She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 1018

Aboard a private jet flying from Los Angeles to the Azure Isles, Helena leaned against the window. The clouds below were painted in hues of rose-gold by the setting sun, looking like spilled blush across the horizon.

She glanced down at the heavy Golden Globe resting in her lap, her reflection distorted in the gleaming metal.

Just hours ago, she had been standing on a global stage, delivering a speech to a sea of cameras and flashing lights. Now, the world had gone entirely quiet. The only sounds were the low hum of the jet engines and the soft rustle of documents as Morris flipped through a file.

"Tired?" Morris asked, looking up from his paperwork. He reached over and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"A little," Helena replied, setting the trophy on the adjacent seat and leaning into his side. "It just feels incredibly surreal."

"Surreal? Winning the award, or being with me?" Morris arched an eyebrow.

Helena thought about it for a second. "Both."

"I used to constantly doubt my talent, right up until the music finally validated me. But occasionally, a dark thought creeps in—did you pull some strings behind the scenes to buy this for me?" She looked up at him. "But knowing who you are, I know you wouldn't stoop to that."

"I didn't even know you when you won at Stanford," Morris replied coolly. "Wasn't that award enough to prove your genius?"

"That award didn't save me, but it gave me a stepping stone." She met his gaze. "And then there's you. We shouldn't have ever crossed paths. It was purely accidental."

"Accidents are just fate's way of intervening," Morris said. "You were the gift I almost let slip through my fingers."

A soft smile graced her lips at his words. "And you are mine. You are the only ray of light that could have ever saved me. Not just as my musical muse, but saving me from my family."

Her eyes searched his. "My family hasn't harassed me in ages. I know they would never just give up. You did something, didn't you?"

Morris held her gaze for a few seconds before a slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. "I did."

"Did you just pay them off? An astronomical sum, over and over, because you compromised for me?"

"Is that what you want me to do?"

Helena shook her head firmly. "No. I want the ties severed completely. I never want to see them again."

"Then your wish has been granted," Morris said smoothly. "I dealt with them quietly. They are alive, of course, but their living conditions have... drastically changed. They will have to rely entirely on their own physical labor to feed their son and secure their future. It will be grueling, but they will survive."

Helena was instantly intrigued. "What exactly did you do?"

"My brother occasionally acquires overseas mining operations," Morris said casually. "I had them shipped across the globe to work in the mines. Room and board are provided on-site. They can spend the rest of their lives contributing hard labor to the Lonsdale empire to pay off the blood they sucked from you. Fitting, isn't it?"

Helena was stunned into silence.

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