All Chapters of Rebirth and Contracted to the CEO : Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

Ethan's POVA silence settled over the room when the chairman asked for votes. The air grew still, heavy with expectation.“All those in favor of appointing Samantha Sterling as Co-CEO of Sterling Industries, with full executive authority equal to that of Ethan Sterling?”Up shot every hand, no one pausing. All agreed, not a single doubt showing.A grin broke loose, one I made no move to hide. Beside me, Sam stayed still, calm in posture, yet her hands betrayed a tiny shake against the tabletop. Victory arrived for her not by title or relation, but through wounds endured and battles refused to lose. Her worth stood firm long before today confirmed it.The chairman smiled warmly. “Congratulations, Co-CEO Sterling. The position is yours.”A hush hung over the event by design - reporters were absent, statements stayed unmade, nothing drew attention. Instead, only board members showed up, along with select leaders and our

Sam's POVA single-engine plane landed where my journey began again, twelve months to the minute since I walked away changed.This moment stayed calm. My heartbeat didn’t jump. Fear didn’t cloud my expression, nor did stubborn will hide behind it. Instead, I felt Ethan’s palm - warm, unmoving - wrapped around my fingers when the door cracked open; then came that known salt-heavy wind.Back we came, soft footed - zero fanfare, no planners hovering, none of that million-dollar glitter. Only us two, slipping into days meant just for remembering how it started. This moment feels like sealing an old book while already flipping open another.Down the steps he guided me, one hand at my waist like it belonged there. Sand, sun-warmed underfoot, shifted with each step we took together. Golden light painted everything - the long stretch of shore, the quiet hush of water meeting land. For a moment I stopped moving. The past rushed in, yes - but soft

Sam's POV“I forgive you. That night is gone. This one is ours.”Out there, the moment spilled into silence after I spoke, floating like mist across the moonlit room. His fingers pressed harder into mine, air snagging in his chest while new tears traced familiar paths. Not fast, but careful, my gaze moved through the space - that grand bed again, dressed just so in clean white sheets, blossoms pale and quiet beside them, waves murmuring beyond the wide-open doors. Nearly identical, every piece matched what we’d known when saying yes beneath these same stars.But everything felt different now.Long held, the past now slips, easing its hold. Still present - the quiet chill, the full glass left sitting, his back toward me, rest taken where warmth should have been - moments that carved who I became. Shaping dread, shaping resolve when life restarted. Yet control has shifted; it does not claim me anymore.This person before me now bear

Ethan's POVA voice broke through the stillness just past nightfall, once plates were cleared and rooms settled into silence.Midway through checking papers for the worldwide rollout, inside my quiet section of the office, the dedicated phone started buzzing. It showed the digits linked to our top legal advisor on active prosecutions. My hand reached out fast - same tightness creeping back into my neck.It was the lawyer who spoke first. Mr. Sterling, he began, voice flat. The verdict came down today. Life behind bars for Gwen Farley - that part is certain. Thirty-five years minimum before any chance of release. Not that there will be one, likely. Charges stacked high: trying to kill more than once, plotting murders, lying under oath, paying off officials, stealing company secrets. Every count stuck. He got the same kind of punishment as Victor did. Every trust tied to their relatives has now ended, then moved through the updated rules set by you and Mrs. Sterli

Sam's POV“What are you thinking about?”Out here, high above the grounds, Ethan whispered close, holding me steady from behind. Night draped itself completely across the property by then, sky bright with sharp pinpricks of light tossed carelessly overhead. Resting into him felt natural, his heat pushing through where the breeze tried to bite. Stars blinked down without hurry, indifferent, while his breath stirred my hair again.Spinning gently within his hold, I met his gaze. Softness lived there, along with stillness, and something steady that wore down my defenses piece by piece. Light from the moon carved his cheekbones, showed me who stood before me - someone picked not because I needed to, but because I finally believed. Quiet truth sat in his expression, earned through time, not given lightly.“I was thinking about revenge,” I said softly, my fingers tracing the collar of his shirt. “I thought destroying Gwen and Victo