From Ashes to Love

st round. For Elara, the victory was a mix of triumph and bitterness. She had just outmaneuvered the man who

office, staring out at the city below. A city ruled by ambition, power, and rele

anged under the stars, the warmth in Damien's eyes before life turned them cold. What happened to him? she

eyes burning with unspoken fury. His home, a symbol of success and dominance, felt strangely holl

his gaze landed on something that made his breath catch

in a sun-dappled garden. A boy and

each into the past and fix what had broken. But that was impossible. The me

n his tongue. No. He wouldn't allow

from memory. The moment the line connected, his voice

Every contract, every deal, every weak

tion. This wasn't just busin

her office, deep in thought. The victory today was just the beginning. She kne

ith excitement, but she barely heard them. She wasn'

ted a war, she wo

ve with its usual pulse-car horns blaring, neon signs flickering-but inside, the room was steeped in quiet reflection. Bookshelves lined the walls,

s. The words poured out in a torrent-accusations, regrets, questions that would never have answers. She paused when

st Damien

ghting. Trust had long been a casualty in their war. If she wanted to protect what was lef

thoughts. One of her senior advisors s

side. "Our sources confirm that Damien is mobili

first, and now he was retaliating with full force. That was Da

y. "We secure our assets and find

. "Are you sure you w

unyielding. "He's

fore a floor-to-ceiling window, a glass of whiskey in hand. Rain drummed a

ter. Without looking, he picked it

"There are vulnerabilities-hidden liabilities, investments that could be

lips. "Good. Keep digging. I want to

And what a

om, the fire in her eyes, the memories that refused to fade no matter how much time had

" he murmured. "Fi

eting moment, he saw a different version of himself-one who had once believed in love, in frie

ey and set the glass aside. The past was irrelevant. All that

air of quiet determination. The tension was thick, the stakes

ndustries is preparing an aggressive assault on our financ

We expose their vulnerabilities before they can expose ours. I want ev

fe. She had spent years building this empire, fighting for her place in an industry dominated b

nother game to him-a battle of wills, a war n

ought aside. It didn't matter. The

t an old photograph. Two children, side by side, their smiles untouched by the weight of the world. A yo

ning in his chest. Then, without another thought, he

his voice low and firm. "By tomorro

This wasn't about revenge anymore. This was about proving, once and for

he tried

e sure she r