Chapter 5: The Deal

Ella Vance didn't head home after leaving the Golden Coast Vault. Instead, she gave her driver a new destination—The Zenith Hotel, downtown.

She had arranged to meet someone there. Someone from a past life.

The man went by the username Lion King on the secretive Gem Network. He'd once been her confidant, her sparring partner in gem lore, and perhaps the only person who'd truly understood her. Before her accident, they had argued. She'd said something she regretted. And after waking up in this second life, she searched for him immediately—only to find he hadn't logged in for seven days.

Still, she left him a message and proposed something bold: an offline trade.

She brought with her the precious gems retrieved from the vault. They weren't just jewelry—they were pieces of her past, of who she used to be. She didn't come to sell them for money. She came to trade them for something far more valuable.

Help.

To her surprise, Lion King responded quickly—too quickly. Even more startling, his voice on the call sounded strangely familiar. Raspy. Tired. Almost… ill.

When she arrived at the café on the hotel's second floor, there were still a few minutes to spare. But one man was already seated by the window.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Silas Crawford.

The encounter at the vault yesterday had felt like a coincidence. But this? This was fate pulling the strings.

He wore a simple dark cashmere sweater and tailored trousers. Nothing flashy, but somehow, the man still radiated a commanding presence. Yet beneath that refined exterior, his face looked pale. His eyes lacked their usual fire. He looked... sick.

He was Lion King?

The same man who had traded late-night messages with her, dissected the world of gems with frightening precision, and—once—warned her not to come to the Metropolis?

Conflicting emotions surged through Ella as she approached the table. She placed the gem case down without a word.

"You're the buyer?" she asked coolly.

Silas looked up, his gaze unreadable. Then he nodded. "Yes. May I take a look?"

"Please."

She unzipped the case.

In silence, they both observed the contents. Three necklaces. Five pairs of earrings. Three bracelets. Every piece gleamed with exceptional craftsmanship and history. The collection's estimated value? North of thirty million dollars.

Silas's eyes landed on a pair of violet pigeon-blood jade earrings. He froze for just a fraction of a second. Those had once belonged to the woman he loved—the other Ella.

So it was her. These were her jewels.

Which meant the woman in front of him had beaten him to the vault. But who was she, really? A friend? A relative?

"I'll take them all," Silas said in a low voice. "Name your price."

Ella met his gaze. Her voice was calm but commanding. "I don't want money."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm giving them to you. For free," she said. "But in return, Mr. Crawford… I want a favor."

Silas stared at her. Thirty million dollars' worth of gems, offered freely? No rich heiress would do this lightly. But she wasn't joking. He could see it in her eyes—clarity, resolve, no hesitation.

His interest deepened. Who was this woman?

"What kind of favor?" he asked.

Ella straightened her posture. Her voice was crisp.

"I want you to marry me."

The world froze.

Even the soft café jazz seemed to fall silent.

Silas showed no outward reaction. He simply studied her—this poised, sharp-eyed woman who had just dropped a bombshell across the table like it was a casual request.

And Ella… her hands were steady, but her heart pounded in her chest. She wasn't doing this impulsively. This was strategy. She knew the Crawfords were powerful. She knew Silas needed a wife—for family politics, for health reasons, for support. And she… she needed protection, leverage, and an ally to stand against the storm brewing inside the Vance family and the enemies from her past life.

This wasn't romance. It was a high-stakes merger. A mutual deal.

She was throwing a bigger hook this time. Not just gems—herself.

Silas didn't answer right away. He was searching her eyes, like he was looking for something deeper than words.

Ella didn't flinch. Her gaze was clear, open. She wasn't hiding who she was. And in that moment, something flickered in Silas's mind.

The past.

The woman he lost had those same eyes. That same light. The kind of brilliance that came not from beauty, but from sheer will.

Could it be…

His heart hammered. It couldn't be.

But what if…

He covered his mouth and coughed violently. Not out of illness—but something else. Something closer to hope.

Ella's expression shifted. Concern glinted in her eyes. Even now—knowing who he might be, knowing the power he held—she cared.

Silas slowly lowered his hand and smiled faintly.

"I'm not joking," he said hoarsely. "I really do need a wife. If it helps, we can call it a contractual marriage."

Ella exhaled, subtly. For a moment there, she thought he might actually be in love with her. But a contract? That was fine. She could work with that.

"Then maybe you should spell out the terms a little more clearly, Mr. Crawford."

He nodded.

"You've probably heard the rumors. That I left home young to 'gain experience' in the Shadow District. That's a lie. The truth is—I had a falling out with my family."

Ella said nothing. She already knew the real story. His mother had died when he was young, and his father remarried quickly. Silas had never fit into the new family. She remembered him saying as much back in the old days… when he was still just Lion King.

"I'll be honest," Silas continued. "The marriage would last no more than five years. After that, you're free. In return, you'll receive a share of the Crawford estate. And I'll do what I can to bring the Vance family back to the top. Fair?"

His tone was matter-of-fact, almost detached. Like he wasn't talking about his own life at all.

Ella watched him carefully. She knew how powerful he was in the business world. If anyone could turn Vance Industries around, it was Silas Crawford.

"Honestly, Mr. Crawford," she said with a smirk, "even without your help, the Vance family would rise again eventually. But since you're offering a shortcut… I'm not turning it down."

She leaned forward, her voice unwavering.

"I accept. I'll be your wife."

Until she uncovered every secret. Until his health recovered. Until… the moment came.

The moonlight streamed through the glass windows behind her, lighting up her eyes like stars. For a brief second, Silas saw a vision—not of this moment, but from years ago. A younger Ella, standing under the moon in Federia, raising a massive jet jade stone and declaring that she would become the greatest gem trader in the world.

She had that look in her eyes again.

It was her. It had always been her.

His heart roared inside his chest.

Silas Crawford's eyes shimmered—with love, with awe, and with the fragile hope of someone who thought he'd lost everything… only to find it standing right in front of him again.

He stared at Ella Vance like she was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.

She had returned.

And this time, he wasn't letting her go.