All Chapters of Vengeance of the Fallen Heir: From Cell to CEO: Chapter 131 - Chapter 138

138 Chapters

CHAPTER 132

~~ETHAN WILDER~~Pain was the only thing keeping me conscious.The paramedics had me on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance, lights flashing across the rain slicked yard like strobes in a nightmare. My shoulder burned like someone had poured molten lead into it. Every bump in the road sent fresh agony ripping through me, but I clenched my jaw and stayed awake. I needed to see Damian. Needed to know Alina was still safe.“Stay with us, Mr. Wilder,” one of the medics said, pressing harder on the gauze. Blood soaked through fast. Too fast.Through the open doors, I watched them load Damian into another ambulance. He looked like hell ; bruised face, torn clothes, but his eyes still carried that old steel when they met mine across the chaos. He gave me a single nod. We survived.Julian sat handcuffed in the back of a police van, rain dripping down his face. Even in cuffs, he looked like a manic. His gaze locked on me through the glass, and that cruel smile never left his lips. He m

CHAPTER 133

~~ETHAN WILDER~~Months had slipped by like water through fingers, slow and quiet in a way none of us had dared to hope for. The estate garden had become our little sanctuary not the cold fortress it used to feel like, but something warmer, lived-in. Jasmine climbed the old stone walls, and someone (probably Freckles) had strung fairy lights through the branches of the big oak tree. They glowed soft gold against the evening sky, turning the whole place into something out of a dream we didn’t deserve.A small group had gathered. Not a crowd, never a crowd. Just the ones who had bled with us. Damian sat in a cushioned chair near the fountain, looking more like himself than he had in years, still scarred, still watchful, but the circle under his eyes had faded. My father, Marcus, was beside him, clearer now. The new doctors and the quiet routines had brought pieces of him back. Not the whole man, but enough that he could laugh at one of Damian’s old stories and mean it.Freckles lean

CHAPTER 134

~~ETHAN WILDER~~The library beneath the old Wilder estate had been sealed for decades. Dust floated in the narrow beams of our flashlights as we descended the hidden stairs behind the fireplace. Alina walked beside me, her hand in mine, the new engagement ring catching faint light every few steps. Behind us, Damian and my father followed slowly, with Freckles guarding the entrance above.No one spoke much. After months of chaos, this final step felt heavier than any gunshot or chase.We reached the chamber at the bottom. The Ouroboros box sat on a stone pedestal in the center dark wood and tarnished silver, the serpent devouring its own tail wrapped around two phoenixes. One rising, one falling. My ring and the second key rested in my palm.Alina’s fingers tightened around mine. “This is it,” she whispered. “Everything your father warned about. The ledger that could burn the whole system down.”I nodded. The scar on her wrist caught the light, the living second key. “We don’t open

CHAPTER 135

~~ALINA WILDER~~Weeks had passed since Sarah showed up at our gate with that tiny bundle in her arms. Life had slowly started to feel… normal. Or at least, our version of it.I was in the nursery, humming softly as I rocked Elara to sleep. She was such a quiet baby, barely fussing even when she was hungry. Her little fingers curled around my thumb as I fed her, and every time she looked up at me with those wide, trusting eyes, my heart squeezed. I changed her, bathed her, sang the silly lullabies my father used to sing to me. Ethan had gone to the office for the first time in days ; something about finalizing the dissolution of the last Phoenix holdings. He hated leaving us, but I’d practically pushed him out the door.“Mommy’s got you,” I whispered to Elara as I laid her down in the crib. The word slipped out so naturally now. We hadn’t officially adopted her yet, but in every way that mattered, she was ours. Sarah’s promise to come back for her felt further away with each passing

CHAPTER 135

SIXTEEN YEARS LATER~~ELARA JOHNSON~~Elara Johnson hated Lucas Wilder more than she hated Monday mornings.That was the thought running through her head as she slammed her locker shut on a random Tuesday afternoon. The hallway at New York International Academy was loud with the usual after school chaos; kids shouting about football practice, someone blasting music from a phone speaker, the smell of cheap cafeteria fries hanging in the air. She adjusted the strap of her backpack and tried to ignore the way her heart was already racing.Because there he was.Lucas leaned against the wall opposite her locker like he owned the place. Tall, messy dark hair that always looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, and that stupid half smirk he wore whenever he saw her coming. He was in the same year as her. same grade, same hallway, same everything, even though she was five months older. Their mother had told them she hadn’t known she was pregnant with Lucas until she was four months gone.

CHAPTER 136

~~LICAS WILDER~~I hated how much I noticed her.Elara Johnson-Wilder walked through the world like she was daring it to try her. Head high, shoulders back, that sharp tongue ready to cut anyone who looked at her wrong. Especially me. We’d been at each other’s throats since we were kids, but lately.. it felt different. Dangerous.Tonight was one of those nights where the house felt too small.. Mom and Dad had gone to bed. Elara had disappeared into the garden after dinner like she always did when her head was loud. I told myself I was just checking on her. That was all.I found her sitting on the old stone bench under the oak tree, knees pulled to her chest, fairy lights glowing soft above her. She looked small there. Not the fierce girl who argued with me in the hallways every day. Just… Elara.I walked over without thinking. My heart was already hammering like I’d run sprints.“You’re going to freeze out here,” I said, stopping a few feet away.She didn’t look up. “Then go back

CHAPTER 137

~~Lucas Wilder~~The thing about hiding something huge is that the world keeps throwing little reminders at you, daring you to slip up.It was Thursday afternoon, and the debate hall was packed for the inter-house competition. I was supposed to be focused on my notes, but my eyes kept drifting to the front row where Elara sat. She had her legs crossed, scribbling something in her notebook, looking unfairly good in the school uniform. Our eyes met for half a second. She gave me that tiny, secret smile that made my chest do stupid things.Then Kai Lennox walked in.Tall, loud, and always dressed like he was about to shoot a music video instead of attend classes. Captain of the basketball team, rich parents, and a smile that made half the girls in school giggle. He dropped into the seat right next to Elara like he belonged there.“Johnson-Wilder,” he said, loud enough for me to hear from the back. “You look like you’re ready to destroy someone today. Save some energy for me after this, y

CHAPTER 136

~~LUCAS WILDER~~The fight started over something stupid. At least, that’s what I told myself later.It was Friday evening. The whole house smelled like mum’s favorite roast chicken with fries. Elara and I were supposed to be helping set the table, but things had felt off between us all day. Ever since the debate hall and Kai’s invitation, she had been distant. Short replies to my texts. Avoiding my eyes in the cafeteria. I finally caught her alone in the hallway near the dining room while Mom and Dad were still busy in the kitchen.“You’re actually thinking about going to Kai’s party, aren’t you?” I asked, keeping my voice low.Elara crossed her arms. That stubborn look I knew so well settled on her face. “Maybe. Why? It’s not like I have anything better to do this weekend.”Her words hit me hard. I stepped closer. “Because we said we’d be careful. Because every time you smile at him, it feels like you’re rubbing it in my face that I can’t do the same thing.”She gave a sharp little

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