A Phoenix Rises

A Phoenix Rises

Victor Hale

5.0
Comment(s)
140
View
26
Chapters

The hum of the server room was a familiar lullaby as I watched years of my life, "Echoes of Eternity," approaching launch. This was my statement to the world, my proof to Liam. Then, he walked in, my brother, Liam Reed, and his words, laced with doubt and veiled threats, twisted the air around me. "It won't fail," I insisted, but the tremor in my voice betrayed my desperate hope for his belief, not his constant, suffocating need to control me, to protect me from myself. His PR manager, Scarlett, smirked, calling my masterpiece a "small indie title," a "shame" that my work ended in humiliation, all while Liam stood by, indifferent. The crushing failure of my game, the torrent of angry messages, and Liam' s public statement blaming my "unproven indie studio" hit me like a physical blow, stripping away my hard-won independence and shattering my belief in him. He called, his voice dripping with false concern, claiming he "mitigated the damage," while I knew the truth: he destroyed everything. He always said he was protecting me, but his love was a gilded cage, his protection a prison. I screamed, "You destroyed everything!" But his reply, calm and infuriating, solidified my resolve: "You're too emotional, too naive." He wanted me to come home, to come back under his umbrella, but staring at his number, a terrifying yet exhilarating realization dawned on me: I was truly on my own. That' s when Noah Vance's email, a lifeline from a rival I barely knew, landed in my inbox: "An Opportunity." I knew then, this was my chance. I would rise from the ashes, a phoenix, not for his approval, but for myself. My life, my choices, my future-they were mine now.

Introduction

The hum of the server room was a familiar lullaby as I watched years of my life, "Echoes of Eternity," approaching launch. This was my statement to the world, my proof to Liam.

Then, he walked in, my brother, Liam Reed, and his words, laced with doubt and veiled threats, twisted the air around me.

"It won't fail," I insisted, but the tremor in my voice betrayed my desperate hope for his belief, not his constant, suffocating need to control me, to protect me from myself.

His PR manager, Scarlett, smirked, calling my masterpiece a "small indie title," a "shame" that my work ended in humiliation, all while Liam stood by, indifferent.

The crushing failure of my game, the torrent of angry messages, and Liam' s public statement blaming my "unproven indie studio" hit me like a physical blow, stripping away my hard-won independence and shattering my belief in him.

He called, his voice dripping with false concern, claiming he "mitigated the damage," while I knew the truth: he destroyed everything. He always said he was protecting me, but his love was a gilded cage, his protection a prison.

I screamed, "You destroyed everything!" But his reply, calm and infuriating, solidified my resolve: "You're too emotional, too naive."

He wanted me to come home, to come back under his umbrella, but staring at his number, a terrifying yet exhilarating realization dawned on me: I was truly on my own.

That' s when Noah Vance's email, a lifeline from a rival I barely knew, landed in my inbox: "An Opportunity."

I knew then, this was my chance. I would rise from the ashes, a phoenix, not for his approval, but for myself. My life, my choices, my future-they were mine now.

Continue Reading

Other books by Victor Hale

More
Nine Years, One Betrayal

Nine Years, One Betrayal

Romance

5.0

Today was our ninth wedding anniversary, and I arrived at the airport, bouquet in hand, ready to surprise my wife, Jessica, after her "business trip." Instead, I found her wrapped in a young man's arms, sharing a long, deep kiss. My world went silent. The roses in my lap felt impossibly heavy as I watched her with this stranger, a boy who looked fresh out of college. Then, her text flashed on my phone: "Plane just landed! So tired. Can't wait to see you, honey! XOXO." The blatant lie hit harder than the betrayal itself. That night, she came home, smiling, feigning affection, even pulling out an anniversary gift – a sleek, silver watch. A wave of nausea washed over me. It was the exact same watch the young man at the airport was wearing. She spoke of love and forever, her words like ash in my mouth. Was any of it real? She spun more lies, claiming her trip was to San Francisco, not Chicago, and trying to pass off the watch as an innocent mistake. Her desperation to maintain the facade was almost fascinating, a grotesque parody of the woman I thought I knew. I felt a strange detachment, watching my life unravel. The situation worsened when she tried to comfort me, mistaking my coldness for work stress. Her phone rang, and I knew it was him – Liam Davis. I locked myself in the bathroom, feeling the filth, and then made a call. I hired a private investigator. The next morning, the investigator' s photos confirmed my worst fears: Jessica and Liam, intimate, entangled. The rage I had suppressed began to simmer, fueled by the sheer audacity of her deceit. How could she have poisoned every moment of our shared life for two years?

The Ex-Best Friend's Cruelty

The Ex-Best Friend's Cruelty

Modern

5.0

The old man hit the pavement hard. One moment I was walking to meet my best friend, Jessica, for coffee, the next my medical student instincts screamed. "Sarah, stop!" Jessica's grip on my arm was tight, her face a mask of alarm. "Don't get involved," she hissed, warning of scams and pickpockets. Her words, and a past trauma of kindness exploited, made me pause, just for a second. A fatal second. In that life, I listened. I stood by, fear warring with my training, as precious minutes ticked away. Mr. Henderson, the veteran, died before the ambulance arrived. The public fallout was immediate and brutal. Jessica, my best friend, painted me as a cold, heartless medical student in a viral interview, cleverly omitting her own role in dissuading me. "Heartless Med Student Lets Veteran Die." That headline destroyed my life. I was suspended from medical school. My boyfriend left me. My address was leaked, and I received death threats, trapped as a pariah in my own home. Jessica, meanwhile, thrived, becoming a celebrated symbol of civic virtue, funneling donations from a foundation in Mr. Henderson's name into her own pockets. The weight of the world's hatred, Jessica's betrayal, and crushing guilt became too much. I lost everything. My future. My will to live. The last thing I remembered was Jessica's triumphant smile on a talk show. Then, darkness. Until I was ripped from it. My eyes flew open. The scent of hotdogs, a taxi's screech, humid air. I was back. Standing on the same sidewalk, my bag in hand. Twenty feet away, Mr. Henderson was just beginning to crumple to the ground. This wasn't a memory. It was happening again. The thud of his body was the starting gun for my second chance. I didn't waste a second.

You'll also like

I Slapped My Fiancé-Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé-Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

Jessica C. Dolan
4.9

Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé. Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now-billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn't mind. I'd crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one? Wrong. One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That's when it hit me-he didn't love me. He didn't even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn't even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup. So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster-my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise. Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol. Enter him. Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I'd met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes. It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised. But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life. And, as it turned out, the best decision I'd ever made. Because my one-night stand isn't just some random guy. He's richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with. And now, he's not letting me go.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book