Chapter 14

I’d landed in Switzerland and started working at Sophie’s company. A perfect fresh start. Sophie’s family had been major players in organized crime for generations. Now they were going legitimate, laundering their operations through a high-end jewelry business. She was more than excited when I offered to help with the transition.

Sophie pulled strings to orchestrate the plane crash. Her connections also tracked down Hudson’s hired killer and secured a confession on tape. After giving Noah the proper goodbye he deserved, I buried myself in work. It was the only way to keep the past in the past.

I tried staying off social media, but some dramas are too big to ignore. Hudson had gone nuclear on his mother—cutting her off except for minimum support payments and ghosting all her attempts to reach out. He’d taken back everything he’d given Valeria and publicly denied Leon was his son.

Leon, spoiled beyond repair, couldn’t handle losing his luxurious lifestyle. He tried armed robbery and landed in prison. Valeria, whose only claim to Hudson’s fortune was Leon, saw her dreams crash. With no skills and no sugar daddy, she ended up working the streets. But she wasn’t young anymore. Loan sharks broke her legs. One night, fighting with a client over payment, she was found dead in a sleazy motel.

I delved into jewelry design, going beyond authentication. Sophie introduced me to industry legends who showed me the ropes. A few weeks in, I created a pendant collection called “Angel”—all about a mother’s love. Every mother sees her child as an angel, you know?

Sophie entered the jewelry showcase. We didn’t expect much. Then, boom—someone offered ten times the asking price, simply to meet the designer. That’s how I ran into Hudson again.

I barely recognized him. Time had ravaged him; his dark hair was now shot through with gray. The sight of him made me recoil, and I instantly turned to escape.

“Reese, wait!”