All Chapters of Rebirth and Contracted to the CEO : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

Sam's POV“Then let’s tear it up. Right now.”Out of nowhere, Ethan spoke, his words heavy yet somehow brighter than before - like something soft had returned. Across the floor he moved fast, just two steps really, then lifted those signed divorce papers off the wooden desk. We stood there, eyes locked on the pages that shaped so much of what came after saying yes. That agreement used to protect me, a way out drawn in ink, planned down to every detail.Heavy links hung loose, though they once pulled hard.One stack of pages, I picked it up. Over the sheets our glances crossed - crying, yes, but also grins breaking through wet cheeks. Not a sound passed between us before the ripping started.Shreds began to fall, light as breath. That crackle - paper giving way - cut through the quiet like a spark catching dry leaves. At first, we pulled gently, fingers finding edges, but soon speed took over. Laughter bubbled up, tangled with some

Ethan's POVBack where it started, the quiet land surrounded by water just made sense. Stillness there closed something long left open.That morning we left behind the city, only us two stepping onto the tarmac without crowds or noise. A quiet crew handled the doors, keeping distance like shadows at noon. Back on this familiar plane - once filled with flowers and silence when she woke into a new life - it hummed softly beneath our feet again. It landed where it once did, tires meeting pavement beside salt air and open sky. Before us, water rolled without pause, reflecting sunlight much like it did during those early uncertain days. Waves moved slow, unchanged by time, watching as they had then.Her fingers curled around mine the whole time we flew. Not many words came out. None were required. That quiet space? It felt like sunlight through glass. Now and then, pressure rose in her grip - I answered without sound. A habit formed slowly, these small presses, durin

Sam's POVThat morning came slow, the light just beginning to color the room. His arm rested across me, heavy but calm, as if it belonged there. Air moved quietly between us while dawn pressed softly against the window. Stillness held me first, then breath followed. The truth of things sank in piece by piece, not fast, not loud - just clear.A glint caught my eye when I shifted my hand - the ring there, clean and quiet in its design, catching daylight like a whisper. Right. Unlike the weight of papers and promises from that earlier time, this one sits easy. Offered without pressure. Taken without fear.A quiet calm filled my chest. Not because I gave up. Not because I stayed still. Because I decided.Slowly, I shifted within his hold. There he lay, eyes closed, breathing deep - a calm resting on him like sunlight after storm clouds pass. Here was the one who’d dropped to his knees on the shore, promising everything without guarantees. Who chose free

Sam's POVA sudden strike hit before anyone could react.That afternoon, light spilled through tall windows while I sat cross legged near the east room desk. My computer showed finance pages for Wade - numbers scrolling slow across the glass. Then came footsteps. Ethan appeared at the door frame, jaw tight like he’d swallowed something sour. The device in his grip flashed red alerts without stopping.“We have a problem,” he said quietly, sitting beside me. “A hostile takeover bid just dropped. Northridge Capital. They’re old allies of Gwen’s - they funneled money through some of Victor’s shell companies before the arrests. They’re using leaked internal data. Sensitive strategy notes, weak points in our supply chain, even fragments of the old scandal.”Breath held, yet no rush of alarm came. That familiar dread, the one that once clamped down when shadows neared - the sharp taste of being found out, of

Sam's POVThat win against Northridge changed everything, even if it didn’t seem like it at first. A single game shifted how the season unfolded, quietly rewriting what came next.Out past the fading echoes of old rumors, Sterling Industries stepped forward again. A steadier board, broader in voices and views, approved bold moves across continents. Side by side we ran those meetings - Ethan and me - not ahead, not behind. Gone were labels like his firm or my small part. Shared ground now, built without rankings.Out of two lives’ worth of learning, the strategy took shape. Money built slowly, thanks to knowing what was coming next, paid for early stakes in vital deals. Green energy firms across Europe caught our eye, especially those mastering battery systems; offices opened later in Singapore, then Frankfurt. From there, ties formed in parts of Southeast Asia and Africa where building responsibly mattered most - work that matched changes once though