chapter 31

Alessandra’s POVAs the false reports about the Valeriano Group began to spread wider, the atmosphere in the office and at home grew heavy with tension. For Lucas, it felt like the walls were closing in. I could see it in the way he paced the floor, the way his jaw tightened, and the way he would check his phone every few minutes, waiting for news that only seemed to make matters worse. He had built this company with his own hands, and to see its reputation being attacked without cause stirred up every instinct he had — to defend, to control, and to fix things immediately. But in his rush to act, he was letting anxiety take over, and that was only clouding his judgment.I, on the other hand, knew that panic solved nothing. Lies may travel fast, but they are fragile; they cannot stand against facts. So while Lucas worried and speculated, I focused on what we actually needed: proof.That evening, after he had gone home to try and rest, I stayed behind in the

chapter 32

Lucas’s POVThe day of the meeting arrived, and I felt a sense of confidence I had not felt in days. Standing beside Alessandra, looking at the carefully prepared documents and the plan we had agreed upon, I realized that the battle ahead was not about power or pride — it was about clarity and honesty.We had invited representatives from all major banks, key investors, business partners, and even selected financial journalists to a special briefing at the company headquarters. The room was filled with people, many of whom had come with questions in their minds and doubt in their eyes. They had heard the rumors, and they were waiting to see how we would respond.I stood at the front of the room, but before I could speak, Alessandra stepped slightly forward, catching everyone’s attention. She did not look nervous or defensive; she looked composed, professional, and completely sure of herself.“Good morning, everyone,” she began, her voice clear and

chapter 33

Lucas’s POVIn the weeks following the crisis, life returned to normal, but something inside me had shifted. I kept thinking back over the years — how I had treated Alessandra, how I had made decisions based on pride and self-interest, how I had let my own ego blind me to what truly mattered. I knew I was making changes, but I also realized that changing habits was not enough; I needed to understand why I had acted the way I did.I began to see that my behavior had not been just about being busy or focused on work. It ran deeper — a pattern of thinking that put my own needs, status, and comfort above everything else. I was selfish, even when I did not realize it. I had measured my worth by what I owned and what people thought of me, and I had treated those closest to me as if they existed to support my image, not as people with their own feelings and needs.I wanted to change for real, not just because I felt guilty or wanted to please Alessandra. I wanted

chapter 34

Alessandra’s POVAs Lucas continued his journey of self-reflection and change, I felt a shift in the atmosphere between us. The walls that I had built around my heart for protection over the years began to feel less necessary. I had kept my feelings guarded, not out of anger, but out of self-preservation — I had learned that sharing too much too soon could lead to disappointment and hurt. But now, seeing his genuine effort, his willingness to face his own faults, and his patience in waiting for me, I felt ready to open up a little more.It was not easy. The past was filled with memories of loneliness, of being overlooked, of feeling like a stranger in my own marriage. But I knew that if we were to truly heal, we could not keep those feelings locked away forever. They needed to be spoken, not to accuse or blame, but to help him understand the weight I had carried.One quiet Sunday afternoon, we were sitting in the garden, the air warm and peaceful. There we

Chapter 35

Lucas’s POVJust when we thought we had faced all the challenges that could come our way, a new surprise appeared — one that tried to drag us back into the past.It happened one morning when a woman named Elena Santos arrived at our office, accompanied by a lawyer. She demanded to see me, and when she was shown into the meeting room, she made a bold claim: that years ago, I had promised to marry her, that we had been in a serious relationship, and that I had abandoned her when I married Alessandra. She was now demanding financial compensation and a public acknowledgment of her claim, threatening to go to the media if I refused.When I heard this, I was stunned. I remembered Elena vaguely — we had met briefly at a social event more than ten years ago, and we had gone out for dinner a few times, but there had never been any serious commitment, no promises of marriage, and certainly no agreement that would give her any right to make such claims. At the time,

Chapter 36

Lucas’s POVAs the days turned into weeks and the seasons began to change, I found myself counting the time not by business milestones or profits, but by the small, meaningful moments I shared with Alessandra. Every morning when I woke up and saw her nearby, every evening when we sat together to talk, every challenge we faced and overcame as a team — these were the things that now mattered most to me. And as the date of our sixth wedding anniversary drew near, I knew this was not just another date on the calendar; it was a moment to reflect, to acknowledge the journey we had traveled, and to speak from the deepest part of my heart.In the past, anniversaries had been treated as social obligations. I would arrange grand parties, invite hundreds of guests, give expensive gifts, and make sure everything looked perfect from the outside. But inside, there had been emptiness. The gifts were gestures, not expressions of love; the parties were displays of wealth, not celebrations of partnersh