Five years.
Five years since Vivian Cole vanished without a trace five years of silence, heartbreak, and secrets too dangerous to reveal.
But now she was back.
The private jet sliced through the dawn sky, touching down at Ashford City Airport. Fog drifted low on the tarmac, wrapping around the jet's sleek body like a warning. The world she'd left behind was waiting for her powerful, ruthless, and ready to swallow her whole.
Vivian stepped out, her stilettos striking the ground in steady, unshaken rhythm. The woman who once ran from this city had been fragile, broken. That woman no longer existed.
A little hand clutched hers warm, small, trusting. She glanced down at her son, his wide brown eyes curious beneath a mop of dark curls.
"Are we really here, Mama?" he whispered, as if the city itself might hear him.
Vivian knelt so they were eye to eye. "Yes, baby. We're here. But remember what I told you?"
The boy nodded solemnly. "Don't talk to strangers. Stay close to you."
"That's right." Vivian smoothed his hair, swallowing the lump in her throat. He had no idea of the storm he was walking into. But she'd protect him she'd protect him with everything she had.
A fleet of black cars rolled onto the tarmac. The lead vehicle stopped, and from it emerged a man in a crisp suit, the Ashford family crest pinned to his chest. His eyes widened the moment he saw her.
"Miss Cole?" His voice wavered, caught between shock and confusion. "Mr. Ashford wasn't informed of your arrival…"
Vivian straightened, cool and composed. "Good. Let him be surprised."
"But"
"I'm not here for permission." Her voice was steel wrapped in silk. "Tell Liam I've returned. He'll want to see me."
The man hesitated, then nodded stiffly. "Please… this way."
Inside the car, as the city blurred past the window, Vivian's heart beat hard in her chest. Every street, every building brought back memories she thought she'd buried. The boardroom where Liam humiliated her. The apartment where she'd cried herself to sleep. The clinic where she first heard her son's heartbeat and decided no matter what Liam would never know.
But fate had other plans.
"Is this where Daddy lives?" The boy's voice was soft, hopeful.
Vivian's fingers tightened on her purse. "Not yet, baby. But soon, he'll know who you are."
She wasn't here for forgiveness. She wasn't here for love. She was here to reclaim what was stolen for her son, for herself.
---
The Ashford Tower loomed ahead, glass and steel reaching into the clouds like a monument to power. Liam Ashford's domain.
Vivian stepped out of the car, the wind tugging at her coat. She lifted her chin, eyes hard with purpose.
It was time.
Let the games begin.
The wind whipped at Vivian's coat as she stared up at Ashford Tower, its mirrored surface reflecting the city's cold morning light. Memories clawed at her the nights she'd stood beneath this building, waiting for a man who never showed. The day she'd been escorted out, humiliated, her heart in pieces.
But this time, she wasn't the one on her knees.
A voice crackled over the driver's radio. "Who authorized this arrival?"
Vivian's driver shot her a nervous glance. She answered for him, her voice cutting through the static. "Tell them the mother of Liam Ashford's heir has come home."
The line went silent. The driver swallowed hard, pulling forward.
Inside the lobby, the marble floors gleamed under harsh lights. Ashford security tall, suited, grim-faced flanked the entrance. They eyed her as if she were a threat. Maybe she was.
She felt her son's grip tighten on her hand. His eyes darted to the guards, and for the first time, fear flickered in them.
Vivian knelt beside him, her voice soft but firm. "No one here can hurt us, baby. Do you trust me?"
He nodded, small lips pressed together in determination.
They crossed the lobby, Vivian's heels clicking like gunfire on the marble. People turned. Whispers began.
"Is that?"
"Vivian Cole?"
"She's back?"
She ignored them all, head high, heart steady.
At the private elevator, a senior guard stepped forward. "Miss Cole... Mr. Ashford is in a meeting. He doesn't take unexpected visits."
Vivian's smile was cold, deadly. "Oh, I'm not visiting. I'm reclaiming."
The doors opened. She stepped inside, the boy at her side. As the elevator rose, the city shrank beneath them. Her reflection in the polished steel stared back not the broken girl of the past, but a mother ready to fight.
She whispered to her son as the numbers climbed. "When those doors open, stay close. Let Mama handle everything."
The boy nodded, brave in the way only a child could be.
With a soft chime, the elevator stopped at the top floor.
Vivian squared her shoulders. It was time to face the devil who'd made her.