After He Left Me to Burn, I Shot Him

"Are you really marrying Ramsey Bailey? The guy took a bullet to the groin. Word is, he's completely lost it," said Yohan Hunt. He had assumed Vanessa Pearson was there to pump him for information about Watson Hayes again. But at her words, his eyes lit up. He practically shoved the contract into her hands, as if terrified she might change her mind. "This is great. Finally, you're doing something helpful for Mr. Hayes instead of stressing him out. Let me call him right now and give him the good news—" "No. Don't tell him yet. Let it be a surprise." She paused, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "But I'm not doing this for free. Taking Amber Rainer's place and marrying Ramsey? There's got to be something in it for me." The excitement drained from Yohan's face, replaced by a look of pure disgust. "Your father practically watched Ms. Rainer grow up. Can't you show her a little kindness?" Vanessa let out a cold laugh. "The daughter of a servant? Kindness? My dad died saving her. Now I'm supposed to sacrifice my marriage for her. What, the Pearson family has to all die for her?" Yohan's face flushed. He had no comeback. Vanessa snorted and turned to look out the window, her gaze landing on the high-rise across the river. "The old Pearson Group headquarters. Plus a billion dollars. Call it a wedding gift." Yohan's eyes went wide. He stared at her, stunned. "Mr. Hayes spent ten years moving us out of that building. All our secrets are still there. You're asking for the very foundation of everything." Vanessa's expression hardened. "Guess Watson doesn't care about Amber that much after all. No deal, then." Done with the conversation, she turned to leave. Yohan swallowed hard and stepped in front of her. 'The Bailey family has money and power. Guys line up to marry into that family. But Ramsey? He is a ruthless psycho. Since the shooting, he's been even more unstable. There is no way we can let Ms. Rainer go through that.' He thought about Watson's orders: protect Amber, no matter the cost. Yohan clenched his jaw and gave a stiff nod. "Fine." A few minutes later, a revised contract was in Vanessa's hands. She signed it without a second thought and stood up to go. Yohan stared at her, puzzled. "So... you're really over Mr. Hayes? You're actually gonna marry someone else?" Vanessa didn't look back. The door slammed shut behind her, her only answer. 'Over him? Funny.' Vanessa drove back to Pearson Villa. The study door was slightly ajar. Through the gap, she could hear Watson's voice—low, gentle, mesmerizing. He was teaching Amber how to write. His face held a tenderness she had never seen before. He stood behind Amber, arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, intimate, possessive. Vanessa remembered when Watson used to teach her. He never held her hand, never showed her how. He barely spoke, just used a ruler, again and again, to slap on her palm until it was swollen. He never went easy on her. Bitter tears stung her eyes. Her nails dug deep into her palms. 'Ten years... How am I supposed to just get over it?' After her father, Travis Pearson, was killed by his enemies—killed while saving Amber, the daughter of his secretary, Xavier Rainer—it was just her and Watson, his adopted son. In her darkest despair, he became her everything. And slowly, her dependence on him turned into love. When Watson needed money, she gave him every penny she had. When he needed allies and influence, she introduced him to Travis' old loyalists. When he was drugged and needed a woman, she offered herself. He took everything—the money, the power, the people, and her. But when the sun rose, he was once again the same cold, unfeeling man. Vanessa told herself he just didn't know how to show love, that after all those years together, he had to love her. Then came the night she couldn't sleep. Haunted by a nightmare, she went to the memorial room to think about Travis. And she found—Watson had Amber pressed against Travis' memorial table, kissing her. "Stop," Amber had whispered, breathless. "What if Ms. Pearson sees us? She's beautiful. She's got the perfect body. She's noble. She's not like me. I'm just... a servant." Watson's voice was thick with desire. "Let her see. She could stand naked in front of me, and it wouldn't do a thing. But you... One look from you is all it takes. Once I have control of the Pearson Group, once I've taken everything from Vanessa, just like she lost her father... revenge will be complete. Then I can marry you." Vanessa stood frozen. She watched the table shake, then saw a drop of something land on Travis' portrait. In that single moment, her love for him died. And in its place, every overlooked detail became a blade that sliced her open. The love she thought was real? All an act. His years of companionship? A long-game ambush. Even Travis' death—she now knew—was shrouded in lies. The moment she stopped loving Watson was the moment she started planning. 'Step one: Take back everything that is mine.' Vanessa lifted her gaze, pushed the memory aside, and kicked the study door wide open.