Chapter 2

"Dad, please cancel the engagement with the Thorne family." My voice was calm but firm, my eyes clear.

Father lowered his cigar in surprise. "What? Elara, haven't you always..."

"He's not good enough for me, and certainly not good enough for the Vance family." I walked to the window, looking out at the meticulously manicured garden, where the sunlight refracted rainbows in the fountain's spray.

"What happened?" Father asked with concern, and I could see the worry in his furrowed brow. "Did you and Lucian have a fight?"

I turned to face my Father, shaking my head gently. "No, Dad. I've just finally seen things clearly. All Lucian wants is our wealth and status, not me."

Father was silent for a moment and nodded. "If this is your decision, I respect it. But are you sure? You've been together for so long."

"I've never been more certain. Believe me, Dad, this is the right decision."

That evening, Lucian's call came as expected. He used that tone—the one I had once mistaken for mature confidence, but which now struck me as pure arrogance—as he laid out his "post-nuptial terms."In my past life, I foolishly agreed to everything, thinking it was a necessary compromise for love.

"First," he got straight to the point, "after we marry, our two companies will merge, but I must be the Chairman of the Board. Second, you'll need to sign a prenup, waiving any claim to the Thorne assets. And finally, we won't have children for now."

I chuckled softly, sensing his astonishment on the other end of the line.

"Lucian, you've got one thing wrong," my voice was cold and clear. "It's not me who wants to marry you. It's you who desperately needs me. The game is over. You're out."

"What are you talking about?" His tone shifted from confident to bewildered.

"I refuse your proposal. Not only that, but the Vance Group will also cease all financial support to Thorne Group." With every word I spoke, I felt a long-lost sense of power.

"What kind of stupid joke is this?" Anxiety crept into his voice. "Elara, if you have objections to my terms, we can discuss them..."

"There's no need to discuss anything, because there will be no marriage. Goodbye, Lucian." I hung up the phone, took a deep breath, feeling like a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

The phone immediately rang again. I chose not to answer.Instead, I dialed a number I hadn’t called in years, my fingers trembling faintly on the keypad.

"Hello?" A deep, sensual male voice drifted from the other end of the line.

"Liam? It's me, Elara." I fought to keep my voice even, to prevent the tremor I felt inside from betraying me.

A stark silence fell on the other end, then Liam Blackwood’s ragged breathing, thick with suppressed excitement, crackled through the line. "Elara… is it really you?"

"Yes," I replied, a faint smile touching my lips as I gazed out at the star-dusted sky. "Are you still willing to marry me?"

Another beat of silence, then his voice, almost strangled with emotion, came back. "I'm coming back right now."

After hanging up, a profound sense of relief and empowerment washed over me for the first time.

This time, I wouldn't be the foolish girl who sacrificed everything for love, not anymore.

Standing before the window, I pictured Liam, wondering what he was doing at that very moment.

Was he still the man I remembered, the one who had always been my silent guardian?