Years ago, Damien Westwood and Elara Sterling were inseparable two kids from the wrong side of town who dreamed of escaping poverty together. But fate had other plans. A shocking betrayal tore them apart, and by the time they met again, Damien had become a ruthless billionaire, while Elara had transformed into his fiercest corporate rival. Now, they're at war. Elara blames Damien for her family's downfall, swearing to destroy him. Damien, confused by her deep hatred, fights back just as fiercely. Their heated battles play out in boardrooms, hostile takeovers, and media scandals-until a hidden truth emerges that changes everything. Damien wasn't the villain. He was framed. But the past is a tangled web of secrets, betrayal, and sacrifice. Can love truly rise from the ashes of heartbreak? Or will they destroy each other before the truth sets them free? One thing is certain-this war is personal. And love has never been more dangerous.
Chapter 1 The Past That Burned Us (Prologue)
As a crystal chandelier crashed down on marble flooring, the thunder echoed through the Sterling mansion. What had begun as a pure edifice, one once proud in the legacy of the Sterling family, has become a field of battle. Elara Sterling stood on the top of the grand stairs, only nineteen, as her heart thrummed painfully in her chest while she listened to her father's furious voice floating through the shambles of the corridors.
"It's over. We have lost everything!"
Her mother sobbed from somewhere, clutching some shredded pieces of paper containing the sign of bankruptcy. Their empire called Sterling Enterprises went bankrupt overnight. Investors had fled, contracts were canceled, banks had frozen their accounts, and all of it made no sense. Just yesterday, they had been thriving. How would this fall happen so quickly?
Her father turned to her, his face etched with rage and devastation. "Never trust Damien Westwood! He did this to us!" he spat, his words slicing through the air like a dagger.
"Elara felt as if her breath had caught in her throat. 'No,' she whispered. This couldn't be real. Damien, her best friend, the boy she had grown up with, would never betray her."
Tearing away from her mother, ignoring her weak pleas that did nothing to stem the anger she felt, Elera ran out of the house and into the thickening night. She needed answers.
Her heart pounded in desperation as she ran through the dark streets toward the Westwood mansion, but there she stopped dead in her tracks.
Damien stood on the grand balcony, shaking hands with the man responsible for her family's ruin-Nathaniel Mercer, her bitterest rival.
And her world began to collapse.
Clenching her fists, her nails dug deep into her palms out of disgust for the betrayal and ache. She wanted to tilt her head back and scream. But her father's voice resounded in her mind.
Damien had betrayed her.
With that thought, she turned her back on him and ran into the night, never to forgive.
Present Day-Ten Years Later
Flashes darting from innumerable cameras lit the magnificent ballroom during the gala of Sterling & Co. Anticipation filled the air, an electrifying tide, as the illustrious corporate elite focused their attention upon one individual stepping onto the stage:
Elara Sterling.
Now empowered as a CEO, she felt the sway of confidence in her gait, splendor draped in black, though above the storm that raged within, impenetrable gazes of a steely determination pierced forward.
There was no possibility: she was not here to celebrate anything tonight; it would be revenge.
The crowd parted as another figure entered.
Damien Westwood.
No longer the boy she once knew, he was now a billionaire mogul, his presence commanding the room. Dressed in a tailored suit, his piercing gaze met hers across the ballroom.
Their first words in a decade sliced through the air like a challenge.
"I'm here to destroy you," Elara stated, her voice unwavering.
A slow, knowing smirk curled on Damien's lips.
"You can try."
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