Chapter 18
Three years had passed, and I had built an empire. My name was no longer whispered in pity or disdain–it was spoken with reverence and fear. Pearl Anderson, the woman once discarded, now reigned at the top, standing beside the only man who had ever truly understood her power.
Tonight was no different.
The gala was one of the grandest events of the year, filled with the world’s most influential figures. The room sparkled with chandeliers, the clinking of champagne glasses, and the quiet murmurs of business moguls plotting their next big move…
And at the center of it all, I stood
Taurus was beside me, a silent protector and partner, his presence a constant reminder that I had won–not just in business, but in life.
Then, as the music softened and the lights dimmed slightly, Taurus turned to face me. His sharp navy suit was tailored to perfection, but it was his piercing gaze that held my attention.E
He reached into his pocket, and suddenly, the room quieted. The people around us hushed as he slowly knelt before me, pulling out a velvet box.
A gasp rippled through the crowd, but I barely noticed. My entire world narrowed to the man before me.
“Pearl Anderson,” he said, his voice deep, steady, filled with certainty. “You are the most powerful, brilliant, and ruthless woman I have ever met. You don’t need anyone–but if you’ll have me, I want to stand beside you for the rest of our lives.”
The room was silent. Every pair of eyes was on us.
I could feel their anticipation.
Once, I had believed in love–only to be shattered. But Taurus… Taurus had never asked me to shrink. He had built me higher. He had stood by me, not as a savior, but as an equal.!!
I smiled, slow and knowing. “Taurus Sullivan,” I whispered, “I suppose someone has to keep you in check.”
His lips twitched. “Is that a yes?*%
Instead of answering, I pulled him up by his tie and kissed him–fierce, unapologetic, victorious.
The room erupted into applause, the flashes of cameras exploding like fireworks.
And in the farthest corner of the room, drowning in the shadows of his own regret, stood the man who had once thrown me away.
Lothario.
-LOTHARIO’S POV-
She was never mine. Not really
I had once held her in the palm of my hand, convinced that she would always be there, waiting, devoted. But as I watched her now–her head tilted back in laughter, her hand firmly in his–I realized just how wrong I had been.
Pearl Anderson had risen, and I had been left in the ruins of my own arrogance.
! clenched my glass of whiskey tighter, watching as Taurus Sullivan slipped his arm around her waist with effortless familiarity. He had everything I lost–her warmth, her loyalty, her love.”
I hated him for it.
I hated myself more
Alessia was gone, rotting in a prison cell after her downfall. My company, though still standing, was a mere shadow of its former glory. Investors had fled the moment my engagement to Alessia collapsed. I had been too focused on revenge, on clawing back what I lost, to realize I had already lost the most important thing.
Her
Pearl turned then, her piercing eyes locking onto mine. For a brief second, I thought I saw something flicker in them. Pity Disgust Or maybe… nothing at all.
I had become a ghost to her
She turned away without a second glance, lifting her bouquet into the air. I held my breath.
Would she throw it toward me? Would she acknowledge me?!
She smirked.
And then, without hesitation, she tossed it–not towards me, not towards the past. But forward To the future she built without me.
-PEARLS POV–I
The ceremony was nothing short of perfection. Every seat was filled with the most powerful figures in the industry. Ther world watched as I walked down the aisle, my father–Alexander Anderson–at my side.
Three years ago, he had been just a name to me. A man of power who had unknowingly abandoned his own daughter. But now, as he looked at me with pride, I knew–I had rewritten that history.
“You look beautiful he whispered as we reached the altar.
I smirked. “Of course, I do.
Taurus stood at the altar waiting. He was calm, steady, his gaze unwavering as he held out his hand. And I took it. “Are you ready?” he murmured.
“Bom ready” I replied.
The vows were spoken, the rings exchanged. But the moment that sealed everything wasn’t the words. It was the way Taurus looked at me–like I was his world.
The minister declared us husband and wife, and Taurus didn’t hesitate. He pulled me into his arms, his kiss deep and claiming, igniting a roar of applause.
We turned to face the world as one–Pearl Anderson and Taurus Sullivan, the most powerful couple in the industry. But at the very back of the hall, hidden among the guests, stood the man who had once called me his.”
Lothario. I saw the way his fists clenched, the way his throat worked as he swallowed his misery. He looked… broken. I had forgiven him. Not for his sake, but for mine. But love? That was never coming back.”
As I held my bouquet, I felt his eyes on me. A desperate, silent plea. Would I give him a sign? A flicker of something? I smirked.
done looking
And then I tumed away. I threw the bouquet, not toward my past, but toward my future. Because I was do
back.I
***
Later that night, after the grand reception, I stood on the balcony of our honeymoon suite, looking out over the city I had once been trapped in.
Taurus joined me, slipping his arms around my waist, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder. “You did it,” he murmured. I tilted my head, smiling. “No, we did.”%
He turned me to face him, his fingers tracing my jaw. “You could still rule the world alone, you know.”
I shrugged. “Maybe,” I mused, “but where’s the fun in that?“%
He laughed, his lips capturing mine once more. And as he lifted me into his arms, carrying me inside, I knew-
Pearl Anderson, the woman once betrayed, now reigned supreme.!!
And this time, no one could ever take her crown.
THE END
