The First Gift
741 Words
The ride back to Blackstone International was silent.
Neither Isabella nor Damien spoke.
The city lights blurred past the window.
Her thoughts remained trapped inside the Knight Manor.
"You're my granddaughter."
"Adrian knew."
"He never told you."
She closed her eyes.
Every memory of the last three years suddenly felt different.
Every sacrifice.
Every promise.
Every lie.
...
Damien parked the car in the underground garage.
He turned off the engine.
Still...
He didn't ask a single question.
Instead...
He looked at her quietly.
"Do you want to talk?"
Isabella shook her head.
"I don't even know where to begin."
"You don't have to."
His answer surprised her.
"Sometimes..."
"The kindest thing someone can do..."
"...is let another person be silent."
For the first time that day...
Isabella smiled.
A real smile.
Small.
But genuine.
Damien noticed it.
He smiled too.
"That's better."
...
The next morning.
Blackstone International.
Damien's assistant, Lucas, hurried into the CEO's office.
"Mr. Black."
"The legal team has finished the investigation."
Damien looked up from the documents.
"And?"
Lucas placed a thick file on the desk.
"We found everything."
"Every property."
"Every bank transfer."
"Every investment."
Damien flipped through the pages.
His expression gradually darkened.
"So..."
"It was true."
Lucas nodded.
"Three years ago..."
"Chairman Edward secretly transferred ten percent of Knight Group's shares into Miss Isabella's name."
Damien's eyes narrowed.
"But the transfer was never completed."
"Why?"
Lucas hesitated.
"Because..."
"Mr. Adrian Knight stopped it."
Silence.
Lucas continued carefully.
"He convinced the chairman to delay the announcement."
"He claimed Miss Isabella wasn't ready."
Damien closed the file.
His voice turned ice-cold.
"He stole more than her identity."
"He stole her future."
...
Meanwhile...
Knight Group Headquarters.
Crash!
A crystal vase shattered against the office wall.
Sophia stepped back in shock.
"Adrian..."
He stood behind his desk.
His face was terrifyingly calm.
Too calm.
"Did you know?"
Sophia frowned.
"Know what?"
"That Isabella is my grandfather's granddaughter."
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
Adrian stared at her.
Searching her face.
Looking for any sign of deception.
There was none.
She truly hadn't known.
Sophia slowly sat down.
"If she's really a Knight..."
"Then..."
"She owns part of the family inheritance."
Adrian didn't answer.
His phone vibrated.
A message from his grandfather.
Effective immediately, Isabella Hart is officially recognized as a member of the Knight family. The family board will meet tomorrow. Your attendance is mandatory.
Adrian read the message twice.
His heartbeat quickened.
He knew his grandfather.
This wasn't simply a family meeting.
Something much bigger was coming.
...
Across town...
Isabella walked through Blackstone's design department.
Young designers greeted her warmly.
"Good morning, Miss Isabella."
"Morning!"
She smiled politely.
For the first time in years...
No one looked at her with pity.
No one whispered behind her back.
No one treated her like a secret.
She finally felt...
Seen.
As she reached her desk...
She noticed a small velvet box.
Confused...
She picked it up.
Inside...
Was a delicate silver fountain pen.
Beneath it lay a handwritten note.
To the woman starting over.
Don't use this pen to sign another ending.
Use it to write your future.
—Damien
Isabella stared at the note.
Her fingers gently traced the words.
It wasn't expensive.
It wasn't extravagant.
Yet...
It was the first gift anyone had ever given her...
Without expecting something in return.
A knock sounded on the glass door.
Lucas entered with a smile.
"Miss Isabella."
"The chairman would like to see you."
She looked up.
"Mr. Black?"
Lucas nodded.
"He says..."
"...it's time for you to meet the people who are about to become your team."
Before she could respond...
The television mounted on the office wall switched to a breaking news report.
BREAKING NEWS
The reporter spoke excitedly.
"We've just received confirmation that the Knight family will hold an emergency board meeting tomorrow."
"Rumors suggest Chairman Edward Knight intends to announce a shocking successor."
The screen flashed to a photo of Edward...
Then Adrian...
Then, unexpectedly...
A newly obtained photo of Isabella.
The reporter's voice dropped.
"And according to sources close to the Knight family..."
"...the mysterious woman once hidden by Adrian Knight may become the biggest shareholder after the chairman himself."
The entire design department fell silent.
Everyone slowly turned to look at Isabella.
She stood frozen.
She had walked into work that morning believing she was rebuilding her life.
She never imagined...
By tomorrow...
The whole country might learn who she really was.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD