Chapter 43: Threads of Independence

Chapter 43: Threads of Independence

The Camelo estate loomed ahead like a memory Ariana wasn't ready to face, yet desperately needed to. The black car Jesse had arranged for her rolled silently into the gated compound, passing by the meticulously trimmed hedges and stone fountains that whispered of old money and secrets. As she stepped out, the guards bowed their heads respectfully, but Ariana didn't meet their eyes. Her heart thudded, heavy and uncertain.

It had only been days since she had learned the truth about her secret marriage. Days since she'd looked into Jesse Ren's eyes and realized he wasn't just the aloof billionaire the world worshiped, but someone she was bound to by name and law. A name she wasn't sure she could carry. Her identity was shifting like sand beneath her feet.

She needed stability. She needed control.

And that began with her father.

"Miss Ariana, should I announce you?" one of the butlers asked gently.

Ariana shook her head. "No. I'll go to him myself."

As she made her way through the long corridors of the Camelo estate, her heels echoing on marble, her heart carried the weight of every betrayal she had unearthed. The elegant chandeliers above her head shimmered, unaware of the cracks forming in the family they illuminated.

She found her father in his study, hunched over documents. The scent of his usual bergamot and cedarwood cologne filled the room, mingled with the subtle sting of ink and old paper. It was a scent she remembered from her childhood—strong, commanding, reliable.

"Father," she said, her voice composed despite the storm raging inside.

Chairman Camelo looked up, his graying brows lifting with surprise. "Ariana? I didn't expect you."

"We need to talk," she replied, closing the door behind her.

He gestured to the seat across from him, setting his pen down with deliberate calm. "Is this about the rumors? The scandal with Anthony and that woman, Rachel?"

She smiled bitterly. "Not entirely. Though, it seems scandal surrounds me wherever I go."

Her father frowned. "You had nothing to do with that, I hope?"

Ariana hesitated for half a second—long enough.

His eyes narrowed.

"Ariana—"

"They betrayed you," she cut in, her voice low but firm. "They stole from the company, manipulated me, used me. I did what I had to do."

There was silence. Her father leaned back in his chair, processing her words. The weight of them. The pain she'd cloaked in poise.

"So you leaked their scandal?"

She nodded. "And I don't regret it. But that's not why I'm here."

He waited, steepling his fingers.

"I want control of my shares."

The request hung in the air like a thunderclap. Her father's face hardened, not with anger, but with something more complex—concern, protectiveness, calculation.

"You think you're ready?" he asked finally.

"I am. I have to be."

He rose from his chair, walking toward the tall windows overlooking the garden. The Camelo estate was vast, but Ariana felt no comfort in its grandeur anymore. It was a cage gilded in old promises.

"You've changed," he said after a moment. "There's steel in your voice. You were always intelligent, Ariana, but now..."

"Now I've been burned," she finished for him.

He turned to face her. "And this... marriage? With Jesse Ren?"

Her spine stiffened. "A mistake. A legal arrangement forced by the past. I didn't know."

"But now that you do?"

"I don't trust him," she admitted, her voice quiet. "He's powerful, unpredictable. I can't allow myself to be pulled into his world without knowing I have something of my own."

Her father studied her carefully. "Do you want a divorce?"

The word made her flinch, though she didn't show it.

"I don't know yet. But if I decide to leave, I want to do it from a position of strength. Not as the girl who had to be saved, but as the woman who took back her life."

Silence again. Then, slowly, her father nodded.

"There are procedures. Conditions. You'll have to prove your capability."

"I will."

He reached into a drawer and slid a thick file toward her. "These are three subsidiaries I was planning to restructure. Take them. Make them profitable within six months. Show me you can lead. Then, I'll sign over your shares."

Ariana took the file with trembling hands, though her face remained calm.

"Thank you, Father."

He walked around the desk and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm proud of you. But be careful, Ariana. Power attracts not just allies, but enemies."

She looked up at him, the fire in her eyes unmistakable.

"Let them come."

___

Later that evening, Ariana stood in the estate's courtyard, staring up at the sky. The wind tugged gently at her silk blouse, and her hair framed her face like a dark halo.

Jesse Ren had invaded her life like a thunderstorm—swift, undeniable. But he wasn't going to define her future. Not unless she let him.

She took a deep breath, gripping the file tightly.

This was her moment.

It was time to become the woman she was always meant to be.

And no one—not Jesse, not Anthony, not even her own doubts—could stand in her way now.