85.71%
Chapter 13
I hadn’t made a point of keeping up with news from back home.
But now and then, scraps of gossip still found their way to me–carried by the few friends I hadn’t cut off.
Apparently, things hadn’t gone the way Vivienne had hoped.
Instead of securing a place in the Lowell family like she planned, her status as an illegitimate daughter had been exposed.
The Lowells cut ties with the Whitmores completely.
Sebastian declared
publicly–that he would never marry her.
The trap I laid before leaving had worked spectacularly.
Back in New York, Jackson Gabriel had become a walking cautionary tale-
The face of greed, betrayal, and spectacular downfall.
Public backlash hit his company hard, with boycotts slamming every product they tried to launch.
My uncle struck during the chaos, scooping up shares at rock–bottom prices.
Combined with the stock I’d handed over before leaving, the Greene family now controlled Gabriel Corp entirely.
And in the end, the one thing Jackson had been most proud of his company now bore our name, not his.
He panicked, scrambled to save himself, and even had the audacity to try calling me.
But I had already changed all my contact info.
I meant what I said–I was done with that family. For good.
I never expected I’d see Sebastian again.
I was in the garden trimming roses when he appeared behind me silent as a shadow.
His voice was low, unreadable. “You look… well.”
I turned and settled into the white wicker chair behind me, sipping at a delicate porcelain cup of jasmine tea Andreas had imported from China.
“As you can see,” I replied coolly, “I’m very happy.”
He stepped forward, a bit too fast, like he couldn’t help himself.
“Vivienne never married into our family,” he blurted. “Ever since the day you left, our two families completely fell apart.”
“So?” I arched a brow. “What does that have to do with me?”
He took a breath, jaw tightening. “I keep having these… weird dreams lately.”
His eyes locked onto mine, flickering with regret and something else–longing, maybe. Pain.
“I keep dreaming you never left. That we got married instead. But it was a miserable marriage. I thought Vivienne was your real sister. I believed you’d plotted against her. That she died in Castalla and it was your fault. I hated you for it,”
“But then the truth came out. Vivienne lied about everything–she never had asthma, she’s not your real sister, and she didn’t die. She ran away. Faked the whole thing.
“Sebastian Lowell.” My voice cut through his ramble like a blade.
“You think some ridiculous dream gives you a free pass now? Who was the one who always stood in front of Vivienne like a shield? Who broke every promise we ever made? Who shoved me down the road to a political marriage and never looked back?”
Chapter 13
“Well, now you’ve got what you wanted,” I said flatly. “So why are you even here?”
“Because I need you to know,” he said desperately, “it’s always been you. I only ever saw Vivienne as a sister. You were the one I loved. You’ve always been the one. Please, Helena, just give me one more chance. I swear
“No.““No”
I didn’t blink.
I met his gaze
and watched him flinch under the weight of it.
“Your love?” I scoffed. “It came too late–and far too cheap.”
“I didn’t want it before I left. And now?” I paused, lips curling into something colder. “Now it just makes me sick‘
His face went pale.
He stumbled back a step, as if my words had physically struck him.
“Helena.”
Andreas’s voice drifted from the terrace–smooth, quiet, but sharp enough to cut tension.
He was dressed like a prince out of a painting, with a shawl draped over one arm.
He came over, placed the shawl gently around my shoulders, then set a quiet, steady hand on my stomach.
Those emerald eyes drifted to Sebastian like a quiet warning.
“It’s too cold to be outside long,” he said softly. “Dr. Greene said it’s not good for the baby.”
The baby?
Chapter 13
