Elena Rivers
The fallout was nuclear.
Photos. Articles. Speculation.
The Mother of His Child. That was her name now. Her career? Overshadowed. Her silence? Interpreted as guilt. Her love life? A circus.
Christopher had been hospitalized, though not severely. Damien had made sure of that—enough damage to send a message, not enough to make Elena hate him forever. Or so he thought.
But what Damien hadn't calculated was this: Elena had grown. She was no longer the girl whose heart cracked under pressure. She was a woman now. One with scars. And rage.
She had left the hospital by Christopher's side, but she didn't stay. She couldn't. Not when the world knew her as his. Damien Vale's woman. The mother of his heir. A shadow swallowed by a titan.
She stared at herself in the mirror now—eyes darker, posture straighter, one hand absently resting on the barely-there bump she could no longer ignore.
Everything had been stolen from her.
And she was going to take something back.
That day, she marched into Vale Enterprises—not to beg, not to weep—but to confront. But as she entered, the world froze.
The receptionist didn't stop her. The elevator didn't creak. The boardroom door didn't resist.
Damien stood at the head of the table. His team silenced by her presence.
"Elena," he said—like a prayer. Like a warning.
She didn't wait. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Claiming what's mine."
"I'm not property, Damien."
His voice lowered, eyes molten. "You were never a possession. You're the only thing that's ever made me human."
A beat of silence passed. Then she spat the words:
"Then why do you keep breaking me just to feel real?"
His board stared. He didn't flinch. But in that moment, something cracked behind his eyes. He dismissed the room.
When they were alone, she finally cried. Not because she was weak—but because she was tired of holding every piece together.
And Damien Vale—powerful, rich, feared—got on his knees in front of her.
"I don't know how to love," he said. "But I only want to try with you."
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This chapter brings:
Public exposure full circle
Resolution to the Christopher thread (his injury and removal from romantic rivalry)
A confrontation at the heart of Damien's empire
The start of Damien truly submitting in a way only he could—by laying down power, not taking it...