Chapter 13 - REBUILDING WHAT WAS BROKEN
Three months later, the Hayes mansion looked completely different.
The marble floors were still polished.
The crystal chandeliers still hung from the ceiling.
The walls were still covered with expensive artwork.
But something had changed.
The house no longer felt cold.
For years, it had been a place filled with secrets, lies, and fear.
Now…
It finally felt like home again.
Edward stood in his office, looking through old company documents.
But this time, he wasn’t searching for betrayal.
He was searching for a future.
The company had survived.
The public scandal had damaged the Hayes empire, but Edward refused to hide.
He released every piece of evidence.
Every illegal transaction.
Every person involved.
The world finally knew the truth.
Richard Hayes was sentenced to prison.
Several executives who helped cover up the crimes were removed.
And Victoria…
Victoria was waiting for her trial.
But Edward had made one decision that shocked everyone.
He visited her.
The prison room was quiet.
Victoria looked different.
No designer clothes.
No expensive jewelry.
No confident smile.
Just a woman forced to face what she had done.
When she saw Edward, she looked away.
“I didn’t expect you to come.”
Edward sat across from her.
“I didn’t expect myself to come either.”
Victoria gave a bitter laugh.
“You should hate me.”
“I do.”
The honesty surprised her.
Edward continued.
“You hurt my daughter.”
Victoria closed her eyes.
“I know.”
“You made her feel worthless in her own home.”
A tear rolled down her face.
“I know.”
“But I also know something else.”
Victoria looked up.
“What?”
“You helped stop Richard.”
She looked confused.
“That doesn’t erase what I did.”
“No.”
Edward shook his head.
“It doesn’t.”
The silence between them was heavy.
Then Victoria whispered:
“I was jealous of Sarah.”
Edward said nothing.
“I spent years thinking if I had her life, I would finally be happy.”
She looked down.
“But I never understood something.”
“What?”
“She had something I could never buy.”
Edward already knew the answer.
“Love.”
Victoria nodded.
“Yes.”
When Edward left the prison, he didn’t forgive her.
Not yet.
But for the first time…
He stopped carrying all the anger.
Meanwhile, Emma was preparing for her first day at Hayes Corporation.
Not as a victim.
Not as the girl forced to clean the mansion.
But as the person who legally controlled part of the company.
She stood outside the building, nervous.
Edward looked at her.
“You don’t have to do this.”
Emma smiled.
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
She looked at the skyscraper.
“Because they spent years trying to decide who I was.”
She turned to him.
“Now I get to decide for myself.”
Edward smiled.
But before they entered…
Emma’s phone rang.
Her face changed after reading the message.
“What is it?”
She slowly handed the phone to him.
A photo appeared.
A photo of their family.
Taken that morning.
Someone was watching them.
And underneath the picture was a message:
“You found the people who betrayed you. But you haven’t found everyone.”
Edward’s smile disappeared.
Because he knew the truth.
May you like
The nightmare might not be over.
TO BE CONTINUED…
