Jasmine POV
The decision was made with a single text.
"Send the cooperation letter to Knight Corp. Today."
I hit send, slid my phone into my purse, and pushed back from the long polished desk. The office smelled of ink and leather, still heavy with the weight of contracts my mother had once signed here. But I didn't linger. Not today.
My heels clicked against marble as I stepped into the corridor, ignoring the polite nods from assistants. The weight of my own message pressed harder than their stares.
Knight Corp. Ares. His name still felt like fire lodged in my throat.
I tightened my grip on my purse as I walked out of the building into the open air. The city's noise swallowed me, but inside… silence. A heavy, dangerous silence filled with questions I'd buried for seven years.
"Why had he betrayed me? Why had he turned his back when I needed him most? Why did it still hurt to think of his face?"
I told myself a hundred times that I wanted him ruined. That I'd strip him bare the way he stripped me. That was the only justice left.
But another thought, quieter, treacherous, whispered as I walked through the crowd: "What if he never meant harm? What if everything I believed was wrong?"
I shook it off, jaw tight. There was no room for softness. No room for forgiveness. If he bled, maybe I'd feel whole again.
Meanwhile…
The conference room inside Knight Corp's skyscraper buzzed with tension.
Ares sat at the head of the table, blazer discarded, sleeves rolled up. His posture was controlled, but his eyes… those cold, steel-gray eyes… betrayed calculation. Around him, his executives shuffled papers, waiting.
"Duvall Holdings sent a letter this morning," his right-hand man, Cassian, reported. "Cooperation terms. They want a partnership on the Crestfall redevelopment."
Ares tapped the table once. "And the catch?"
"They're offering generous stakes but reserving decision rights. Classic Vale strategy."
Ares leaned back in his chair, lips twitching at the name. Vale. He knew better than anyone that Vale never moved without a hidden dagger.
"Should I draft a refusal?" Cassian asked carefully.
Ares shook his head. "No. Accept the meeting. Every trap can be turned if you see the wires before stepping in."
His tone was sharp, decisive. But when the others bent their heads to take notes, he glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. The city stretched beneath him… alive, restless, full of ghosts.
A name haunted the back of his mind.
A name he hadn't spoken aloud in years.
Jasmine.
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The café smelled of roasted beans and sugar, a gentler world than the marble halls I'd just left. I settled by the window, sliding into the quiet corner seat where sunlight spilled across polished wood.
Outside, the city carried on… people rushing, horns blaring but here, for a moment, time slowed. I traced the rim of my coffee cup with my finger, thoughts unraveling like loose threads.
Crestfall. Knight Corp. Ares.
No matter how I arranged them, the words tied into the same knot.
I told myself I was above him now. Stronger. Untouchable. Yet here I was, staring at the skyline, wondering if his hands had changed, if his voice still had the weight that once steadied me.
Seven years should have buried the past. But the past has a way of clawing out of the grave.
I sipped my coffee, bitter on my tongue.
"Would I go back if he had never meant harm?" The question slipped through my defenses, raw and uninvited.
My phone buzzed. A message lit up the screen.
"Prepare for the gala. Your presence is required."
I stared at the words. The gala. A stage of glittering masks where power was traded like currency. And if Knight Corp was there…
My pulse skipped.
The war I wanted… the war I feared… was no longer waiting. It was coming.
I pushed my chair back, the sound sharp against the floor. The gala would be my stage, my battlefield. I had to prepare.
As I left the café, I felt the weight of the city press against me, each step resonating with purpose. I had to remind myself: this was about more than revenge. It was about reclaiming my life, asserting my worth in a world that had tried to define me by my failures.
I walked down the bustling streets, each storefront a reminder of the life I once had. The boutiques, the cafés, the places where laughter used to echo between friends… now they felt like distant memories. The world around me blurred as I focused on the task ahead.
"Jasmine!" A voice cut through my thoughts, pulling me back into the moment.
I turned to see Mia approaching, her expression a mix of concern and curiosity. "You're back in town for the gala?"
"Just for the day," I replied, trying to keep my tone neutral. "You?"
"Oh, you know how it is," she said, her smile strained. "It's the event of the season. Everyone will be there."
I felt a flicker of unease. "Everyone?"
"Yeah, including Ares Knight," she added, her eyes darting away, as if to gauge my reaction.
Something twisted in my gut. "Right." I forced a casual tone, but the name felt like a dark cloud settling over me. "I guess I'll see him then."
"Just be careful, okay? I know things ended badly…" She hesitated, searching for the right words. "He's different now. More powerful."
"Powerful?" I echoed, the bitterness rising again. "What does that even mean? Just because he's climbing the corporate ladder doesn't make him a good person."
Mia opened her mouth as if to argue, then closed it again. She looked torn. "I just wanted to say… if you need anything, you can reach out. We all make mistakes."
"Thanks, but I'll be fine," I said, more harshly than intended. I turned to walk away, not wanting to linger in a conversation that felt like a trap.
I couldn't afford empathy. Not now.
Inside Knight Corp's skyscraper, Ares stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, lost in thought. The city crawled beneath him, an empire he was determined to claim. Yet, something weighed on him, a sense of unease he couldn't shake off.
"Are you ready for the gala?" Cassian asked, interrupting his reverie.
"Of course," Ares replied, though his mind was elsewhere. The letter from Duvall Holdings loomed in his thoughts. It was a strategic move, one that could solidify his position in the market. But the name attached to it… the heiress… brought back memories he'd buried deep.
"Any thoughts on how to approach this?" Cassian inquired, sensing the tension illuminating from Ares.
"Just need to see how this plays out," Ares said, his tone clipped. "We'll need to be cautious. Vale's not one to make a move without a hidden agenda."
Cassian nodded, his brow furrowing. "You think he's setting a trap?"
"Not a trap, per se," Ares mused, running a hand through his hair. "More like a game of chess. He knows how to manipulate the board."
"Then we need to be two steps ahead," Cassian said, determination hardening his features. "Shall I prepare a counter-strategy?"
"Not yet," Ares replied, his mind racing with possibilities. "Let's see what she wants first. If we can get her on our side…"
"On our side? You mean the heiress?" Cassian asked, surprised.
"Yes," Ares said, turning back to the city. "If we can establish a connection, it could strengthen our position. But I need to know what she's after."
The thought of Jasmine brought a rush of conflicting emotions.
He didn't know if she would appear or if she and this "unknown heiress" were merely sharing a surname.
Back on the streets of Crestfall, I felt the city's pulse beneath my feet. The gala was approaching, and with it, the chance to reclaim my power. I had to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with Ares.
I walked into a boutique, the glint of jewelry and the shimmer of fabrics drawing me in. I needed something that screamed confidence, something that would remind both myself and Ares that I was not the same girl he had left behind.
As I browsed through the racks, I imagined the moment I would face him again. Would he see the fire in my eyes? Would he recognize the woman I had become? I needed to be ready. I needed to be unstoppable.
"Can I help you?" a sales representative asked, her voice bringing me back to reality.
"Yeah," I said, my tone sharper than intended. "I need a dress for the gala. Something powerful."
She nodded, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "I have just the thing."
As she led me to a section of stunning gowns, I felt a rush of determination swell within me. This was my time. I would walk into that gala, head held high, and remind Ares Knight of exactly who I was.
The clock was ticking, and I had to stay ahead of the game. I couldn't let my past define me; I had to rewrite the narrative.
The gala would be a battlefield, but I was ready.
As I slipped into a stunning black dress, the fabric clung to my form like a second skin, empowering me with every movement. I could feel the weight of my mother's legacy behind me, urging me forward.
I was no longer the girl who'd been cast aside. I was Jasmine Duvall, heiress of Duvall Holdings.
And I would show Ares Knight that I was a force to be reckoned with.
As I stepped out of the boutique, the city lights flickering to life around me, one thought pulsed louder than all the rest.
"The gala was just hours away. Ares Knight would see me again. And this time, I wouldn't be the one broken."