After Rebirth, I Gave My Control, Freak Fiancé to My Stepsister , Engsub

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Transcript

00:00:00Billionaire fiancé Damien did not love me. He loved control.

00:00:04In my last life, I tried to become his perfect wife.

00:00:07Obedient, quiet, and easy to manage.

00:00:10I gave him everything, but he still chose my scheming stepsister every time.

00:00:15In the end, a car crash killed the woman he had spent years trying to cage.

00:00:18But death sent me back to the start, right before our wedding.

00:00:21This time, I will not beg for love.

00:00:23I am giving my controlling billionaire fiancé to my treacherous stepsister,

00:00:27packing my bags, and leaving New York forever.

00:00:30Their perfect world is going to burn, and I will walk away free.

00:00:35Manhattan's most exclusive VIP mic club was a blur of neon lights.

00:00:39I sat in the center of a private booth.

00:00:45And with perfect intention.

00:00:48Up by the second floor rallying, a paparazzi lens was pointed straight at us.

00:00:52Good.

00:00:53Those photos would be on Damien Blackhood's desk before morning.

00:00:57That was the whole point.

00:01:00Damien needed a wife who was spotless, graceful, and obedient.

00:01:02So I was going to rip his perfect wife fantasy apart with my own hands.

00:01:06If the scandal was ugly enough, he would call off the engagement himself.

00:01:09Then the air around me turned ice cold.

00:01:19In that split second, I could almost hear chains pulling tight from another life.

00:01:23In my past life, I loved him to the point of madness.

00:01:26I told myself his control was love.

00:01:28Then the Blackwood family code was placed in front of me.

00:01:31No nightclubs.

00:01:32No being alone with any man.

00:01:34No leaving New York without permission.

00:01:35He froze my passport and cut off every account I had.

00:01:39Then he clasped a diamond bracelet around my wrist and called it an engagement gift.

00:01:43It was not a gift.

00:01:45It was a GPS tracker.

00:01:47He sanded me down, piece by piece, until I became something quiet and hollow.

00:01:52The perfect Mrs. Blackwood.

00:01:54When a car crash ended my suffocating life.

00:01:58I had been reborn on the night before our wedding.

00:02:01This time, I did not want Damien.

00:02:03I wanted to be Scarlet Vale again.

00:02:05So the first thing I did was find my father.

00:02:07I want to call off the engagement.

00:02:09What the hell is wrong with you?

00:02:10Marrying to the Blackwood family is the greatest opportunity of your life!

00:02:14He is so perfect, let Clara marry him.

00:02:16She is the dignified, obedient one.

00:02:18The ideal Blackwood wife, right?

00:02:22You are really willing to give it up?

00:02:24I did not wait for the rest.

00:02:26I booked an international flight and moved my passport somewhere Damien could not reach.

00:02:30And called my best friend Mia.

00:02:32Come drink with me.

00:02:33Which brought me here, to this moment.

00:02:37Who gave you the nerve to come to a place like this?

00:02:39I go where I want.

00:02:41What does that have to do with you?

00:02:58My blood ran cold.

00:02:59That bracelet.

00:03:01The same one that had locked away my freedom in my last life.

00:03:04Don't touch me!

00:03:09GPS tracking.

00:03:10Heart rate monitor.

00:03:11Entry and exit logs.

00:03:13Synced in real time.

00:03:14Every step you take, I will see it.

00:03:16I want a public apology statement by tomorrow morning.

00:03:19You put diamonds on a cage and think that makes it something else?

00:03:24I held his gaze and said it clearly, one word at a time.

00:03:27I am not marrying you, Damien.

00:03:30We are done.

00:03:34Car went silent.

00:03:35Damien's eyes snapped mine.

00:03:37Done?

00:03:38Done what?

00:03:39What the hell is that supposed to mean?

00:03:41For a second, I almost told him the truth.

00:03:44That the bride had already been changed.

00:03:46That Clara was the one his family would get.

00:03:48Then I stopped myself.

00:03:50I wanted him dreading every day until the wedding.

00:03:52Convinced he was still stuck with me.

00:03:55Forget it.

00:03:56I was just mad.

00:04:02I'm taking you home.

00:04:03Sit properly.

00:04:05I kicked off my heels, pressed my bare feet into his expensive floor mat, and rolled the window down.

00:04:11When are you going to learn to behave like a Blackwood wife?

00:04:14Maybe in my next life.

00:04:16The rose stopped at the Vale Estate gates.

00:04:18I want that apology on my desk by nine tomorrow.

00:04:21And don't waste your time trying to take off the bracelet.

00:04:24I pushed the door open.

00:04:25I looked down at the disgusting thing locked around my wrist.

00:04:28Then you'd better watch closely.

00:04:30I slammed the door and walked inside without looking back.

00:04:33Richard, Monica, and Clara were all waiting in the living room.

00:04:37My father, his ex-mistress turned trophy wife, and the bastard daughter they'd spent years polishing

00:04:42into exactly the kind of obedient, presentable girl Damien wanted.

00:04:46You reek of alcohol.

00:04:48And you wore a Blackwood engagement bracelet to a nightclub.

00:04:51Have you completely lost your mind?

00:04:54Don't be too hard on her, Richard.

00:04:56Though honestly, I'm not sure a family like the Blackwoods can afford that kind of reputation.

00:05:00Scarlet, Dad said he already spoke with the Blackwoods.

00:05:04Are you really sure you want me to take your place?

00:05:06A hundred percent sure.

00:05:08You've always loved picking up what I throw away.

00:05:11This time I'm handing it to you myself.

00:05:13No need to sneak around for it.

00:05:16Watch your mouth!

00:05:18Clara is steadier, smarter, and a far better fit for the Blackwood family than you ever were!

00:05:23Perfect.

00:05:24Just don't come crying to me when the whole thing blows up in your faces.

00:05:29I only hope you won't regret this.

00:05:31I would hate to see you lose everything because of one bad mood.

00:05:38Scarlet Veil never regrets a damn thing.

00:05:44A servant came hammering on my door first thing in the morning.

00:05:47Damien was downstairs.

00:05:48He stood in the living room like last night had never happened.

00:05:51First thing he checked was my wrist.

00:05:54The bracelet.

00:05:55Green light blinking.

00:05:57Then he looked up.

00:05:58The statement.

00:05:59I didn't write one.

00:06:00Blackwood's PR team buried those photos.

00:06:02I need that statement.

00:06:03Your rules do not apply to me anymore.

00:06:05I am not signing anything.

00:06:06When are you going to learn to do or told?

00:06:08Not in this lifetime.

00:06:10Right on cues, Clara appeared in a white dress, eyes faintly red, holding a printed statement.

00:06:14Damien, please don't be angry with Scarlet.

00:06:16She was upset last night.

00:06:18I wrote the statement for her.

00:06:19Will this work?

00:06:20Damien scanned it.

00:06:22When he looked back at me, the disgust was undisguised.

00:06:25Look at Clara.

00:06:26She knows when to be graceful, when to step back, when to put the family first.

00:06:31All you do is create problems.

00:06:35Scarlet just needs more time.

00:06:37The Blackwood Charity Gala is tonight.

00:06:39I can go with her and help her get through it.

00:06:42Help me with what?

00:06:43How to smile on cue?

00:06:46How to play the innocent girl in white while hiding the snake underneath?

00:06:50Enough.

00:06:51Add her name and release it.

00:06:52I did not sign it.

00:06:53You went to a nightclub as the future Mrs. Blackwood.

00:06:56It stopped being your personal guest the second you dragged my family name into it.

00:06:59If you refuse to do the right thing, I will do it for you.

00:07:02Then take Clara.

00:07:03She is always so good at doing the right thing.

00:07:04You are my fiancé.

00:07:06You will be at that gala tonight.

00:07:07Fine.

00:07:08This life, I was going to give him exactly what he wanted.

00:07:10Clara linked her arm through mine, going upstairs.

00:07:13Warm smiles, nails digging into my skin.

00:07:15The second the door closed, I shook her off.

00:07:17Nobody is watching.

00:07:18Drop the act.

00:07:19Damien will be mine.

00:07:20On the wedding day, he will be grateful someone made the switch.

00:07:22A disaster like you has no business near the Blackwood name.

00:07:24Then why didn't you tell him just now?

00:07:25Scared that once he knows, he still won't want you?

00:07:27I won't just keep your mouth shut, Scarlet.

00:07:28I don't care about the you or your control freak fiancine.

00:07:31Happy wedding.

00:07:34The Blackwood Family Charity Gala was packed with Manhattan's most powerful people, old

00:07:39money, new money, and the kind of influence that could buy both.

00:07:42I showed up deliberately in a floor-long thread backless gown, bold, unapologetic, and everything

00:07:48a Blackwood wife was not supposed to be.

00:07:50Clara wore white couture, pristine as a lily.

00:07:54When the waltz began and every eye in the room drifted toward Damis, Manhattan's most coveted

00:07:59heir stepped forward and reached right past me, his actual fiancée, to offer his hand

00:08:04to Clara.

00:08:05The socialite crowd broke into sharp, delighted whispers.

00:08:08Did you see that?

00:08:10He chose the stepsister?

00:08:12Honestly, I get it.

00:08:13Scarlet is a walking scandal.

00:08:14Clara is everything a Blackwood wife should be.

00:08:17Damien led Clara onto the floor without looking back, then threw me a cold parting shot.

00:08:21You do not know how to dance at this level.

00:08:23Stay where you are and watch Clara.

00:08:26Maybe you will finally learn something.

00:08:29I watched them turn beneath the chandeliers and felt nothing but revulsion.

00:08:34I slipped upstairs to the terrace for air, desperate to breathe something that did not

00:08:39feel like a trap.

00:08:40Of course, Clara followed.

00:08:41Her heels clicked up the stairs like she had been attached to my shadow all night.

00:08:45She wore the face of someone who had already won, and when she spoke, her voice was low and

00:08:49vicious.

00:08:50Poor Scarlet.

00:08:51Your mother could not beat mine, and now you cannot beat me either.

00:08:56Losing must run in your blood.

00:08:57She should have said anything else.

00:08:59Anything but that.

00:09:00She had insulted my dead mother.

00:09:02My eyes went cold.

00:09:03Without a word, I drew back and slapped her heart across the face.

00:09:06The crack cut through the night air.

00:09:08Clara's head snapped to the side, and her cheek flushed red almost instantly.

00:09:12She screamed.

00:09:14You crazy bitch!

00:09:15You actually hit me?!

00:09:17I closed the distance and grabbed her by the neck.

00:09:20Hit you?

00:09:21I can do a lot worse than hit you.

00:09:23I trained in MMA, Clara.

00:09:25Taking apart a fake, fragile little thing like you would barely count as exercise.

00:09:29I whipped one leg up in a clean sidekick.

00:09:36The courtyard below erupted into screaming chaos.

00:09:39I straightened my dress, picked up my wrap, and turned to leave.

00:09:42But I had not made it three steps before Damien's hand clamped around my wrist like a vice.

00:09:46His eyes were bloodshot with rage, and his voice was cold enough to freeze the air between us.

00:09:50Clara fell from the terrace.

00:09:52Was it you?

00:09:53I met his eyes without flinching.

00:09:55I met his eyes without flinching.

00:09:56Yes.

00:09:56She had it coming.

00:09:59You are beyond saving.

00:10:00Since she refuses to apologize, she needs to learn a lesson.

00:10:03Throw her into the estate fountain.

00:10:05No one lets her out until I say so.

00:10:06The bodyguards grabbed me before I could fight them off.

00:10:09No matter how hard I struggled, they dragged me across the courtyard and threw me straight into the fountain.

00:10:14The water was freezing cold, but it was liquid water, not ice.

00:10:18The spring night air cut like a blade, and the cold sank straight into my bones.

00:10:22Every time I clawed for the marble rim of the fountain,

00:10:25the guard standing along the edge pushed me back under without a word.

00:10:28The struggle drained me fast.

00:10:30Then something worse hit me.

00:10:32A sharp, familiar cramp twisted low in my abdomen.

00:10:35My period had come early.

00:10:37Blood seeped into the cold water around me,

00:10:39spreading in slow, dark ribbons beneath the surface.

00:10:42I was trembling, barely conscious, when I heard one of the guards call Damien.

00:10:45Sir, Miss Val just got her period.

00:10:47There is blood in the water.

00:10:48Should we keep going?

00:10:48There was a brief silence on the other end.

00:10:50Keep going.

00:10:51She will never learn if she does not suffer the consequences.

00:10:53In that moment, my blood ran colder than the fountain ever could.

00:10:56The despair of two lifetimes crashed down over me, all at once.

00:11:00And the world went black.

00:11:05When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital room that smelled sharply of antiseptic.

00:11:09Damien was sitting at my bedside.

00:11:11When he saw me wake up, he released my hand with an expression of careful indifference.

00:11:15I spoke with your father.

00:11:16He will not give you any more trouble.

00:11:18But do not ever go after Clara.

00:11:21Clara is my father's precious little affair daughter.

00:11:24She is not my problem, and I am not promising you a damn thing.

00:11:32Mr. Blackwood, Clara is getting very upset in the next room.

00:11:35She has been crying and asking for you.

00:11:38I will go check on her.

00:11:40She was hurt because of you.

00:11:42As your fiancée, it is only proper that I go.

00:11:48Go on, then.

00:11:49Run to your real fiancée.

00:11:50On the day I was discharged, Damien forced me back into the car and drove me to the veil

00:11:55estate.

00:11:55But when I pushed open my bedroom door, my blood went cold.

00:11:58Clara was sitting at my vanity, dangling a sapphire necklace from her fingertips.

00:12:02My mother's sapphire necklace.

00:12:04The only thing she had left me.

00:12:06I crossed the room in three steps.

00:12:08My voice stripped down to nothing.

00:12:10Put it down and get out.

00:12:13Your's?

00:12:14Scarlet, everything in this house is going to be mine.

00:12:26Daddy, I only wanted to look at Scarlet's necklace, and she shoved me into the floor.

00:12:39What the hell are you smiling at?

00:12:41I looked straight at Clara.

00:12:42You love putting on a show?

00:12:43Fine.

00:12:44I will give you the performance of your life.

00:12:46I grabbed a metal pen from the vanity and drove it straight at the Clara's palm.

00:12:50Clean through.

00:12:51Pinned to the hardwood.

00:12:52Ah!

00:12:52You fucking psychoanster!

00:12:54Get out!

00:12:54Get this animal out of my house!

00:12:56You are no longer welcome in the veil family!

00:12:58The servants dragged me to the door and threw my luggage into the mud.

00:13:02I bent down, pulled my mother's sapphire necklace out of the dirt, and held it tight.

00:13:06It was raining.

00:13:07I stood sosed under an ornery until a black rose pulled up.

00:13:09Damien got out without a word, put me in the car, and drove me to his house.

00:13:13He came back with a first aid kit and started treating the mark my father had left on my face.

00:13:17Then the doorbell rang.

00:13:19Clara.

00:13:20Banded hand.

00:13:20Fragile expression.

00:13:21She walked straight into Damien's arms like she belonged there.

00:13:24Damien, I had to come.

00:13:25I was worried what she did to me.

00:13:26She is still family.

00:13:26Damien's face darkened.

00:13:27Apologize to her.

00:13:28Right now, Scarlet.

00:13:30Not a chance in hell.

00:13:31We started arguing by the entryway.

00:13:33Damien reached for my arm, and I shoved him off.

00:13:35In the struggle, his elbow knocked into the glass kettle sitting on the side cabinet.

00:13:38The kettle reacted to the floor and shattered.

00:13:40Scalding water exploded across the marble.

00:13:42He threw himself around Clara and covered her completely.

00:13:44I was on the other side.

00:13:45The boiling water splashed across my legs and arm.

00:13:47My skin turned red almost at once, then started to blister and peel.

00:13:50Damien checked Clara first.

00:13:52She was fine.

00:13:53Then he glanced at me on the floor, bent down, and picked Clara up.

00:13:55Leave her.

00:13:56A little pain might teach her to think before she goes after you again.

00:13:59He left me alone on the floor, with scalding water still spreading around me.

00:14:05I sat on that floor, holding myself together through the pain, and called 911 myself.

00:14:10I got out of the hospital just in time for Clara's birthday party.

00:14:13Richard used the occasion to make a grand announcement.

00:14:15The majority of the Vale family's trust assets and shares would be transferred to Clara.

00:14:19In front of every guest in the room, took out a velvet box, and clasped a diamond necklace

00:14:23worth a small fortune around Clara's neck.

00:14:25Clara's socialite friends swept over with their glasses, making sure to spill red wine

00:14:29across my dress.

00:14:31Look at the ex-fiancé.

00:14:32You clean up like somebody's charity project.

00:14:39The bottle shattered.

00:14:40Blood and liquor ran together.

00:14:42The room erupted in screams.

00:14:44Damien was on me in seconds, crushing my wrist in his grip, his eyes loaded with contempt.

00:14:50Scarlet, what the hell is wrong with you?

00:14:52Apologize to them.

00:14:53Now.

00:14:54In your dreams!

00:14:55Damien laughed, but there was no humor in it.

00:14:58It was the laugh of a man who had run out of patience completely.

00:15:01He knew exactly what I feared most.

00:15:03Since you refuse to listen, you can sit in the dark and think about what you have done.

00:15:06Locker in the wine cellar.

00:15:07Nobody opens that door without my permission.

00:15:09They dragged me into the estates' basement wine cellar.

00:15:12Stone walls.

00:15:13No windows.

00:15:14No light.

00:15:15The heavy iron door slammed shut, and total darkness swallowed me whole.

00:15:19Three days and three nights.

00:15:21No water.

00:15:22No food.

00:15:23The fear nearly broke me.

00:15:24On the fourth day, the door finally opened, but it was not Damien.

00:15:28It was Clara, pushing in a piece of equipment I did not recognize.

00:15:32She was smiling like something out of hell.

00:15:34Damien said you needed to learn a real lesson, so I brought something to make sure it sticks.

00:15:39Two men in black dragged me to a metal chair and strapped me down.

00:15:42They pressed electrode pads to my temples.

00:15:44Clara hit the switch.

00:15:46The current ripped through me.

00:15:47The pain had no words.

00:15:49It only had sound, and the sound was mine.

00:15:53Then there was nothing at all.

00:15:57I woke up in the main house, in a proper bed.

00:16:00Damien was sitting beside me, frowning.

00:16:02I told you to stay in there and think.

00:16:04Three days.

00:16:04How are you this week?

00:16:05I opened my eyes and looked at him.

00:16:07Your precious Clara brought men into that cellar with an electric shock chair and used it on me.

00:16:12Do you believe me?

00:16:15Impossible.

00:16:16Clara's gentle.

00:16:16She would never do something like that.

00:16:18Scarlet, there is a limit to how far you can take a lie.

00:16:20He would never believe me.

00:16:22Fine.

00:16:23I would collect that debt on my own.

00:16:25That night, I hired a team and made the arrangements myself.

00:16:28That night, Clara had been bound, suspended in the open air through the entire night.

00:16:34Damien kicked my door in, the vein in his temple visible from across the room.

00:16:37You left Clara hanging off a rooftop all night.

00:16:39If it were not for the safety net at the base of the building, she would be dead.

00:16:42I sat by the window, trimming my nails without looking up.

00:16:45Damien slammed his hand on the table hard enough to rattle it.

00:16:47The wedding is in a few days.

00:16:49You are staying in this house in Tobin.

00:16:50You are not going anywhere.

00:16:52Do you understand me?

00:16:53The night before the wedding, a still-shaking Clara was brought back to the Vale estate.

00:16:57Richard took one look at me and started screaming.

00:16:59Stay away from the wedding tomorrow.

00:17:00Don't you dare show your face and humiliate this family.

00:17:02I picked up the luggage I had already packed and smiled at him.

00:17:07Trust me.

00:17:09That suffocating circus is the last place I would ever want to be.

00:17:12You could not pay me to go.

00:17:18Wedding morning.

00:17:20When I came downstairs, Damien was already in the house.

00:17:23At Clara's insistence, the ceremony had been planned as an elaborate, old-fashioned church wedding.

00:17:29Damien couldn't see who was underneath it.

00:17:31He assumed his lessons had finally worked, that the sharp edges had been worn down,

00:17:36and the woman walking toward him had learned to obey.

00:17:39He stepped forward and took the bride's hand gently.

00:17:42Don't be nervous, Scarlet.

00:17:43I'm right here.

00:17:44I will teach you everything you need to know to become the perfect Mrs. Blackwood.

00:17:49Go on, Damien.

00:17:51Marry your dream wife.

00:17:52Consider it my wedding gift to you both.

00:17:55Once the procession left for St. Hart Cathedral, the Vale estate went completely quiet and flagged a cab to JFK.

00:18:04Inside the car, I pulled a small remote from my coat pocket and looked back at the house one last

00:18:09time.

00:18:10My mother had designed it.

00:18:12Now it sheltered the woman who had replaced her and the daughter who had spent years making my life hell.

00:18:17I was done with it.

00:18:22Miss, was that your house?

00:18:26Yes.

00:18:27I blew it up.

00:18:50The priest began to bow.

00:18:55Damien lowered his voice, speaking only to the bride in front of him.

00:18:58After today, I will personally teach you how to be a proper Mrs. Blackwood.

00:19:01He took the bride's hand and guided her toward the altar, as camera flashes stirred across the room.

00:19:06Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.

00:19:08The groom lifted the veil.

00:19:09Damien reached up with calm, certain fingers, caught the edge of the lace and swept it back.

00:19:13For one breath, the cathedral seemed to freeze.

00:19:15The face in front of him was not the one burned into his memory.

00:19:18It was not the proud, defiant face he had spent years trying to control.

00:19:22It was Clara, flushed with excitement, her eyes bright with smug satisfaction.

00:19:26The cathedral went silent for one stunned second, before the whole room broke into chaos.

00:19:30Why is the younger veiled daughter wearing the wedding dress?

00:19:33The half-smile on Damien's face frozen, then vanished completely.

00:19:37His pupils tightened like someone had struck him.

00:19:39In one violent motion, he flung the veil away as if it had burned his hand.

00:19:43Clara had no warning.

00:19:45The Force sent her stumbling back and crashing to the floor, her headpiece crooked,

00:19:49and her white gown tangled around her legs in front of the entire congregation.

00:19:54Damien's voice tore through the cathedral.

00:19:56Where is Scarlet? Tell me where she is!

00:20:01The most prestigious society wedding in New York had just turned into the city's biggest scandal.

00:20:07Damien, just finish the ceremony.

00:20:10Richard told us a few days ago that the bride was being changed to Clara.

00:20:14We thought Clara was more suitable, more composed.

00:20:17The arrangement benefits both families' trusts and shareholding, so we agreed to it privately.

00:20:21She had assumed he would be relieved. His reaction told her she had never understood her son at all.

00:20:26Damien's personal istant pushed past security and sprinted into the hall.

00:20:29His face drained of color.

00:20:31Sir, it is bad. The veil estate exploded half an hour ago.

00:20:33The entire mansion is gone. There is nothing left but rubble.

00:20:36That sentence snapped the last thread of Damien's composure.

00:20:40If I had not come to the wedding, I had to be at the estate.

00:20:42That reckless, insane woman. Did she burn herself alive in there?

00:20:46It was enormous and bottomless, the kind of fear that only came when loss had already reached for your throat.

00:20:51He shoved his mother aside, ignored every voice calling after him, and ran.

00:20:55The black rolls tore through red lights one after another before screeching to a stop in front of what remained

00:21:00of the veil estate.

00:21:01Damien stumbled out of the car and stood before the scorched ruins, feeling as if something had been carved straight

00:21:07out of his chest.

00:21:08He screamed my name into the rubble until his voice broke.

00:21:11Then he shoved past the emergency crew and tore into the debris with his bare hands.

00:21:15The entire structure could have caved in at any second, but he did not stop.

00:21:20Get off me! She might still be in there! Let me through!

00:21:26His designer suit was shredded where the debris had caught it, but he did not notice.

00:21:30Rebarm sliced his palms open. Smoldering cinders burned blisters straight into his skin.

00:21:34Blood dripped into the sut, but he did not flinch once.

00:21:37There was only one thought left in him.

00:21:39He had to find her. His voice had gone raw.

00:21:54In the area where my bedroom had been, he finally dug out a small jewelry box, warped and half-melted,

00:22:00with the blackwood crest barely recognizable on the surface.

00:22:02His hands shook as he pried it open.

00:22:04Inside lay a diamond necklace fused into a molten shape.

00:22:07He closed his fist around it. The scorched, twisted metal cut into his palm, but he held on anyway.

00:22:12Guilt hit him like drowning, cold and total, with no way back to the surface.

00:22:15For the first time, he understood what his control had done to the woman he to love.

00:22:19I had always been bright, defiant, but he had spent years trying to grind that fire out of me.

00:22:24His certainty, his rules, and his need to own every part of my life had driven me to this.

00:22:28Then his assistant came sprinting across the debris field, holding a tablet and barely able to breathe.

00:22:33Sir, we found something. You need to see this.

00:22:35It was security footage from a discreet camera at a side exit near the estate.

00:22:39The timestamp was ten minutes before the explosion.

00:22:42A slender figure in a plain coat, pulling a small carry-on, walked out of the Vale estate at an

00:22:46easy pace.

00:22:47She flacked a cab on the street.

00:22:49Just before getting in, she looked back at the house, raised her hand, and pressed something.

00:22:52Behind her, the fireball rose.

00:22:54The image was grainy, but Damien Profford knew that face had burned into him for years.

00:22:58It was me, alive and untouched, walking out of the house by my own choice.

00:23:05The relief and a deeper, darker panic hit him at the same time, nearly knocking him off his feet.

00:23:09She was alive. That was everything.

00:23:12But she had done this with clear eyes and steady hands.

00:23:14She had blown up the house she had grown up in, set up a wedding day decoy, and walked away

00:23:17without looking back.

00:23:18This was not a tantrum, and it was not a cry for attention.

00:23:21She truly did not want him.

00:23:22She hated him enough to erase her old life in one morning, and she had meant every word she said.

00:23:27Damien pulled himself up from the wreckage.

00:23:29His eyes shot through with red, and his voice scraped raw.

00:23:32But there was something in it now beyond rage.

00:23:34Something dangerously close to desperation.

00:23:36Listen to me.

00:23:36Use every private aviation resource and every security network the Blackwood family has.

00:23:41I want every private terminal and border crossing in this country locked down.

00:23:44He locked eyes with his assistant.

00:23:45Track that cab.

00:23:46Pull passenger manifels and facial recognition data from every transatlantic departure.

00:23:50Search every route, every airport name she could have used.

00:23:52I want her found, and I want her found now!

00:23:54After giving the orders, he drove straight to the Four Seasons where Richard's family had taken a suite.

00:23:59Inside, Richard, Monica, and a shaken, pale-faced Clara were still trying to recover from the morning's disasters.

00:24:05Damien kicked the door open and walked in like something feral.

00:24:08Hands raised, were scrambled.

00:24:09Damien, please let me explain.

00:24:10Scarlet refused the marriage herself.

00:24:11She voluntarily handed the contract over to Clara.

00:24:13We had no choice.

00:24:14Clara is gracious.

00:24:15She is well-behaved, and she is far more appropriate for you than that wreckage.

00:24:18She handed it over.

00:24:19Damien laughed.

00:24:20Low and terrible was the look you gave something already dead.

00:24:23Do you have any idea what you have done?

00:24:25Do you think I am some piece of property your family can pass around whenever it suits you?

00:24:29He overturned the marble coffee table, shards scattered across the carpet.

00:24:34There is one woman who carries the name Damien Blackhurst's wife.

00:24:38That woman is Scarlet, and it has always been Scarlet.

00:24:41Now tell me where she is.

00:24:46Clara had been terrified from the moment Damien walked in.

00:24:49But watching him fall apart like this over the woman who had run away made her envy curdle

00:24:55into something vicious.

00:24:56It became stronger than fear.

00:24:58She threw herself forward and grabbed the leg of his trousers, looking up at him with

00:25:03tears streaming down her face.

00:25:06Damien, what does she have that I do not?

00:25:09I love you more than she ever did.

00:25:11I will follow every rule in that family code.

00:25:14I will be the perfect Mrs. Blackwood.

00:25:20Just look at me, please.

00:25:22Look at me for once.

00:25:23Damien looked down at her.

00:25:24There was nothing in his eyes.

00:25:26Not anger, not pity.

00:25:27Just naked, undisguised disgust.

00:25:29He stepped back, then kicked her away from him.

00:25:31Clara crashed into the corner of the sofa and gasped from the impact.

00:25:34Do not ever compare yourself to her.

00:25:38You do not even get to come close to a single hair on her head.

00:25:41The only reason you and your entire family ever mattered to me was because of Scarlet.

00:25:46Without her, you are nothing.

00:25:48I would waste a second looking at her.

00:25:49He did not stay to hear Richard and Monica beg.

00:25:52Clara!

00:25:53No, she!

00:25:56He walked out.

00:25:57Back at Blackwood Tower, in the top floor office.

00:26:01He moved through the dark like something trapped in a cage.

00:26:05Pacing because he could not stop and could not think.

00:26:09Hours later, his assistant came in looking worse than before, holding a file with both hands.

00:26:14Sir, we found new records.

00:26:16Miss Vale filed an expedited single-entry exit visa through a private channel one week before the nightclub incident.

00:26:24One week before the nightclub?

00:26:26His feet stopped moving.

00:26:28The realization hit him like ice water.

00:26:31The nightclub, the dancer, the paparazzi, and even the bracelet had all been part of the same plan.

00:26:38Every time she pushed him, provoked him, and refused him.

00:26:43It had never been recklessness.

00:26:45It had never been a tantrum or some desperate game for attention.

00:26:48She had planned everything carefully, putting every piece in place long before he had ever thought she was capable of

00:26:55it.

00:26:55She had not stumbled into freedom by accident.

00:26:59She had built her escape step by step, and she had never once intended to come back.

00:27:07Damien braced himself against his desk, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

00:27:12He stared at the date on the file as if it were the last thing left in the world.

00:27:16His stomach twisted violently, and regret hit him so hard it felt almost physical.

00:27:22He suddenly remembered how different I had been during those days.

00:27:26I had screamed the same thing at him again and again.

00:27:29I told him I was not marrying him.

00:27:31I told him we were done.

00:27:32Back then, he had thought it was just a spoiled heiress throwing a tantrum.

00:27:36He thought all he had to do was snap a tracking bracelet around my wrist,

00:27:40lock me up for a few days,

00:27:42force me to sign a public statement,

00:27:44and I would stay trapped inside that beautiful cage.

00:27:47But the truth was, that I had already decided I did not want him anymore.

00:27:53Was it the insane family code that had driven me away?

00:27:56Was it the way he kept taking Clara's side and blaming me every single time?

00:28:03Was it the night he threw me into that freezing fountain while I was bleeding?

00:28:08Or was it the simple fact that he had never once believed me?

00:28:12The question spread through Damien's mind like poison,

00:28:15but none of it changed the only thing he cared about now.

00:28:19No matter what it took,

00:28:21even if he had to use every dirty trick the Blackwood family had,

00:28:25he had to get me back.

00:28:27Even if I hated him,

00:28:28even if I resented him,

00:28:30even if I made him suffer for the rest of his life,

00:28:32he was going to keep me by his side forever.

00:28:37Keep searching.

00:28:38Don't stop until you find it.

00:28:40He told him to use every connection the Blackwood family had,

00:28:44from finance circles to private security networks.

00:28:47He did not care what it cost.

00:28:49He did not care who they had to pressure.

00:28:51They were going to find me.

00:28:55The entire month that followed turned into a manhunt.

00:28:59I had vanished without a trace.

00:29:00There was no record of me on any private jet manifest,

00:29:03no ferry log,

00:29:04and no clean departure route anyone could find.

00:29:07Anxiety burned through Damien's nerves every second of every day.

00:29:11Since he could not take that rage out on me,

00:29:13he poured all of it onto the already broken Vale family.

00:29:19Blackwood Group launched a full-scale commercial attack on the Vale businesses.

00:29:23Their methods were merciless,

00:29:24and they left no room for survival.

00:29:27The Vale company had already been falling apart.

00:29:29Within two weeks,

00:29:31its assets were liquidated,

00:29:33its stock price collapsed,

00:29:34and bankruptcy was waiting at the door.

00:29:41Richard was completely losing his mind.

00:29:45He went to Blackwood Tower several times,

00:29:48begging for a meeting,

00:29:49but he could not even get past the elevator on the ground floor.

00:29:52After the bankruptcy,

00:29:54Clara became the easiest target for Damien's despair.

00:30:00She could not accept it.

00:30:03She kept trying to use the media to get Damien's attention.

00:30:06She even stood outside Blackwood Tower in the pouring rain,

00:30:09waiting there like someone with nowhere else to go.

00:30:12Finally,

00:30:12she threw herself in front of Damien's stretch limousine,

00:30:15and refused to move.

00:30:17Move.

00:30:18Clara pressed her face against the rain streak window,

00:30:21crying so hard she could barely speak.

00:30:23She begged Damien to stop destroying the Vale family.

00:30:27She said she was sorry.

00:30:28I promised I would find that bitch Scarlet and bring her back.

00:30:33All I wanted was for him to look at me.

00:30:35The window rolled down only a crick,

00:30:37revealed Damien's cold, hollow face,

00:30:40and the stubble along his jaw.

00:30:41He did not even give her a proper look.

00:30:46Get her out of my way.

00:30:51The guards got out and dragged Clara away like she was nothing,

00:30:55ignoring her screams.

00:30:58The limousine drove off,

00:31:00leaving Clara sitting in the mud,

00:31:02sobbing in the rain.

00:31:04Damien closed his eyes and let the alcohol and sleepless nights swallow him whole.

00:31:08He had started relying on heavy doses of sleeping pills,

00:31:12just to get a few hours of rest.

00:31:14But every time he fell asleep,

00:31:16the same nightmares came back.

00:31:18He saw me in the fountain,

00:31:20bleeding and pale.

00:31:21He heard me screaming in the wine cellar while the current tore through me.

00:31:27He saw the explosion and the fire swallowing the Vale estate.

00:31:31Every time,

00:31:32he woke up drenched in cold sweat,

00:31:34his heart pounding with terror and regret.

00:31:37He became darker and more violent with each passing day.

00:31:41Everyone in Blackwood's upper management walked on eggshells around him.

00:31:45One week later,

00:31:46Damien's mother forced him to attend a top-teal private charity gala in Manhattan.

00:31:51No one had expected that after Scarlet Vale left,

00:31:53she would take the soul of Manhattan's most powerful air with her.

00:31:56Damien stood in a corner with a glass of whiskey,

00:31:58staring blankly at the dance floor.

00:31:59Then for one second,

00:32:00he thought he saw a familiar figure in a bright red dress,

00:32:02laughing with that proud,

00:32:03dazzling profile he could not forget.

00:32:06He called my name.

00:32:08His heart almost stopped.

00:32:10He lost every trace of composure,

00:32:12pushed through the crowd of politicians and billionaires,

00:32:15and grabbed the woman's wrist.

00:32:19What the hell are you doing?

00:32:20Let go of me!

00:32:21It was not me.

00:32:22The light in Damien's eyes went out instantly,

00:32:24replaced by despair and humiliation.

00:32:25He released her as if all the strength had left his body.

00:32:28The wealthy guests around him stared with confusion and thinly hidden mockery.

00:32:32Sir, please.

00:32:32You need to be careful.

00:32:34This is not appropriate.

00:32:35It does not meet Blackwood family standards.

00:32:37Damien repeated the word with a bitter laugh.

00:32:40Standards?

00:32:41To hell with the standards.

00:32:42I do not care about any of it anymore.

00:32:45I only want Scarlet.

00:32:47Then he pulled his fist back

00:32:48and slammed it into the decorative stone pillar beside him.

00:32:52His knuckles split open immediately,

00:32:54and blood ran down the column.

00:32:56But he did not feel the physical pain.

00:32:58All he felt was the hollow space in his chest where something vital used to be.

00:33:06Another week passed.

00:33:09The thick curtains were drawn shut.

00:33:11The ashtrays were overflowing with cigar beads.

00:33:14The air smelled of tobacco and bitter coffee.

00:33:18Inside the top floor office of Blackwood Tower,

00:33:20the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like the silence before a storm.

00:33:24Damien had been sitting there for five days without real sleep.

00:33:27Every hour felt like torture.

00:33:29His desk was covered with reports from private investigators,

00:33:32and they all said the same thing.

00:33:36They could not find me.

00:33:38Just as he was about to lose the last of his sanity,

00:33:41his assistant walked in carefully with a black coffee.

00:33:47He swallowed hard before speaking.

00:33:49Sir, we have new information.

00:33:52We cross-checked blurry facial matches from every non-standard exit channel

00:33:56over the past three months.

00:33:57We found someone who looks a lot like Miss Vale.

00:34:00Damien's head snapped up.

00:34:02His blood-shart eyes locked onto the assistant like a starving wolf.

00:34:05The assistant quickly continued.

00:34:07She appeared in the transit area of Heathrow Airport.

00:34:12The timing matches.

00:34:14It was three days after the mansion exploded.

00:34:20Damien grabbed the classified file from his assistant,

00:34:23his fingers shaking so badly from desperation and excitement

00:34:26that he could barely hold it steady.

00:34:28He stared at the enlarged surveillance photo.

00:34:31The image was blurry,

00:34:32but it showed someone in a coat

00:34:34walking towards a quieter boarding gate

00:34:36with a small suitcase.

00:34:38The figure was familiar enough to burn through his bones.

00:34:42He knew it was a new lead on me.

00:34:44Hope lit up the near-extinction madness in his eyes

00:34:47like the last lifeline thrown to a drowning man.

00:34:50Where was the connecting flight going?

00:34:52We are still working on it.

00:34:54Heathrow transit records are complicated,

00:34:56and she seems to have avoided the major national flights

00:34:58that required stricter identity checks.

00:35:00She chose smaller, cheaper airlines

00:35:02that attracted less attention.

00:35:03It will take time.

00:35:04We do not have time.

00:35:08Get the jet ready.

00:35:09We are leaving for Heathrow right now.

00:35:11Yes, sir.

00:35:11Sir, the Federal Reserve Board meeting is this afternoon.

00:35:14Cancel it.

00:35:15Cancel everything.

00:35:17Nothing matters more than finding her.

00:35:18Three hours later,

00:35:19the Blackwood family's private jet

00:35:21tore through the clouds above Manhattan

00:35:23and landed at Heathrow Airport in London.

00:35:25The plane had not even fully stopped

00:35:27before Damien was already opening the door.

00:35:29He could not wait for the stairs to lower all the way

00:35:31and jump down.

00:35:32His tie was crooked,

00:35:33his shirt collar was torn open,

00:35:35and deep circles shadowed his eyes.

00:35:36Messy stubble covered his jaw.

00:35:38He looked nothing like the perfectly dressed,

00:35:40untouchable CEO he used to be.

00:35:41Damien repeated the city name under his breath

00:35:43as he ran through the crowded airport,

00:35:45his sharp eyes scanning every woman he passed.

00:35:48Finally,

00:35:49he saw the boarding gate,

00:35:50just as it was about to close.

00:35:54Damien's eyes locked onto the end of the boarding line.

00:35:56The slender figure in a cream linen dress,

00:35:59wide-breamed hat and sunglasses

00:36:01was the woman he had been hunting for an entire month.

00:36:04Scarlet?

00:36:05He ran toward her,

00:36:06not caring that travelers around him were staring in shock.

00:36:09He grabbed my wrist

00:36:11and held on like his life depended on it.

00:36:13My body went stiff.

00:36:17Let go of me,

00:36:18Mr. Blackwood.

00:36:20Grabbing a woman in public like this

00:36:21is not very appropriate,

00:36:22is it?

00:36:23I thought your precious family code

00:36:25cared about appearances.

00:36:26The cold sarcasm in my voice

00:36:28hit Damien like ice water,

00:36:29but he did not care anymore.

00:36:32Scarlet,

00:36:32come back with me.

00:36:34Please.

00:36:35I know I was wrong.

00:36:36I screwed up.

00:36:37I will fix it.

00:36:38Just come home with me.

00:36:40I laughed and pried his fingers off me,

00:36:43one by one.

00:36:45Come back to what?

00:36:47That cage with 3,000 stupid rules?

00:36:49Am I supposed to go back and play Mrs. Blackwood again?

00:36:52His face turned paler.

00:36:54I looked at him with open disgust.

00:36:56Did you forget your perfect bride is Clara now?

00:36:59Your sweet, sensible little bride is waiting for you.

00:37:03Chasing your ex-fiancé through an airport

00:37:05is a bad look, Damien.

00:37:06The man who had once been Manhattan's coldest

00:37:08and most untouchable heir

00:37:09fell to his knees in that foreign airport,

00:37:11surrounded by cameras and strangers,

00:37:13looking smaller than dirt.

00:37:15Damien looked up at me,

00:37:16and tears finally broke through.

00:37:17The wedding did not count.

00:37:19I never wanted her.

00:37:20I do not care about the family code anymore.

00:37:23If you come back with me,

00:37:24you can do whatever you want.

00:37:25I will agree to anything.

00:37:27Just do not leave me like this.

00:37:28I took a step back,

00:37:30as if avoiding something filthy.

00:37:32Your apology came too late,

00:37:34and honestly, I do not need it.

00:37:36Then I turned around,

00:37:38handed my boarding pass to the gate agent,

00:37:40and walked straight into the jet bridge

00:37:42with my back straight.

00:37:43Damien tried to follow,

00:37:45but airport security and his assistant held him back.

00:37:48Scarlett!

00:37:49He screamed my name toward the closing door,

00:37:52sounding like a man being torn apart.

00:37:58Three months later, in Monaco,

00:38:00inside the Monte Carlo Casino,

00:38:02money and desire blurred together

00:38:03under the glittering lights.

00:38:04The sound of poker chips never stopped.

00:38:06At a crowded Bacarmo table,

00:38:08every man nearby had his eyes fixed

00:38:10on the woman sitting across from the dealer.

00:38:14That woman was me.

00:38:16I wore a black silk slip dress

00:38:18with thin straps and a high clip

00:38:20that revealed my pale ankles and silver heels.

00:38:24The next round of cards came out.

00:38:25I barely glanced at my hand

00:38:27before tapping my fingers lightly on the table.

00:38:31Raise.

00:38:32Player wins.

00:38:34Then he pushed a mountain of chips toward me.

00:38:36The crowd around us broke into amazed whispers.

00:38:39They said the socialite from New York

00:38:41had won seven hands in a row.

00:38:43They said my psychological game was terrifying.

00:38:46I took a sip of champagne

00:38:48and almost laughed at the irony.

00:38:50This was not luck.

00:38:51It was probability, statistics, and psychology.

00:38:54All the things Damien had once forced me to learn

00:38:56so I could become the perfect high society wife.

00:38:59I never thought those lessons would become

00:39:01my best weapon for burning through money

00:39:03in a place like this.

00:39:04Just as I was about to place another bet,

00:39:06a drunk local heir named Charles

00:39:08shoved through the crowd.

00:39:09His face was red from losing too much money

00:39:11and he reeked of alcohol.

00:39:13Come play with me tonight.

00:39:16I will split my winnings with you.

00:39:18Before his hand could touch me,

00:39:19I stepped back and lifted my right foot

00:39:21in its seven centimeter heel.

00:39:23Then I kicked him hard and precisely between the legs,

00:39:26using every bit of strength I had built

00:39:28through years of training.

00:39:30I was about to leave with my chip card

00:39:32when the crowd suddenly parted.

00:39:33A young mixtape man walked toward me

00:39:35with his hands in his pockets.

00:39:36He wore a black suit with the top three buttons undone,

00:39:39looking relaxed and arrogant in a way

00:39:40that came naturally to men who had never been told no.

00:39:42A limited edition watch gleamed on his wrist.

00:39:44It was Nathaniel.

00:39:48Nathaniel had an unlit cigar between his lips.

00:39:50He used the polished tip of his shoe to nudge Charles,

00:39:52who was still curled up on the floor groaning.

00:39:54His expression was pure contempt.

00:39:56You put your hands on someone I am interested in

00:39:58in my casino.

00:39:59That is not flirting, Charles.

00:40:01That is a death wish.

00:40:05If I ever see you near her again,

00:40:07what she broke tonight will be the least of your problems.

00:40:10Charles scrambled away with the help of his friends,

00:40:12too scared to look back.

00:40:14Then Nathaniel turned to me.

00:40:15His deep, flirtious eyes landed on mine,

00:40:17and he did not bother hiding his interest.

00:40:19He stepped forward naturally,

00:40:21slid one arm around my waist,

00:40:22and pulled me closer with a confidence

00:40:23that was almost insulting.

00:40:25His hold was intimate, possessive,

00:40:27and far too practiced.

00:40:28My body tensed,

00:40:29and I tried to pull away,

00:40:30but his arm stayed relaxed

00:40:31while still leaving no room to escape.

00:40:33He lowered his head close to my ear,

00:40:35his warm breath brushing my skin.

00:40:37I have been watching the little wildcat

00:40:39from New York for a while now.

00:40:41Those claws are impressive.

00:40:42Then he lifted his head

00:40:43and announced it to the whole casino

00:40:45with the kenless arrogance of a spoiled playboy.

00:40:47Damien Blackwood was blind enough not to want her.

00:40:50Lucky me,

00:40:51because I do.

00:40:53The Monaco socialists watching from nearby

00:40:55immediately started buzzing with gossip.

00:40:58Everyone knew Nathaniel had impossibly high standards,

00:41:01and now he was publicly chasing a runaway bride from New York.

00:41:05I looked up at him,

00:41:06met his burning gaze,

00:41:08and smiled.

00:41:10I appreciate the offer,

00:41:12but do I look like I need a man to get whatever I want?

00:41:16Nathaniel did not get angry.

00:41:17Instead,

00:41:18he pulled me a little closer,

00:41:19and the admiration in his eyes almost overflowed.

00:41:23That mouth of yours is dangerous.

00:41:25I like dangerous.

00:41:30I stayed in Monaco for a while,

00:41:32and Nathaniel kept his word.

00:41:33He pursued me loudly, aggressively,

00:41:35and with absolutely no shame.

00:41:36The next morning,

00:41:37a limited edition bright yellow Lamborghini

00:41:39was parked outside my apartment building.

00:41:40The keys were delivered with a card

00:41:42written in messy handwriting.

00:41:43It was just a way to get around.

00:41:44If you crash it,

00:41:45I will pay for it.

00:41:46A few days later,

00:41:47he rented a massive luxury yacht

00:41:49and threw an extravagant party on the water,

00:41:50insisting that I be the center of it.

00:41:58Have fun anywhere you want.

00:42:00Use my name if anyone gets in your way.

00:42:02He took me skydiving,

00:42:04deep-sea diving,

00:42:05and even snuck us onto an F1 track

00:42:06to race cars in the middle of the night.

00:42:08He did every crazy, dangerous,

00:42:10reckless thing with me,

00:42:11and none of it had anything to do with

00:42:12family codes, rules,

00:42:14or proper behavior.

00:42:15What got to me most

00:42:15was that he never asked me

00:42:16to be gentle, quiet, or obedient.

00:42:18He never wanted me to behave.

00:42:20Whenever I pushed a race car

00:42:21up to 200 miles per hour,

00:42:22showing every wild edge I had,

00:42:24he sat in the passenger seat

00:42:25whistling and cheering

00:42:26like he had never seen anything better.

00:42:28After we landed on the soft sand

00:42:29from a 10,000 meter skydive,

00:42:31Nathaniel pulled off his goggles.

00:42:32His hair was a mess,

00:42:33and he was smoking a cigarette

00:42:34while looking at my flushed face

00:42:35with a chalky smile.

00:42:36This is how you are supposed to live, Scarlett.

00:42:38Wild, loud, and impossible to leash.

00:42:40It suits you a hell of a lot better

00:42:41than playing some polished fake heiress

00:42:43in New York.

00:42:44Looking at this loud, arrogant man,

00:42:45I felt something inside me start to loosen.

00:42:47A frozen part of my heart,

00:42:49locked away by Damien for two lifetimes,

00:42:50began to thaw just a little.

00:42:52When I was with Nathaniel,

00:42:53I did not have to pretend.

00:42:54I did not have to be careful.

00:42:55I could let every sharp edge show.

00:42:57One night, we were playing a huge game

00:42:58of Texas Hold Us at a private club,

00:43:00and I had lost several hands in a row.

00:43:01I was hesitating over whether to call the bet

00:43:03when Nathaniel lazily pushed

00:43:05more than half of his kips towards me.

00:43:06Call it.

00:43:07Do not get scared now.

00:43:08If you lose, it is on me.

00:43:10If you win, it's your fun life.

00:43:12On the way home that night,

00:43:13with the wind blowing through the car,

00:43:15he was quiet for once.

00:43:17Then, he said something I did not expect.

00:43:21You know, we met a long time ago.

00:43:27I turned my head in surprise

00:43:29and looked at his handsome profile.

00:43:34Nathaniel kept his eyes on the road

00:43:36and let out a bitter laugh.

00:43:38Years ago,

00:43:39at a horse track in New York,

00:43:42you were 18.

00:43:44Richard, Monica, and Clara there

00:43:46to embarrass you

00:43:47in front of half the social crowders.

00:43:49Do you remember what you did?

00:43:52You jumped your horse over the highest obstacle

00:43:54and beat the guy

00:43:55who had been looking down on you all day.

00:43:57You were sitting on that horse,

00:43:59laughing like you owned the whole world,

00:44:00loud, arrogant, impossible to ignore.

00:44:03I remember thinking,

00:44:04damn, that girl is something else.

00:44:08I was stunned.

00:44:10I had almost forgotten that miserable day

00:44:12when Richard had tried so hard

00:44:14to humiliate me.

00:44:16Too bad your eyes were only

00:44:17on that fake gentleman,

00:44:19Damien Blackwood.

00:44:20I was wild back then, too,

00:44:22but I knew one thing.

00:44:24You cannot force someone to want you.

00:44:27So I did not step in

00:44:28just to get rejected.

00:44:32His words landed like a stone

00:44:34dropped into the dead-still lake

00:44:35of my heart.

00:44:37So there had been someone

00:44:38watching the real Scarlet Vals all along,

00:44:41even when I had not known it.

00:44:43What truly changed the way I saw him

00:44:44happened during a dirt bike accident.

00:44:46We were racing on a mountain road

00:44:47in southern Europe.

00:44:48On the way down,

00:44:49the pavement was wet

00:44:50and I was going too fast.

00:44:51My tire lost traction on a sharp turn

00:44:53and both my bike and I flew toward a steep drop

00:44:55hundreds of feet below.

00:44:57In that split second,

00:44:58Nathaniel was right behind me.

00:45:00He did not hesitate.

00:45:01He hit the gas and shot toward me,

00:45:02using his heavier bike to slam into mine

00:45:04and change the direction of my fall.

00:45:05But because of the force and the rebound,

00:45:07he and his bike went tumbling down the steep slope

00:45:09hill and found him among the rocks.

00:45:10His right leg was pinned under the heavy bike.

00:45:12Blood covered his forehead

00:45:13and his face was white from pain.

00:45:15Do not cry.

00:45:16I am too damn tough to die like this.

00:45:18Even then,

00:45:18he forced an ugly cocky smile,

00:45:20like he was still trying to make me feel better.

00:45:24In the private hospital in Monaco,

00:45:26Nathaniel had thick bandages

00:45:28wrapped around his head

00:45:28and a cased on his right arm,

00:45:30but he still acted like the same wild,

00:45:32carenless trouble mare.

00:45:33He lay in the hospital bed,

00:45:34looking at me as I sat beside him

00:45:36with slightly red eyes.

00:45:37For once,

00:45:37he put away all his cocky,

00:45:39unserious attitude.

00:45:41His deep,

00:45:42flurchous eyes locked onto mine

00:45:43with a seriousness

00:45:44I had never seen from him before.

00:45:46I know you've been hurt.

00:45:48I know Black Hill broke you

00:45:50with his rules and chains.

00:45:54I am not asking you

00:45:55to get over it from me.

00:45:57Take all the time you need.

00:45:58I can wait.

00:46:00I can wait.

00:46:02When you are ready

00:46:03to want someone again,

00:46:05I want you to think of me first.

00:46:07His honesty,

00:46:07the way he had risked his life

00:46:09to save me

00:46:09and the way he accepted

00:46:10every wild part of me

00:46:11without trying to change it

00:46:12all hit me at once.

00:46:13It felt like hot sunlight

00:46:14breaking through the frozen walls

00:46:15around my heart.

00:46:16For this time,

00:46:17I did not answer with something sharp.

00:46:18I only lowered my eyes

00:46:19and felt some of those

00:46:20cold, hard chains inside me

00:46:21begin to crack.

00:46:22But the peace did not last long.

00:46:24A few days later,

00:46:25the nightmare found me again.

00:46:27Late one night,

00:46:28after I had been out

00:46:29dancing with Mia,

00:46:30I was walking back

00:46:31to my apartment

00:46:32when the air around me

00:46:33turned cold

00:46:33in a way I knew too well.

00:46:35A thin, worn-out figure

00:46:36stood under the shadow

00:46:37of a streetlight.

00:46:37His eyes red

00:46:38with endless obsession.

00:46:39Damien Blackwood.

00:46:40He looked terrifying.

00:46:41His suit was wrinkled,

00:46:42his eyes were bloodshot

00:46:43and violent desperation

00:46:44seemed to radiate

00:46:45from his entire body,

00:46:46like he was one step away

00:46:47from losing his mind.

00:46:48He stepped forward

00:46:48and grabbed my arm,

00:46:50squeezing so hard

00:46:50it felt like he was

00:46:51trying to break it.

00:46:52His voice was rough,

00:46:53like sandpaper

00:46:54dragged over concrete.

00:46:56Scarlet,

00:46:56are you done

00:46:57playing games?

00:46:58Come back with me.

00:47:00Now.

00:47:03Let go of me,

00:47:04Mr. Blackwood.

00:47:05Do we even know each other?

00:47:16Just as Damien

00:47:17was about to force me

00:47:18into his car,

00:47:19a hand with long,

00:47:20defined fingers

00:47:21and a limited edition watch

00:47:22cut through the air

00:47:23faster than anyone expected.

00:47:24It caught Damien's wrist

00:47:26with a sharp smack

00:47:27and held tight.

00:47:30A Blackwood CEO

00:47:31should know better

00:47:32than to put his hands

00:47:33on my woman in public.

00:47:36Even a three-year-old

00:47:37knows you cannot

00:47:38force someone to want you.

00:47:40He twisted Damien's wrist

00:47:41with sudden,

00:47:42explosive strength,

00:47:43forcing him

00:47:44to let go of me.

00:47:46At the same time,

00:47:47he slid his arm

00:47:48around my waist

00:47:49and pulled me behind him,

00:47:51natural and protective.

00:47:53Damien's eyes

00:47:54shot to Nathaniel's hand

00:47:55on my waist

00:47:55like poison daggers.

00:47:57The jealousy and rage

00:47:58burned through

00:47:59the last thread of sanity

00:48:00the New York air

00:48:01had left.

00:48:01Damien's veins stood out

00:48:03on his forehead

00:48:03and he spat Nathaniel's name

00:48:05through his teeth.

00:48:06Take your hands off her.

00:48:08You are a spoiled piece of trash

00:48:10who changes women

00:48:11more often than cars.

00:48:12Do not touch her

00:48:14with your filthy hands.

00:48:15If you do not let go,

00:48:17I will destroy

00:48:18your entire family

00:48:19in Europe.

00:48:24I am a mess, sure.

00:48:26I sleep around

00:48:27and I have never

00:48:28pretended to be a saint.

00:48:30Then his tones

00:48:31changed completely

00:48:32and every word

00:48:33came out cold

00:48:34and poisoned.

00:48:35But I have never

00:48:36been sick enough

00:48:36to make a woman

00:48:37write a 10,000 word

00:48:38tumbleck apology.

00:48:39I have never locked her

00:48:41in a dark wine cellar

00:48:42for three days

00:48:43without food

00:48:43but water.

00:48:44I have never thrown her

00:48:45into a freezing fountain

00:48:46at a gala,

00:48:48watched her bleed

00:48:49in the water

00:48:49and then told my guards

00:48:51to keep going

00:48:52because she needed

00:48:52to learn a lesson.

00:49:00So tell me, Blackwood,

00:49:03what the hell

00:49:04kind of man

00:49:05do you think you are?

00:49:09Every word out

00:49:10of Nathaniel's mouth

00:49:11cut open the guilt

00:49:12Damien had been

00:49:12trying not to face.

00:49:14Right there

00:49:14on a foreign street,

00:49:16Nathaniel stripped away

00:49:17every pathetic excuse

00:49:18Damien had ever made

00:49:19about love,

00:49:19discipline,

00:49:20and protection,

00:49:21leaving him with

00:49:21nothing to hide behind.

00:49:23The color drained

00:49:23from Damien's face.

00:49:25His lips trembled

00:49:26and he tried to argue back

00:49:27but his throat was so dry

00:49:28that not a single word

00:49:29came out.

00:49:30Two months of guilt

00:49:31and regret

00:49:32crashed over him

00:49:33all at once.

00:49:33His vision went dark

00:49:35and he could barely stand.

00:49:36Then he snapped.

00:49:38Shut up.

00:49:40His voice was hazy

00:49:42and shaking.

00:49:45Shut your mouth!

00:49:47The last thread

00:49:48holding him to get broke.

00:49:50He pulled his fist back

00:49:51and charged forward

00:49:52trying to tear me away

00:49:54from Nathaniel.

00:49:55Nathaniel had run

00:49:56out of patience.

00:49:57His eyes went cold

00:49:58and he lunged forward

00:50:00throwing a punch

00:50:01straight at Damien.

00:50:02Two powerful men

00:50:03who were used to

00:50:03commanding boardrooms

00:50:04and making entire markets move

00:50:06started brawling

00:50:07on the streets of Monaco

00:50:07like common street thugs.

00:50:09The heavy sound

00:50:09of fists hitting flesh

00:50:11and the raw grails of age

00:50:12made casino guests

00:50:13scream and scattered.

00:50:14In the chaos,

00:50:15Damien used that reckless,

00:50:17almost suicidal force

00:50:18to break through the guards

00:50:19and reach me again.

00:50:21Come with me.

00:50:22I am not losing you again.

00:50:24He grabbed my shoulders

00:50:25with his bloody hands,

00:50:26his eyes obsessive

00:50:27and unhinged.

00:50:28Damien forced me

00:50:29into the black armored car

00:50:30waiting on the street

00:50:31and ordered his men

00:50:32to clear up pay.

00:50:34Clear the way,

00:50:34now!

00:50:37Drive to the private airport.

00:50:38Now,

00:50:39we are leaving for New York.

00:50:43By the time Nathaniel

00:50:44ran back into the street

00:50:45with blood on his face,

00:50:46all he could see

00:50:47were the taillights

00:50:48disappearing toward the coast.

00:50:53Find Blackwood's

00:50:54private flight path

00:50:55across the Atlantic,

00:50:56get my people ready.

00:50:57I am going to New York

00:50:59and I am tearing

00:51:00his tower down

00:51:01if I have to.

00:51:03Twelve hours later,

00:51:04the Gulf Ray

00:51:04landed a heavily guarded

00:51:05private estate

00:51:06outside New York City,

00:51:07completely isolated

00:51:08from the outside world.

00:51:09It was Damien's

00:51:10most hidden asset,

00:51:11a beautiful golden cage

00:51:12built with the best

00:51:13security systems

00:51:14money could buy.

00:51:15I was locked inside

00:51:16the luxurious living room,

00:51:17but I stayed

00:51:18completely silent.

00:51:19I did not cry.

00:51:20I did not scream.

00:51:22I did not make a scene.

00:51:23I only looked at Damien

00:51:24with a coldness

00:51:25that made it clear

00:51:26he was already dead to me.

00:51:29Damien's heart cracked

00:51:30piece by piece

00:51:30under that look.

00:51:31He desperately wanted

00:51:33to make things right.

00:51:35Then he suddenly remembered

00:51:36that I had once mentioned

00:51:38liking a certain

00:51:38French dessert.

00:51:40He had never been

00:51:40in a kitchen in his life,

00:51:42but he took off his jacket

00:51:43and walked into the kitchen anyway,

00:51:45clumsily cutting ingredients

00:51:46with his ruined hands.

00:51:47Hot oil splashed up

00:51:48and burned blisters

00:51:49across the backs of his hands,

00:51:50but he did not seem to notice.

00:51:51An hour later,

00:51:52he came out carrying

00:51:53a plate of dessert

00:51:54that looked terrible

00:51:54and slightly burnt.

00:51:55He walked up to me

00:51:56with a tired,

00:51:57worn-out face

00:51:58that carried a pathetic

00:51:59kind of hope.

00:51:59His whole body was shaking.

00:52:01His eyes were red

00:52:02and he could barely stand

00:52:03as a help it played out to him.

00:52:04He used to say you liked this.

00:52:06I made it myself.

00:52:07Please, Scarlet,

00:52:08just try one bite.

00:52:10I leaned against the couch,

00:52:11completely different,

00:52:12and did not even bother

00:52:13to look at him.

00:52:14I treated him

00:52:14like he was invisible.

00:52:15Damien's heart sank deeper

00:52:16into that frozen silence

00:52:17until there was nothing

00:52:18left but despair.

00:52:19All his pride fell away

00:52:21as he dropped to his knees

00:52:21in front of me

00:52:22and looked up like a beggar.

00:52:23I know that now.

00:52:24I do want the family code anymore.

00:52:25I will never lock you down again.

00:52:26Just do not look at me

00:52:27like I'm already dead.

00:52:28It's driving me insane.

00:52:29Why you can't forgive me?

00:52:34I finally turned my head

00:52:35and looked at his broken face.

00:52:38Beneath my calm surface

00:52:40was the frozen cold

00:52:41of two lifetimes.

00:52:42You really want to know why?

00:52:44Fine, Damien.

00:52:46I will tell you.

00:52:47I looked at him without blinking.

00:52:49Because at the charity gala,

00:52:51you let your guards

00:52:52throw me into a freezing fountain.

00:52:55You knew I was bleeding.

00:52:56And when they asked

00:52:58if they should stop,

00:52:58you told them to keep going.

00:53:01His face went white

00:53:02because in the pouring rain,

00:53:04you brought me back

00:53:05to your mansion.

00:53:06But the second Clara

00:53:07put on her innocent little act,

00:53:09you protected her

00:53:10from the boiling water

00:53:11and left me on the floor

00:53:13while my skin peeled off.

00:53:15His breathing turned unsteady

00:53:16because you locked me

00:53:18in that dark wine cellar

00:53:19and gave Clara the perfect chance

00:53:21to torture me

00:53:22with an electroshock chair.

00:53:23When I told you the truth

00:53:25with injuries all over my body,

00:53:26you called me a liar.

00:53:29His face went pale.

00:53:31Every time you had to choose

00:53:32between me and Clara,

00:53:33you chose her.

00:53:36You chose your family's reputation.

00:53:39You chose control.

00:53:40And now you are kneeling here

00:53:41asking me to believe you loved me?

00:53:44Every word struck Damien like a judgment.

00:53:47Damien's face was completely pale.

00:53:49His body shook so hard

00:53:50he could barely stay upright.

00:53:51He tried to argue,

00:53:52to say I had misunderstood.

00:53:53But in front of those brutal facts,

00:53:55he realized words meant nothing.

00:53:57Regret tore through him.

00:53:58He tried to stand

00:53:59but accidentally knocked over the bag

00:54:01tucked between the couch hips.

00:54:03Everything inside spilled onto the floor.

00:54:05As he scrambled to pick it up,

00:54:07his fingers touched a medical file

00:54:09hidden deep inside.

00:54:14Damien opened the medical report

00:54:16from the private hospital in Monaco

00:54:17before he could think better of it.

00:54:19Large area deep second degree burns

00:54:21with severe PSTV

00:54:22caused prolonged psychological

00:54:24combustible and a pressure.

00:54:25Burns.

00:54:26Boiling water.

00:54:29He stared at the date on the report.

00:54:32It was the same day

00:54:33he had knocked over the hot water

00:54:34and carried Clara away from the mansion.

00:54:36That was how badly I had been hurt.

00:54:38It had not only been my body,

00:54:40my mind had been damaged too.

00:54:42And what had he been doing then,

00:54:44the man who claimed to love me?

00:54:45He had been holding Clara,

00:54:47the person at the center of all of it,

00:54:49asking if she was okay.

00:54:51Meanwhile, he had left me

00:54:51in boiling water to suffer.

00:54:53Damien completely lost control.

00:54:55He punched the wall so hard

00:54:56that the crack of his knuckles

00:54:57breaking was audible.

00:54:58Blood splattered across the wall,

00:54:59but the physical pain was nothing

00:55:01compared to the feeling of his heart

00:55:02being crushed piece by piece.

00:55:03He crawled back to my feet

00:55:05like a dying dog

00:55:06and grabbed the hem of my dress

00:55:07with his broken, bleeding hand.

00:55:09His voice was wrecked

00:55:10as he apologized over and over again.

00:55:13I did not know it was that bad.

00:55:15Scarlet, I swear I did not know.

00:55:18Kill me if you want.

00:55:19Take a knife and do it right now.

00:55:21Just give me one chance.

00:55:23Please.

00:55:24Just one chance.

00:55:27I looked down at him,

00:55:29my long lashes

00:55:30casting cold shadows over my eyes.

00:55:32There was no emotion in them at all.

00:55:35I heard your apology, Damien.

00:55:37I just do not forgive you.

00:55:43At that moment,

00:55:44the roar of Moletter cycle engines

00:55:46screaming security alarms

00:55:47exploded outside the villa.

00:55:49Through the chaos of guards

00:55:50yelling and fighting,

00:55:51the thick bulletproof front door

00:55:52of the living room

00:55:53was slammed open from the outside.

00:55:55Nathaniel burst in covered in injuries,

00:55:57his eyes wild with rage,

00:55:58carrying the kind of fury

00:55:59that looked ready to kill.

00:56:03Nathaniel strode in over the shattered glass,

00:56:05his black leather jacket

00:56:07stained with the blood of Damien's guards.

00:56:10The usual lazy charm in his eyes was gone,

00:56:13replaced by something savage and deadly.

00:56:17He pulled me behind him

00:56:19in one swift motion.

00:56:22His right fist trembled

00:56:24from the force he was barely holding back.

00:56:29Damien Blackwood,

00:56:30you really had the nerve

00:56:32to take her right under my nose.

00:56:34You think because your family runs New York,

00:56:36I cannot touch you.

00:56:38Damien was still on the floor.

00:56:40His broken hand hung at his side,

00:56:42blood dripping from his fingertips

00:56:43onto the expensive wool carpet.

00:56:44Slowly, he stood.

00:56:46His proud, untouchable spine

00:56:47looked bent now,

00:56:48but the moment he saw Nathaniel,

00:56:50jealousy and violence

00:56:51flared back to life in his hollow eyes.

00:56:53Let her go.

00:56:54Nathaniel, this is New York.

00:57:00This is my territory!

00:57:02When the council I'm assailed,

00:57:04you are not taking her anywhere!

00:57:07Nathaniel looked as if he had just heard

00:57:09the funniest thing in the world.

00:57:14He stepped forward

00:57:15and grabbed Damien by the collar,

00:57:17lifting him with brutal force.

00:57:19Your territory?

00:57:20Look outside.

00:57:22Beyond the windows,

00:57:24countless armored vehicles

00:57:25flashed with warning lights

00:57:26surrounding the private estate.

00:57:28Nathaniel's men had already formed

00:57:30a standoff with Blackwood's guards.

00:57:32I am not just taking her out of here today.

00:57:37I am going to go and collect.

00:57:39I select the life you should have lost in Monaco,

00:57:41right here in New York.

00:57:47Damien did not fight back.

00:57:49He let Nathaniel hold him by the collar,

00:57:51but his eyes stayed locked on my face

00:57:52over Nathaniel's shoulder.

00:57:54There was no trace of his old arrogance

00:57:56left in that look,

00:57:57only a plea so desperate

00:57:59it had sunk into his bones.

00:58:01Scarlet, do not go.

00:58:02I am begging you.

00:58:06Stay, even if all you want is to kill me.

00:58:09I looked at him without emotion,

00:58:11as if I were looking at something already dead.

00:58:14Damien,

00:58:15the moment you threw yourself in front of Clara,

00:58:17we became enemies in both lifetimes.

00:58:20Do not make me hate you more than I already do.

00:58:23Then I turned and took Nathaniel's blooded hand myself.

00:58:27Nathaniel, let's go.

00:58:29Nathaniel froze for half a second,

00:58:31then clasped my hand tightly,

00:58:33locking his fingers with mine.

00:58:34With a look of disgust,

00:58:35he shoved Damien away as if pushing aside trash.

00:58:38Damien staggered back

00:58:40and crashed into the luxury wine cabinet behind him.

00:58:43Countless bottles shattered across the floor

00:58:45and dark red wine spread over the wreckage like blood.

00:58:50He sat collapsed in the ruin,

00:58:52able to do nothing but watch

00:58:53as Nathaniel shielded me

00:58:54and led me out of that beautiful golden cage

00:58:57without looking back.

00:58:59Nathaniel shielded me

00:59:00and led me out without looking back.

00:59:06The door slammed shut behind us.

00:59:09Behind it came Damien's broken,

00:59:12desperate growl.

00:59:21The suffocating gloom of New York

00:59:23was left behind on the other side of the Atlantic.

00:59:27Nathaniel did not take me back to Modico

00:59:29in its glittering, noisy world of money and pleasure.

00:59:32Instead, he put me on his private jet

00:59:34and flew me straight to an extremely private estate

00:59:36in the south of France.

00:59:37The estate sat deep in the quiet Provence countryside,

00:59:40far away from the world.

00:59:45When I opened the windows,

00:59:46I could see endless fields of lavender.

00:59:49The air smelled clean,

00:59:51full of grass,

00:59:52sunlight,

00:59:53and peace.

00:59:54There was no Richard Will calculating what I was worth.

00:59:57There was no Damien Blackfield

00:59:58haunting me with his obsession.

01:00:00There was only a silence

01:00:01gentle enough to make breathing feel easy again.

01:00:04Cancel all meetings.

01:00:06Nathaniel threw away every bit

01:00:08of his Southern European Playboy image

01:00:10and became surprisingly patient.

01:00:12He canceled business mootings,

01:00:15turned down parties,

01:00:15and simply sat with me during breakfast

01:00:17in the flower-filled garden.

01:00:19At sunset,

01:00:20he would lie half on the grass

01:00:22beneath the grapefines

01:00:23with a book in his hand.

01:00:24Every now and then,

01:00:25he would look up and flash me

01:00:27that lazy,

01:00:28troublemaking smile.

01:00:29He never mentioned New York.

01:00:30He never mentioned Damien Blackwood.

01:00:33He never mentioned any part of the past that hurt me.

01:00:36With that strange,

01:00:37reckless tenderness only he had,

01:00:39he slowly chased the shadows of my last life

01:00:42from between my brows.

01:00:46The skin burned by deep second-degree scald

01:00:49still arced at night,

01:00:51and the PTSD left by my past life

01:00:53often dragged me awake from nightmares.

01:00:56Every time I sat up covered in cold sweat,

01:00:58I saw a faint light glowing outside on the terrace.

01:01:00Nathaniel was always there,

01:01:01guarding my bedroom

01:01:02from the soap outside the glass doors.

01:01:04He held an old guitar in his arms,

01:01:06his long fingers moving over the strings.

01:01:08The melodies were never perfect,

01:01:09but somehow they were gentle enough

01:01:11to calm my heart.

01:01:14Nightmare again, wildcat?

01:01:16Do not be scared.

01:01:17I am right here.

01:01:18Not even God gets past me tonight.

01:01:24Paint whatever you want.

01:01:26Turn my face into a pig

01:01:28if it makes you happy.

01:01:32During the years,

01:01:33Damien controlled me.

01:01:35Painting had been dismissed

01:01:36as a useless distraction,

01:01:37but here, it was freedom.

01:01:40It belonged to Scarletta Vale.

01:01:44Under Nathaniel's shameless indulgements

01:01:46and steady companionship,

01:01:48I smiled more and more.

01:01:49It was the kind of joy

01:01:50that came from being accepted without conditions

01:01:52and encouraged to release every part of myself.

01:01:55One day, he secretly arranged a 10,000-meter skydive.

01:01:58The helipter climbed higher and higher

01:01:59with a violent roar.

01:02:01Beneath us were the jewel-blue Mediterranean

01:02:03and the distant line of the Alps.

01:02:04Wind poured in through the open cabin door,

01:02:07whipping my hair into chaos.

01:02:08The instructor checked our gear one final time.

01:02:10I looked at the shrinking world outside the door,

01:02:12took a deep breath,

01:02:13and felt the brightest rush of anticipation

01:02:15I had known since my rebirth.

01:02:17Nathaniel mahaled my tightly,

01:02:18his palm burning hot at against mine.

01:02:20He leaned close to my ear

01:02:22and shouted over the engine.

01:02:23He grinned, wild and dazzling.

01:02:25Just as the green light came on

01:02:27and the instructor signaled

01:02:28that we were ready to jump,

01:02:29he suddenly gestured for him to wait.

01:02:30He turned to me and stared straight into my eyes,

01:02:33deep and burning.

01:02:34Above the deafening engine,

01:02:35his voice somehow reached me clearly.

01:02:37Scarlet, before we jump,

01:02:39Scarlet Vale, I know you are hurt.

01:02:42I know that bastard in New York

01:02:43broke something in you.

01:02:44I am not gonna feed you pretty lies.

01:02:46I am asking you straight.

01:02:48Give me a chance.

01:02:53Let me take care of you.

01:02:56Everything Damien Blackwood did to you,

01:02:58I will spend the rest of my life

01:03:00helping you heal from it.

01:03:03If the sky falls, I will hold it up for you.

01:03:06If you want to walk through the world like you own it,

01:03:08I will clear the road.

01:03:10If you want the stars,

01:03:11I will build you a damn ladder.

01:03:13I have never been this serious about anyone, Scarlet.

01:03:17I choose you.

01:03:18His conflation was direct, arrogant,

01:03:20and rough around the edges just like him.

01:03:22But it burned through me like sunlight,

01:03:24melting the deepest ice inside my heart.

01:03:26There was no prophet binding us together.

01:03:28No rules.

01:03:29No cage.

01:03:30Only the purest kind of desire to love someone as they were.

01:03:33I looked into those flertuous eyes,

01:03:35now filled with love and nervousness,

01:03:38and the string that had been pulled in my heart for two lives

01:03:41finally snapped loose.

01:03:43The heavy chains were scattered by the wind

01:03:4510,000 meters above the earth.

01:03:47Yes!

01:03:49I will give you that chance!

01:03:51All right, loveards, time to jump!

01:04:04The wind thundered past my ears

01:04:06as I opened my arms to freedom.

01:04:08This time, my guardian was falling beside me.

01:04:14The sun in southern France was warm and gentle.

01:04:18But the top floor of Blackwood Tower in New York,

01:04:21the heavy curtains were drawn tight,

01:04:22shutting out every trace of daylight.

01:04:24Damien Sack collapsed in his oversized leather chair,

01:04:26surrounded by empty vodka bottles.

01:04:28He had grown painfully thin.

01:04:30His face was hangered, his eyes sunken,

01:04:32and the hair he had once kept perfectly styled

01:04:34for the sake of the family code now hung in a mess.

01:04:35His phone screen was still lit.

01:04:37On it was a blurry pamperazzi photo taken in southern France.

01:04:40Sunlight poured over an outdoor cafe.

01:04:42I was wearing a bright yellow dress,

01:04:43laughing with Nathaniel a spoonful of ice cream.

01:04:45Nathaniel was looking at me with open affection,

01:04:47gently tapping my nose with his finger.

01:04:49The photo was beautiful enough to hurt.

01:04:50Scarlet, Scarlet, I only found out recently

01:04:52that Clara used an electroshock chair on you in the wine feller.

01:04:56I have locked her away.

01:04:57I will make her pay back every bit of pain she caused you.

01:05:04Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet.

01:05:09Tears mixed with blood at the corner of his mouth,

01:05:12he whispered my name like a prayer and a punishment.

01:05:17I was smiling, bright and unrhynd,

01:05:20but that happiness no longer belonged to him.

01:05:23That place beside me should have been his.

01:05:25He was the one who had pushed me away with those damned rules.

01:05:39He wrote like a madman.

01:05:41Sometimes his handwriting was messy.

01:05:43Sometimes it was painfully neat.

01:05:46Before long, the white paper was covered in tear marks

01:05:49and bloody fingerprints from his broken hand.

01:05:52He wrote about how stupid he had been

01:05:54to believe the Vale family's act.

01:05:56He wrote about forcing me to write apologies,

01:05:59locking me in the wine cellar,

01:06:00I bled and bound me standing right

01:06:01and spilled about the hot water to protect Clara

01:06:04while leaving me with second-degree burns and PTSD.

01:06:07Scarlet, I only found out recently

01:06:09that Clara used an electroshock chair on you in the wine feller.

01:06:12I have locked her away.

01:06:14I will make her pay back every bit of pain she caused you.

01:06:24The letter was sent by international courier to southern France

01:06:28and eventually reached my hands.

01:06:30I did not read a single line.

01:06:33I threw it straight into the roaring fireplace.

01:06:36The pages curled and flailed in the flames and turned to ash.

01:06:46No answer ever came.

01:06:50After the letter was sent, no reply came back.

01:06:54Damien's last bit of hope died completely.

01:06:56Ignoring the furious objections of his private doctor,

01:06:59he tore the IV from his hand

01:07:01and booked the nearest flight to the south of France.

01:07:04Through the Blackwood family's underground channels in Europe,

01:07:06he eventually located the quiet estate surrounded by lavender fields.

01:07:10But he did not dare go near it.

01:07:12He was afraid of disturbing me.

01:07:14Even more than that,

01:07:15he was afraid of seeing the disgust in my eyes.

01:07:17So he stayed outside the thorny fence like a ghost,

01:07:20watching from far away day and night.

01:07:22He saw Nathaniel's Lamborghini come and go.

01:07:24He saw us walking hand in hand along the country road at sunset.

01:07:27At night, he saw Nathaniel's shadow on the second floor balcony

01:07:29as he gently held me in his arms.

01:07:31Every scene was a dull knife,

01:07:32slowly cutting through his body and soul.

01:07:35One day, a violent storm broke over southern France.

01:07:37Lightning split the night sky.

01:07:39Damien stood outside the fence without moving,

01:07:41letting the cold rain soak him through.

01:07:43He was running a fever of 104 degrees,

01:07:45his body burning under the creasing rain,

01:07:47but he stood there like a statue and refused to leave.

01:07:52In his sick, desperate mind,

01:07:54he imagined that maybe the rain was heavy enough to soften my heart.

01:07:59Maybe I would come out with an umbrella

01:08:01and look at him just once.

01:08:03Only when his body finally gave out

01:08:05did he collapse into the muddy water.

01:08:08Before he lost consciousness completely,

01:08:11he thought he saw the curtain move in a second floor window.

01:08:23Scarlet, let me see her.

01:08:27Keep dreaming, Blackwood.

01:08:29She does not want to see you.

01:08:32She would feel dirty wasting even one second on you.

01:08:39She told me to give you four words.

01:08:42No forgiveness.

01:08:45No pity.

01:08:47No return.

01:08:52Keep whatever dignity the Blackwood family still has.

01:08:55Every word struck Damien like an ice hook through the heart,

01:08:59shattering the last bit of hope left in him.

01:09:01He understood.

01:09:02I was not even willing to waste hatred on him anymore.

01:09:05Between us, everything had ended in the second of the car crash

01:09:08and my last life,

01:09:09and in the moment he ordered the guards to keep me in the fountain in this life.

01:09:13After his fever broke,

01:09:14he was put on a plane back to New York by Nathaniel's private guards.

01:09:19He left like a puppet with its soul pulled out.

01:09:28Damien's forced departure did not stop the next storm from arriving.

01:09:31After recovering in southern France,

01:09:34I was no longer the weak woman from my past life who could only endure pain.

01:09:38With Nathaniel's financial power and international underground network behind me,

01:09:42I personally planned the final reckoning against the Vale family.

01:09:45Using hackers,

01:09:46I gathered hard evidence of Richard's years of tax evasion,

01:09:49money laundering,

01:09:49embezzlement of my mother's trust assets,

01:09:51and massive commercial brubbering.

01:09:53Then I anonymously submit everything to the highest federal prosecutors in New York.

01:09:59The evidence was overwhelming.

01:10:01Richard was arrested by federal agents during a Vale group board meeting,

01:10:05right in front of the cameras and the entire press.

01:10:08The Vale family trust and company collapsed overnight.

01:10:11Their assets were seized and liquidated,

01:10:13and bankruptcy followed almost immediately.

01:10:16In the visiting room of New York's first federal prison,

01:10:19I sat behind thick bulletproof glass and looked coldly at Richard.

01:10:22He had gone white-haired overnight.

01:10:24He looked old,

01:10:25broken,

01:10:25and frantic.

01:10:26Scarlett,

01:10:27I am your father!

01:10:28My blood runs in your veins!

01:10:29You sent your own father to hell with your own hands!

01:10:32You'll pay for this!

01:10:32Pay for it?

01:10:33Richard,

01:10:34did you think about payback when you brought Monica into my mother's house?

01:10:37Did you think about it when you let tried to sell me into the Blackwood family like a piece of

01:10:40property?

01:10:44This is your payback.

01:10:46Spend the rest of your life repenting in there.

01:10:54Monica could not survive the shock of the Vale family collapsing overnight.

01:10:58Her mind broke completely,

01:11:00and she was forced into the cheapest psychiatric hospital in New York.

01:11:05Every day, she wandered with tangled hair,

01:11:08muttering nonsense to herself.

01:11:15Damien,

01:11:15please save my mother!

01:11:17Please save the Vale family!

01:11:18I know I was wrong!

01:11:20I will bring Scarlett back if you want!

01:11:21I will beg that bitch to come back!

01:11:23Just look at me once!

01:11:24The iron gate slowly opened.

01:11:27Damien came out with a cane.

01:11:29He looked down at the woman kneeling at his feet like she was filth on the road.

01:11:34There was no emotion in his eyes,

01:11:36only disgust.

01:11:37Love?

01:11:39Clara, I know exactly how you and Monica schemed your way through Manhattan society and bullied Scarlett for years.

01:11:45I did not touch you before because you were not worth dirtying my hands.

01:11:50Also, I was saving you for Scarlett.

01:11:55Now that she has made her move, I am satisfied.

01:11:58Get this disgusting woman out of my sight.

01:12:04After that, a filthy, ragged woman appeared on the underground streets of Manhattan.

01:12:09She smelled rotten, laughed at strangers, and screamed at shadows.

01:12:12Damien had his men watch her from a distance.

01:12:15He did not allow her to die.

01:12:16He made sure she stayed alive long enough to suffer every humiliation the bottom of society had to offer.

01:12:21It was exactly what I had wanted for her.

01:12:23She would live like a rat in the gutter, slowly and painful.

01:12:28After hearing how everything ended,

01:12:30I stood before the floor-to-clear windows of the estate in southern France

01:12:33and watched the sun sink below the horizon.

01:12:35For the first time, my heart felt strangely calm.

01:12:38The nightmare and karma that had followed me through two lifetimes had finally come to an end.

01:12:42Bad people got what they deserved.

01:12:44From now on, baby, let me be the only one who gets to spoil you.

01:12:47Over the next half year, Nathaniel and I grew closer and closer.

01:12:50We traveled from country to country, enjoying our freedom and love anywhere in the world we wanted.

01:12:55We both thought the blood and storms were finally behind us.

01:13:15But no one expected Clara, who had long gone mad and been forgotten in the trash-filled corners of New

01:13:21York,

01:13:21to be planning one last act of revenge.

01:13:38Nathaniel reacted instantly.

01:13:40With a low growl, he shoved open the car door and threw himself into the fight,

01:13:42doing everything he could to protect me.

01:13:44But there were too many of them, and they had come prepared.

01:13:46Nathaniel was soon cut across the arm while shielding me,

01:13:48then forced to the ground under several guns.

01:13:50His face was covered in blood, and his eyes were wild with rage.

01:13:53Do not touch her! Let her go!

01:14:02A burst of crazed applause rang out.

01:14:04Clara slowly stepped out from behind one of the vans.

01:14:06She wore a filthy, torn dress stained with grime.

01:14:08Her hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes were cloudy and insane.

01:14:11In her hand, she gripped a loaded glock.

01:14:13Her ruined face twisted like something out of a nightmare as she laughed at me.

01:14:22At that deadly moment, just as one of the thugs was about to pull the trigger,

01:14:25the roar of an engine ripped through the sea wind.

01:14:27A black-armored SUV came crashing in from behind,

01:14:30ramping the van, blocking the road, and screeched to a stop in the middle of the chaos.

01:14:33A thin figure with a slight limp stepped out,

01:14:35carrying an automatic rifle and surrounded by cold, murderous, and tate.

01:14:39Damien.

01:14:40He had been following my movements from a distance all along.

01:14:42When he found out Clara had disappeared under strange circumstances,

01:14:45he sensed something was wrong and tracked the Rive route here for the sea.

01:14:54Let her go, Clara.

01:14:55Get that filthy gun away from her head.

01:15:03Damien, you came too?

01:15:05Good. Perfect.

01:15:07The head of the Blackwood family and Nathaniel's family are both here.

01:15:10I can send all of you to hell together.

01:15:12What do you want?

01:15:14I will give you every Blackwood trust,

01:15:16every share,

01:15:17every asset I have.

01:15:19Take my life if you want.

01:15:21Just let Scarlet go.

01:15:24That's it.

01:15:25I do not want anything anymore.

01:15:27I want her to suffer.

01:15:29I want you, the high and mighty king of Manhattan,

01:15:32to watch with your own eyes while I tear her apart.

01:15:36Watching both men suffer because of me tore my heart open and tears blurred my vision.

01:15:41Stop!

01:15:42Nathaniel, Damien, just go!

01:15:43Do not worry about me!

01:15:44You want her alive?

01:15:45Fine!

01:15:45Damien, king of Manhattan, get on your knees!

01:15:47Kneel and beg me!

01:15:48Damien looked at my deathly pale face and did not hesitate for even a second.

01:15:52He threw away the rifle in his hand and dropped to his knees on rough gravel-covered road.

01:15:55The heavy sound of his bones hitting the ground tore through the sea wind.

01:15:58This was a man who had been pathologically proud in both lifetimes,

01:16:00a man who had never lowered his head to anyone.

01:16:02For my life, he threw away every last bit of dignity.

01:16:11Look at you!

01:16:12You finally know what it feels like.

01:16:15Beat him.

01:16:17Beat him until he cannot move.

01:16:21The thugs rushed forward.

01:16:22Iron rods and fists fell on Damien like rain.

01:16:25He curled tightly around himself,

01:16:26blood pouring from his mouth.

01:16:28But he stubbornly kept his body angled toward me,

01:16:30blocking the sand and gravel that flew in my direction.

01:16:32Stop!

01:16:33Please, stop!

01:16:48In that split second, no one saw where Damien found the strength.

01:16:51Like a black panther burning through its last breath,

01:16:54he threw himself up from the ground and slammed me with that ounce of life he had left.

01:16:57He knocked me hard onto the road and covered completely with his broad bloodied back,

01:17:00leaving no gap between me and the bullet.

01:17:02The sound that followed tore into his back, exploding only a few millimeters from his heart.

01:17:06Blood sprayed across the air and instantly stained my white dress, a shocking red.

01:17:17For a moment, the whole world seemed to stop.

01:17:19Damien's heavy body pressed down over mine.

01:17:21With impossible effort, he slowly raised his head.

01:17:24His deathly, pale face was covered in blood.

01:17:26When he saw that I was safe,

01:17:27queer creme with him, without a cloud mixture of his mouth lifted into a relieved smile.

01:17:31And that smile was a kind of longing and regret I had never seen from him in either lifetime.

01:17:34He struggled to raise his bleeding hand, as if he wanted to touch my face one last time.

01:17:39But his fingers shook violently in the air, never quite reaching me,

01:17:42before falling wheatly into the mud.

01:17:44He looked at me as the light in his eyes began to scatter.

01:17:48Scarlet, I am sorry.

01:17:52This time, I finally protected you.

01:17:57Live well with Nathaniel.

01:18:00Goodbye.

01:18:10Damien!

01:18:20But I only held the blood-covered man-in-arms tears streaming down my face.

01:18:24Did I hate him?

01:18:25Did I resent him?

01:18:26The moment that bullet tore through his body,

01:18:28the chains from my past life and the hatred from this life were shattered with it.

01:18:31With his own life, he completed a redemption that had come two life teams too late.

01:18:38Above the Southeast Asian island, the roar of a rescue helicopter tore through the humid air.

01:18:42A team of top international medics carefully lifted Damien, covered in blood and deep in shock,

01:18:47onto a stretcher.

01:18:47His face had turned acid, almost like a corpse.

01:18:50His breathing and heartbeat were so weak, the machines could barely detect them.

01:18:53I stood beside the helicopter, his warm blood still on my face and clothes.

01:18:57My fate's control soon, wrapped in bandages and looking grim.

01:18:59Poor self threw the pain of his fractures and pulled me hard into his arms,

01:19:02using his broad chest to hold me up.

01:19:04My eyes were complicated as he watched.

01:19:05Damien always despised he'd really been willing to trade his life for my freedom.

01:19:09The helicopter rushed toward the nearest international medical center.

01:19:12The doors of the operating room stayed shut and the red light above them burned for 12 full hours.

01:19:20Nathania and I waited in the hallway as time stretched until it felt like a century.

01:19:27The surgery succeeded. The bullet is out, but he's not out of danger.

01:19:32Recovering will be long, but damage is severe, irreversible.

01:19:47Damien remained unconscious in the sterile ICU for more than half a month.

01:19:51During that time, with no one in control of Blackwood Group, rival financial powers in New York began tearing into

01:19:56it.

01:19:56The stock price plunged and the company started from the inside.

01:19:59Through Nathaniel's underground channels, Iannoy passed Damien's confidential medical trial

01:20:02to a relatively loyal elder inside the Blackwood family.

01:20:05That elder stepped in and barely stabilized the chaos in New York.

01:20:09Half a month later, Damien finally opened his eyes to the beeping of medical machines.

01:20:13His vision slowly focused until he's standing outside the satiral glass.

01:20:16Our eyes met and the air in the room seemed to freeze.

01:20:19My gaze was complicated. There was concern in it.

01:20:22There was release. There was no love left.

01:20:23There was no hatred left either. Damien wore an oxygen mask.

01:20:27His dry lips parted as if he wanted to say my name, but only a weak,

01:20:30poor breath came out. He saw the calm in my eyes.

01:20:32He also saw Nathaniel behind me, covered in casts and bandages,

01:20:36still gripping my shoulder in a posture of absolute protection.

01:20:38Damien understood, but the last faint, impossible hope in his soul went out like a candle in the wind.

01:20:43Two silent lines of tears slid from the corners of his eyes into his hair.

01:20:47He had used his life to save me. Whatever remained between us had died with that redemption.

01:20:54Three months later, at Geneva International Airport in Switzerland,

01:20:57morning fog covered up the runway bound for one of Switzerland's top private rehabilitation

01:21:01plants waited in silence. Damien could barely sit in a wheelchair now.

01:21:04He looked older and thinner than any disability in his left leg.

01:21:07For the rest of his life, he would have to rely on a cane and a wheelchair to move.

01:21:10His body had been drained almost beyond repair.

01:21:12He never tried to contact me again.

01:21:14He even refused visits from the core members of the Blackwood family.

01:21:17Before boarding, he calmly signed every equity transfer document and full management

01:21:22authorization agreement, handing away the business empire he had once treated as his life.

01:21:27He sold all of his Manhattan properties, poured every dollar into a newly established

01:21:31Global Wildlife and Freedom Photography Trust.

01:21:34It was an anonymous gift that would benefit me forever without requiring my signature.

01:21:38The medical plane's engines roared. Damien leaned beside the window and looked out at the

01:21:41endless freezing white cloud sea above the Alps. His eyes held nothing but quiet acceptance and

01:21:45deathly stillness. He had finally removed himself from my world.

01:21:49Scarlet, I love you. Not because I want to lock you in a house like some pretty bird,

01:21:52and not because what you're following Ong any damn family rules.

01:21:55I love you exactly like this. Wild, proud, bright, and impossible to tame.

01:22:00Let me be the man who protects you for the rest of your life. Marry me.

01:22:09Yes, I will marry you. The last light of sunset wrapped around us in gold as he pulled me into

01:22:15his arms.

01:22:15The chains for my past life were finally broken. In this life, I finally had the wide open sky I

01:22:21deserved.

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