All Chapters of The Billionaires Greatest Regret: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

POV: Vivienne Ashford"I'm pregnant," Priya announced during a Sunday dinner nearly a year after her wedding to Leo, her voice carrying careful, joyful anticipation as the entire family absorbed this remarkable news. "Due in the spring. We wanted to tell everyone together, in person."The table erupted into genuine, overwhelming celebration, Grace nearly knocking over her water glass in her enthusiasm, Maya already demanding to know whether they'd learned the baby's sex, and Vivienne felt tears gather as she embraced her son and daughter-in-law, the particular profound joy of anticipating her first grandchild settling deep into her chest."A grandmother," Vivienne said softly, once the initial celebration had settled into warmer, quieter conversation. "I don't think I've fully processed that yet.""You're going to be wonderful at it," Roman said, pulling her close, his own eyes suspiciously bright at this remarkable news. "Exactly as wonderful as you've been at every other stage of th

POV: Vivienne AshfordThe prison's medical wing carried none of the sterile coldness Roman had expected, instead a quiet, almost hospice-like atmosphere, and he found himself hesitating outside the designated visiting room, his hand hovering near the door for a long moment before he finally pushed it open.Eleanor sat in a wheelchair near the window, considerably smaller than he remembered, her once immaculate presence reduced to something frail and diminished by illness. She looked up as he entered, and something flickered across her face, surprise, perhaps, that he had actually come."Roman," she said, her voice thinner than he remembered, though still carrying traces of her old composure. "I didn't think you would.""I almost didn't," Roman admitted, settling into the chair across from her, keeping a careful, deliberate distance despite the small room's limited space."How is the family?" Eleanor asked, and Roman felt the old, familiar wariness rise at the question, uncertain wheth

POV: Vivienne AshfordThe compassionate release hearing carried a considerably different atmosphere than the parole hearing years earlier, the room's usual clinical formality softened by the medical realities under discussion, Eleanor present via wheelchair, visibly diminished since Roman's visit weeks earlier, an oxygen line now assisting her labored breathing."This board has reviewed the medical determination from Mrs. Ashford's treating physicians," the chairperson began, "confirming stage four pancreatic cancer with an estimated prognosis of two to four months. We've also reviewed her petition for compassionate release, along with victim impact statements submitted by the affected family members."Roman rose when called, his prepared statement considerably different from the one he'd delivered years earlier, though the room's weight felt equally significant. "My mother caused this family profound harm," he began. "Attempted murder, kidnapping conspiracy, sustained blackmail exten

POV: Vivienne Ashford The call came three weeks later, early on a quiet Tuesday morning, Arthur's voice carrying the particular gentle gravity reserved for delivering exactly this kind of news. "Eleanor passed away peacefully overnight," he said. "The hospice staff said she wasn't in pain, at the end." Roman absorbed the news in silence for a long moment, and Vivienne watched him carefully, uncertain what particular grief or relief this final confirmation might bring after weeks of anticipating exactly this outcome. "Thank you for telling me directly," Roman said finally. "I'd like to handle the arrangements quietly, if possible. No public announcement, no elaborate service. Simply a private, small gathering for whoever in the family wants to attend." "I'll coordinate everything according to your wishes," Arthur confirmed. After the call ended, Roman sat in silence, and Vivienne settled beside him, offering simply her steady, quiet presence rather than words that felt, in this pa

POV: Vivienne Ashford "I want to plan something for the whole family," Vivienne announced one morning, nearly a year after Eleanor's passing, the household having gradually settled back into its comfortable, treasured rhythm. "Not a wedding, not a business milestone, simply a proper family gathering, everyone together, to celebrate exactly what we've built." "What did you have in mind?" Roman asked, genuine interest evident in his expression. "A proper reunion," Vivienne said. "Everyone. Leo, Priya, and Vivian. Maya and Thomas. Grace and Oliver. Your father, Julian and Elena and their children, Diane and Arthur, Caius and Isabella, Katya and Mathias, even Cole, if he'd like to join. Somewhere none of us have been together before, so it feels like its own new memory rather than simply repeating what we've already built here." They settled on a villa in Tuscany, considerably removed from any business obligation or accumulated family history, simply a place for genuine, uncomplicated