures of him with Lisa, and you’re still asking me to chain my

Lisa’s POVMy heart pounded in my chest. The flash of light from the window still burned in my mind, as if it had branded itself onto my retinas. I was scared, panicked, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The blackmailer, though I hated even thinking it stood beside me, his bare shoulder brushing against mine as we stumbled out of his dingy apartment and into the cool night air. The street was silent. My eyes darted across the empty environment, scanning the shadows cast by the flickering streetlamp, the overflowing dumpster, the rusted fire escape clinging to the building across the alley. Nobody was there. Not a single soul.I clutched the sheet I’d grabbed from his bed tighter around my body. My dress was still crumpled on his floor in that room, and I felt vulnerable, like the whole world could see the mess I’d made of myself. “Who’s there?” I called out, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and fury. I spun toward him. “Someone was there, I know it!”He leaned casually aga