All Chapters of The Don’s Last Regret: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

"We'll make the changes immediately. But do we need to inform the Don in advance?"The wedding planner's voice was careful.I looked at the screen calmly. "No need."The call ended. The computer screen went dark.I looked around the villa, the home Charles and I were supposed to move into next month. Three floors. Every corner dripping with elegance.But the crystal chandelier in the living room was installed because Ivy said it had "class." The silk bedding in the bedroom was chosen because Ivy said it was "soft on the skin." Even the diffuser by the entrance was Ivy's favorite scent: Bluebell.I felt like a guest wandering into someone else's territory.I went to the bathroom to wash my face. On the marble counter lay a used Tom Ford lipstick. The shade was Ivy's signature vintage red. Beside it, a delicate pearl earring.My phone buzzed. A voice message from Charles."Serena, the wedding planner said you contacted them several times today?"I typed a short reply: "Just a small detai

Chapter 2

That night, Charles and Ivy walked in together."Here, Serena."Charles handed me a black velvet box without any wrapping. Inside lay a thin diamond bracelet. The giveaway piece.Around Ivy's neck gleamed the ruby necklace. The main piece. The blood-red gem pierced my eyes. My fingers paused for just a moment.On our first anniversary, I had once admired a ruby necklace in a shop window. Charles pulled me away. "Too flashy. You'd look like a nouveau riche."It wasn't that the ruby was flashy. It was that I was the wrong person to wear it."See? Charles is such a typical man. He didn't even wrap it," Ivy said, touching the ruby at her throat. "But the diamond bracelet really suits you. You don't go out much anyway. Anything more would be wasted."I closed the cheap black box. "You're right. It would be wasted on me."Charles looked at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He must have noticed how quiet I was tonight.But Ivy had already settled onto the sofa. She pulled out the wedding

Chapter 3

Two seconds of silence on the line. Then Ivy's nasal, sleepy voice: "Charles, my chest still feels tight..."Charles's voice dropped low. "Serena, Ivy just recovered from her heart episode. She has a bad heart. She can't be left alone."I curled on the carpet, the pain twisting like a knife in my gut. "I'm really in pain."Another pause. Ivy whispered, "Charles, maybe you should go check on her..."He cut her off. "Don't push yourself."Then back to me: "Don't overthink it. Heart problems are dangerous. It's just a stomach ache. I'll call an ambulance for you right now."He hung up.I looked at the closed master bedroom door. From the living room to the stairs, only a dozen steps. But he wouldn't take them.Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. He still didn't come down.I dragged myself along the wall, inch by inch, to the entrance.The paramedics saw my pale face and rushed to help me.The next time I opened my eyes, it was still dark outside. The smell of antiseptic filled my nose.

Chapter 4

Then the cabin announcement came."Ladies and gentlemen, we regret to inform you. Due to an emergency request from the Hart family, all outbound flights from this airport have been grounded. We are looking for a Ms. Serena Ashford. If you are on board, please make yourself known."The cabin erupted in murmurs. Passengers twisted in their seats, craning their necks to see who had caused the delay. A baby started crying. A businessman in a suit muttered something about lawsuits. The woman across the aisle pulled out her phone and began filming.Luna turned to me, eyes wide. "Charles has lost his mind. He actually grounded flights?"I pulled down the window shade. "Ignore it."The chief flight attendant hurried over, tablet in hand. Her face was flushed with embarrassment. "Ms. Ashford, the control tower has received an urgent directive. The Hart Group will cover all compensation for this delay. They request that you deplane and cooperate with their communication."Before I could answer,

Chapter 5

"Last month." I put my phone away.Not yesterday. Last month.That was when he postponed the wedding yet again, to take Ivy on a global shopping trip, leaving me to try on wedding dresses alone.Charles stared at me. The calm certainty in his eyes finally cracked. I could see the gears turning in his head, the realization dawning that he had underestimated me, that I was not the compliant, patient woman he had taken for granted."You were planning to leave? Behind my back? Do you know what today is? If you leave, the Hart family will be a laughingstock."I smiled. "That's between you and Ivy. Aren't you two childhood sweethearts? Didn't you promise to travel the world together if one of you got married first? Now you can marry her and combine the honeymoon with that trip."Charles's fists clenched.His phone rang. The screen lit up: Ivy.In the quiet cabin, it was painfully loud.He glanced at the phone, then at me.I leaned back in my seat and gestured for him to answer."Charles, whe

Chapter 6

Thirteen hours later, we landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport.The morning was foggy, the sky a pale gray. I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned on my phone.Messages flooded in. Calls. But mostly news alerts."Hart Group heir's wedding: bride reportedly changed at the last minute." "Childhood sweethearts finally together? Inside the Hart wedding fiasco."Luna glanced at my screen and snorted. "Well, the wedding planner didn't waste any time."I swiped the notifications away and blocked Charles's number. I didn't need to see his excuses, his justifications, his attempts to pull me back in."Let's go. I need to check in at the office."We took a pre-booked car to Vogue Paris headquarters. The driver was silent, navigating the narrow streets with practiced ease. Paris slid past the window, all gold stone and wrought iron, cafes and bookshops, lovers holding hands on bridges.I leaned back. My stomach still ached faintly, a ghost of the pain from that night. But after all the quiet suffering,

Chapter 7

Paris, 8th Arrondissement. Vogue headquarters.The building was elegant, understated, all glass and white stone. I changed into a sharp black suit, pinned up my hair, and pushed open the conference room door.Around the long table sat the European editor-in-chief and several senior executives. They looked tired, harried, the kind of tired that comes from working through the night.The atmosphere was tense.Editor Emily Foster looked at me without warmth. She was a woman in her fifties, silver hair cut in a sharp bob, eyes that missed nothing. "Ms. Ashford, your transfer has been approved by headquarters, but we have a serious problem."She slid a file toward me."Tomorrow's cover shoot is for the top luxury brand Lumen. Their Asian ambassador just got caught in a scandal. The brand wants a new creative concept immediately, within three hours. If you can solve this, the lead writer position is yours. If not, you'll have to return to China."Luna stood behind me and muttered under her br

Chapter 8

Paris rain comes fast and leaves fast.The day "The Invisible Fit" went live, the fashion world shook.No famous models. Only layers of silk and lace drifting against the Eiffel Tower in the morning light, like a half-remembered dream. The images were ethereal, haunting, unforgettable.Vogue's website crashed. Several times.Emily laughed in her office and poured me a glass of champagne herself. "Serena, you've worked a miracle."I set down my report and looked out at the Seine shimmering in the distance. The water was gray-green today, reflecting the overcast sky.My phone buzzed. A message from Luna."Hart Group's stock has been cut in half. Charles's wedding fiasco is the joke of the business world. And get this: he tried to use his money to freeze you out of Europe, but it backfired. He blew through so much cash that his core projects got eaten up by a rival. That rival? One of Kingsley Blackwood's funds."The door opened. Kingsley walked in.He was wearing a crisp white shirt, sle

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