“Don’t be afraid, Hazel,” he said. “I’ll never hurt you. I just want to take you home…”

But Hazel saw the desperation in his eyes, the eyes of a man who had lost everything. The moonlight he had longed for, the dream he’d chased for eight years, was a mirage. The Wright family business, the empire he’d fought to build, was slipping away, ready to abandon him at the slightest touch. In this world, only his obsession with Hazel had ever felt real. Without her, he was nothing. Hazel recoiled, her body instinctively pulling away.

Hatred flashed across her face as she looked at him, unable to suppress her disgust. All these years, she had known Ambrose to be stubborn, but she never imagined he would be this consumed, this unhinged. She almost collapsed against the wall, the terror from that life-or-death moment still gripping her. Her legs trembled, weak with fear. Tears began to fall, slow and relentless, the weight of her fear lingering in her chest.

Ambrose’s heart twisted. His breath caught in his throat. He had never meant to scare her, never intended to force her into this terror. The news—that the board of directors was preparing to vote him out—hit him like a thunderclap. Overwhelmed, he sought solace in alcohol, hoping to drown the storm raging inside him. Under the haze of drunkenness, his longing for Hazel reached an unbearable peak. He couldn’t control himself. His mind screamed for only one thing: her.

“Hazel… I’m sorry. Come back to me… let’s leave the past behind and start fresh, okay?” he pleaded. “The world out there… it’s so dangerous. Only I can keep you safe.”

“I’ve figured it out,” she said softly, her voice filled with a tenderness she couldn’t fully control. “I’ll handle Scarlett. I never really loved her… I was just confused, suppressed for so long…”

“I understand, Ambrose,” she said. “Please, just a little more time. Please…” While speaking, her fingers hovered over her phone, sending a distress message to her mother. She dared not anger Ambrose; she feared what he might do in his current state.

Ambrose’s eyes softened, a glimmer of hope lighting his gaze. He looked at Hazel as if she held the key to his salvation, like a child waiting for a promise to be kept. “Okay, okay. As long as you forgive me, Hazel, I’ll wait for as long as it takes.” His voice was pleading, raw desperation in every word.

Hazel’s reply was soft but firm. “It won’t be long…” Her voice held no trace of doubt; her resolve was steely despite the swirling emotions inside her.

Soon after, her mother arrived, her footsteps heavy and determined. With a platinum bag in hand, she wasted no time; her first swing landed squarely on Ambrose. The police, standing in the shadows, moved in swiftly, subduing him.

Ambrose, dazed and defeated, turned his gaze to Hazel. His voice was low, filled with disbelief. “You lied to me? You haven’t forgiven me? Hazel, why are you doing this? Don’t you understand? I love you!”

Hazel leaned into her mother’s protective embrace, her body trembling, but her words were cold and final. “I will never forgive you, and I never want to see you again. If you ever show up in front of me again, I will shoot you on sight.”

The police detained Ambrose, and as his identity was confirmed, the shockwaves rippled out, making headlines domestically and internationally. The Wright family and Hazel’s father were soon on their way, eager to negotiate and minimize the damage. Claudia cried uncontrollably, her sobs echoing through the room, while Ambrose, desperate to smooth things over, offered an obscene amount of compensation.

“This time, the Wright family was at fault,” a representative stated. “We hope Mrs. Bell and you, Hazel, will look at the past and let this go.”

Gianna didn’t flinch. With a cold, merciless laugh, she tore the letter of understanding into pieces, the sound of shredding paper hanging in the air like a death sentence. “You’ve wronged my daughter to this extent,” she said, her voice venomous. “Do you think I’m someone easy to bully? Our Bell family doesn’t need your dirty money!”

Claudia, her face reddened with fury, immediately pointed a trembling finger at Hazel, her voice a sharp, biting curse. “You shameless woman! You ran away from the wedding, humiliated the family in public, and now you’re conspiring with outsiders to ruin the Wright family!”

Hazel stood unwavering; the tension in the room was thick with accusation, but her resolve remained unshakable.