"Come home with me. From now on, you will never mention divorce again. You will cut all ties with Old Mason. If you don't—" his breath was hot against my skin, "—I won't hesitate to expose your sordid affair with a man thirty years your senior."

The accusation hit me like a physical blow.

"Raymond, you know perfectly well that Joseph and I have a purely professional mentor-student relationship—"

He scoffed. A cruel, dismissive sound.

"Whether it is or not, I get to decide the narrative. Come back, play the dutiful Mrs. Sanchez, and I'll pretend none of this happened."

His eyes narrowed into slits.

"Otherwise... I don't mind showing you what it really means to have no way out."

He straightened, smoothed his cuffs, and walked out without another word.

A chill settled deep in my bones.

I knew Raymond. He would do exactly what he threatened.

His methods couldn't touch Joseph Mason, but they could easily destroy my reputation. Obliterate any chance I had of starting over. It would be just like my previous life—trapped in a gilded cage until he wore my spirit down to dust.

*No.*

*I will not repeat the mistakes of the past.*

I took a deep breath, forcing the panic down.

Then I dialed the number of the man who had never acknowledged me as his daughter.

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity. Leo Long's voice, when it finally came, sounded weary.

"Who is it?"

"It's me. Bella."

Silence. Heavy. Suffocating.

It stretched so long I thought he'd hung up.

"What do you want?"

"I want to make a deal."

A humorless laugh. "A deal? What could you possibly have to offer me?"

"Five percent equity in the Xia Group."

I heard the hitch in his breathing.

"What do you want in return?"

"Help me leave Raymond Sanchez. Get him to sign the papers. In exchange, I transfer the shares to you."

He let out a derisive snort. "Bella, you're naive. That tiny percentage? I can take it or leave it. Whether you see a dime in dividends depends entirely on my mood. Why should I help you?"

"Because of Evelyn Gilbert."

The words landed like a grenade.

"You know exactly how that mistress drove my mother to her death. Now her daughter is trying to do the same to me."

My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles went white.

"Leo, my mother is already dead. I have nothing left to lose. And someone with nothing to lose is dangerous."

I let the silence breathe.

"If I go down, I'm taking everyone with me. Before I die, I will let the whole world know the truth about what happened back then."

A loud clatter echoed from the other end—something falling.

I'd hit a nerve.

Years ago, Leo Long had abandoned his wife and daughter for his career, marrying Evelyn Gilbert to climb the social ladder. To maintain his image as a successful, moral entrepreneur, he couldn't afford a scandal.

"How do you want me to handle it?" His voice was tight.

"Make Raymond sign the divorce agreement. Get me the certificate. I know you have the leverage."

"Fine. Give me three days."

Those three days felt like three years.

The restoration work was nearing completion, but my mind was chaos. I made frequent mistakes, my hands betraying what my face wouldn't show.

Joseph noticed. His hand settled gently on my shoulder.

"Bella, if you're in trouble, tell me. I can help."

I shook my head, forcing a smile.

"It's okay, teacher. I can handle it. It's just... I might not be able to work here with you in the future."

His expression hardened with resolve.

"Bella, as long as I'm here, no one can bully you. You do what you need to do—I have the power to shield you from their malice."

His eyes softened.

"If you're willing, I'd like to formally take you under my wing. Let me be your godfather."

The genuine concern in his eyes nearly broke me.

*In the end,* I thought, *there are still good people in this world.*

*There are still people who believe in my innocence.*

I told Joseph everything. Held nothing back.

Immediately, he mobilized the Mason family's resources. Digging. Hunting. Searching for any evidence that could protect me.

The reach of the Mason family in the capital was far beyond anything I had imagined.

In just two days, I held in my hands enough evidence to bury Leo Long, Raymond Sanchez, and their entire corrupt circle.

Before I could decide how to deploy this weapon, a text from Raymond lit up my screen.

*Seven o'clock tonight. I'll be waiting at home. Don't keep me waiting, or you'll bear the consequences.*

Attached was a screenshot—a frame from the humiliating video of me being bullied.

I had known for years that he was cold-blooded.

Seeing it still caused a pang of heartache.

Fortunately, the pain lasted only a second.

Compared to the physical and emotional scars he had inflicted on me, these photos were nothing. They could no longer paralyze me with fear.

In my previous life, I had given everything—even my life—and never received a shred of mercy. Now that I no longer cared about my reputation, these "threats" were useless.

They became fuel.

Just as I steeled myself, Leo Long called.

"The papers are ready. Tonight at seven. Sign the equity transfer, and I'll hand over the divorce certificate."

"Okay."

I hung up and slumped into my chair, physically drained but mentally electric. A strength I had never known surged through my veins.

I replied to Raymond.

*Seven o'clock tonight. Xia Group conference room. I'll be waiting for you.*

*I have a surprise for you.*

When the kidnappers demanded ten billion dollars, Adrian Vance strapped explosives to his chest and charged into that basement like a man with nothing left to lose.

All to save me.

The image of him carrying my naked, trembling body out of that hellhole went viral within the hour. The internet devoured it.

Rumors tore through the capital like wildfire: *Miss Henson was defiled by eighteen criminals. She's ruined. She's diseased.*

I was drowning—in grief, in shame, in the wreckage of my reputation—when Adrian Vance stepped forward.

He staged a proposal so grand, so public, that the entire city watched him drop to one knee and declare his absolute belief in my innocence.

"Hailey, you are the purest woman I know. Marry me. Let me take care of you for the rest of your life."

I wept. I believed every word.

Ten years of secret, unrequited love—finally, *finally* reaching a perfect ending.

That illusion shattered the day I gave birth to twins.

He took our daughter.

No warning. No explanation. Just... gone.

Panic clawed at my chest as I rushed home, still bleeding, still weak. I found the study door cracked open, and through it, voices.

My father-in-law's roar: "You ungrateful son! Just because I opposed you marrying that woman, you went to such lengths? You *orchestrated* Hailey's kidnapping to force her to bear your children?"

The crack of a leather whip split the air.

"And now you've lost your mind! Handing the Vance family's granddaughter to our enemy to raise? I'll beat the life out of you!"

Through the gap, I saw Adrian curled on the floor, shielding the baby girl in his arms, his jaw set like granite.

"This is Sara's child. Mine and Sara's." His voice was raw but steady. "She followed me for years without a title, without status. I've already treated her unfairly. I will *not* let our daughter grow up without her mother."

"Dad, I married a society heiress into the Vance family. I gave you what you wanted. Don't ask me about Sara again."

Ice flooded my veins.

My heart stopped beating.

Everything clicked into place—the cold, distant Adrian Vance who suddenly changed his temperament. Who suddenly wanted *me*.

It was never love.

It was a setup.

My teeth clenched until my jaw ached. I turned and walked away.

Today, I was going to teach them the true meaning of agony.

——

I rushed back to the hospital, hands shaking, and scooped my newborn son from his crib. Then I ran.

My eyes burned as I looked down at the pink, fragile infant in my arms. Several times, my hand hovered near his tiny throat, fingers twitching.

In the end, I unclenched my fist.

I needed the truth. All of it.

I needed to see exactly how black Adrian Vance's heart really was.

The car screeched to a halt outside Ava Finch's villa. When I burst through the door—disheveled, wild-eyed, clutching a baby—she nearly dropped her coffee.

After I choked out the explanation, her eyes went wide.

Then dark.

Then furious.

"That *bastard*. How could Adrian do this to you?"

I forced myself to breathe. My voice came out cold. Clinical.

"Hide the child. Once the paternity test results come in, I will make him pay for every ounce of pain he's caused me."

By the time I cleaned myself up and returned to the hospital room, Adrian was already waiting.

His eyes locked onto my empty arms. He rushed forward.

"Hailey, the doctor said you took Bubu. Where is he? Where's our son?"

I lowered myself onto the edge of the bed and smiled. It didn't reach my eyes.

"Adrian, before you ask about our son... shouldn't you tell me where you took our daughter?"

He froze. His gaze darted sideways.

"Dad wanted to see Xixi. I had the driver take her to the estate."

"Is that so?" I tilted my head. "Hasn't he seen enough? Tell the driver to bring her back."

I picked up my phone and began dialing.

Panic flashed across his face. He lunged and snatched it from my hand.

"Hailey, I'm talking about our *son*—why are you bringing up Xixi? Do you think my father would harm his own granddaughter?"

I studied his flustered expression. He must have known I'd gone home earlier. He just couldn't be sure how much I'd heard.

A short, cold laugh escaped my lips.

"Your father won't harm his biological granddaughter... so do you think I would harm my biological son?"

I paused.

"Actually... maybe I would. If he isn't really my son. If I get angry enough. Maybe I'd toss him in a dumpster. Or feed him to the strays."

I raised my hand and mimicked a vicious tearing motion.

"*Snap*. *Crunch*. A few bites and he'd be gone."

Adrian's face went white. He lunged, fingers closing around my throat.

"Hailey Henson, are you *insane*? He's just a baby!"

I didn't flinch. Didn't struggle. I craned my neck and met his glare head-on.

"I'm insane? Adrian, don't you know in your heart what filthy things you've done?"

His grip loosened. A flicker of panic entered his eyes.

In the brittle silence, my phone dinged.

The expedited paternity test results.

I glanced at the screen. The data confirmed everything.

The rage I'd been choking down erupted. I grabbed the heavy ceramic teacup from the nightstand and smashed it against his forehead.

*CRASH.*

"Adrian Vance, you *bastard*! How could you deceive me like this?"

Blood trickled down his brow, stark crimson against pale skin.

He stumbled back, hand pressed to the wound. Three long seconds passed.

Then something shifted in his expression. The mask slipped away. An eerie calm settled over his features.

"Hailey... so you know."

He frowned, his voice dropping to something cold and transactional.

"I admit I deceived you. But for the past two years, my care was real."

"Precisely because I wronged you, I tried my best to be a good husband. I gave you resources. I made sure your stepmother didn't dare look down on you. Isn't that more tangible than useless romance?"

"You can't have everything. I gave you the dignity of being Mrs. Vance. I just kept a little bit of true feeling for Sara. Is that really so excessive?"

I stared at him.

It was the first time I'd ever heard someone speak so self-righteously about manipulation and betrayal.

Since he had no bottom line, neither did I.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

"Adrian. Transfer twenty percent of the company shares to me. Do it, and I'll let your happy little family reunite."

My voice turned to ice.

"Refuse... and you can wait to collect your son's corpse."

His pupils constricted. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"Hailey Henson. Don't push me. If you dare touch a hair on Bubu's head, I will pull every cent of investment from the Henson family. Your father will be bankrupt by morning."

I scoffed.

"I don't give a damn."

Thomas Henson only had eyes for his new wife and young son. From the moment my mother died, I had no home.

I unlocked my phone and held the screen up to his face.

The video played: a tiny baby screaming, his face turning a terrifying shade of violet.

"I don't know how long he can hold on, Adrian. Four hours without food or water. Just waiting for his biological father to save him."

His expression darkened. He stepped forward to grab me—

"Adrian Vance!" My voice sliced through the air. "You spent *three years* planning this for Sara Graves. Do you want all that effort to go to waste? Do you want to kill your child?"

"The moment I walk out of this room and scream that Bubu and Xixi are the children you used to entrap me, you and Sara will be destroyed. Branded as monsters. And those children will be pariahs for the rest of their lives."

I lifted my chin.

"You know me. I'm a nobody with no father to love her and nothing left to lose. There is *nothing* I won't do."

The veins on his forehead pulsed. He glared at me, hesitating.

I tapped the screen. Another video began to play.

A small baby lay beside a filthy dumpster. His cries were weak now. Fading.

I chuckled.

"Who knows what's lurking nearby? Rats? Wild dogs? If they get hungry enough..."

Adrian snapped.

He grabbed my shoulders, his voice grinding through clenched teeth.

"Hailey Henson. You are *ruthless*. Fine. I agree."

A pause.

"One more condition. Help me get my father to accept Sara into the family. I'll give you the shares immediately."

A bleak, broken smile twisted my lips.

Even now—with his son's life supposedly hanging by a thread—he was still negotiating for *her*.

He never forgot to plan for Sara.