The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 18

<Chapter 18 The iron Empress-2

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Chapter 18: The Iron Empress-2

“No, baby. Why would t be sad?”

“Because you keep looking out the window like you’re thinking about something that makes you not smile.”

Three years old and already too perceptive for his own good. I hugged him close and forced brightness into my voice. “Mommy’s just thinking about work. But right now, I’m thinking about pizza and spending time with my favorite person in the whole world.”

“Me?” Tom giggled and wrapped his arms around my neck. “I’m your favorite?”

“Always.” I breathed in his little-boy scent of shampoo and crayons. “You’re my favorite person, my best friend, and the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“What about Daddy?” The question came out casual, but I felt Tom tense slightly in my arms. “Is he your favorite too?”

My throat tightened. Tom asked about his father more and more lately, wanting to know why other kids had daddies who picked them up from daycare and came to birthday parties. I’d been putting off the conversation, telling him his daddy was very busy, but I knew I couldn’t avoid it forever.

“Daddy is… complicated,” I said carefully. “But you are my favorite, and nothing will ever change that. Okay?”

“Okay.” Tom settled against my chest, apparently satisfied for now. “Can my dinosaur have pizza too?”

“Your dinosaur can have all the pizza he wants.”

We spent the evening in the penthouse suite I’d rented, eating pizza and watching cartoons while I tried not to think about the upcoming summit. But after Tom fell asleep, I stood at the window with a glass of wine and looked out at the city I’d once fled in terror.

Silverton looked different now, smaller somehow, less threatening. Or maybe I was the one who’d changed, grown too large for this place to contain me. I’d built an empire across three continents, made myself into someone who mattered, someone who couldn’t be dismissed or thrown away.

But standing here, looking at the skyline with Black Tower dominating the view, I still felt like that broken girl on the bus, clutching her suitcase and her shattered heart.

My phone buzzed with a message from Maya. How’s the first day? Are you okay? Do you need me to come down there and remind you how amazing you are?

I smiled and typed back: First day was good. Office is coming together. Tom ate an entire pizza by himself.

Her response came immediately: That’s my godson. And how are YOU? Have you seen him yet?

I knew she meant Caleb. Maya was the only person who knew the whole story, who’d held me through the nightmares and panic attacks in those early days, who’d encouraged me to build Hart Worldwide instead of letting revenge consume me.

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<Chapter 18 The tren Empress 2

Not yet. Summit is in two weeks. I’ll see him then.

And you’re sure you’re ready for that? Seeing him again after everything?

+25 Points

Was I ready? I’d spent years preparing for this moment, building myself into someone powerful enough to face him without flinching. But I still woke up sometimes from dreams where I was back in that office, pregnant and begging him to listen while he laughed.

I’m ready, I typed back, trying to convince myself as much as Maya. He can’t hurt me anymore.

Good. But Bella? Don’t let revenge make you into someone you’re not. Don’t lose yourself trying to hurt him

back.

I stared at the message for a long moment, then set my phone down without responding. Maya didn’t understand that revenge wasn’t about hurting Caleb, it was about proving I’d survived despite him. It was about showing everyone who’d thrown me away that I was worth more than they’d ever realized.

It was about making sure Tom never doubted his worth the way I’d doubted mine.

The next two weeks blurred together in a chaos of meetings, strategy sessions, and preparations. Hart Worldwide’s Silverton office opened to positive media coverage, several potential clients reached out about acquisitions, and my team worked around the clock to establish our presence in Caleb’s territory.

I barely slept, running on coffee and determination, pushing myself harder than I’d pushed anyone on my team. Because if I stopped, if I let myself think too much, I’d remember how it felt to stand in that on the road years ago with nowhere to go and no one who cared if I lived or died.

“Ms. Hart, you need to rest.” Lisa caught me in my office at 11 PM, still reviewing acquisition proposals. “You’ve been here since 6 AM.”

“I’m fine.” I didn’t look up from my laptop. “I just need to finish this analysis before tomorrow’s meeting.”

“Tom asked me today why you’re always tired.” Lisa’s voice softened. “He’s worried about you.”

That made me look up. “What did you tell him?”

“That his mommy is a superhero who works very hard to make the world better.” She smiled slightly. “But even superheroes need sleep, Bella.”

I closed my laptop with a sigh. “You’re right. I’ll head home. Just… there’s so much to do before the

summit.”

“The summit where you’ll see him?” Lisa asked carefully. She didn’t know the whole story, but she’d been with me long enough to pick up on the tension surrounding anything related to Black Enterprises. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, you know. You’ve already built an empire.”

“It’s not about proving anything.” I gathered my things and stood. “It’s about showing up and showing them exactly who I’ve become.”

That night, I lay in bed next to Tom, who’d crawled in sometime around midnight claiming he had a nightmare. I watched him sleep, his face peaceful and innocent, and wondered how I was going to explain everything when he was older.

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