Who Are You Again?

Chapter 14

The sky over the French countryside burned in hues of gold and rose as Jae stood before Kellin, her heart hammering in her chest. Everything about this day—their day—was perfect. The soft whisper of silk as her gown moved, the way Kellin’s eyes traced her every step with an intensity that made her breath catch.

She had designed the dress herself—a masterpiece of ivory satin and delicate lace, hugging her figure and draping effortlessly over the small but undeniable swell of her belly. The knowledge that life grew within her made every vow, every touch, feel deeper.

"You are my home," Kellin said, voice thick with emotion as he slid the simple gold band onto her finger.

Jae, who had spent most of her life building walls, felt them shatter in his presence.

"You are my safe place," she whispered, pressing her forehead against his.

The moment the officiant declared them husband and wife, Kellin crushed her against him, capturing her lips in a kiss that spoke of promises, protection, and an unbreakable bond.

But beyond the celebration, hidden among the staff and the shadows, someone else watched.

Someone who had no intention of letting Jae live out her happily ever after.

Jonah hadn’t been invited.

But that didn’t matter.

He had money, power, and an unrelenting need to possess what was his.

So he watched. Waited.

From the moment Jae walked down the aisle, Jonah’s pulse had been a slow, steady drum of fury.

She was his.

Yet here she was, glowing, smiling, carrying another man’s child.

Jonah’s nails bit into his palms. His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. He had been humiliated, cast aside—but this?

This was a betrayal.

She had moved on. Without him. Despite him.

But no matter how much she thought she had escaped, she was wrong.

Jonah’s men lurked in the periphery, their orders clear. Wait for the reception. Wait for the moment she was alone. Then take her.

He didn’t want to just hurt Jae. He wanted to remind her who she belonged to.

And if Kellin thought he could keep her?

Jonah would make sure he suffered first.

The reception was an intimate, candlelit affair beneath twinkling lights. Jae and Kellin swayed to a slow melody, her head resting against his chest, her fingers tracing lazy circles over his heart.

"Are you happy?" he murmured against her hair.

Jae smiled softly. "For the first time in a long time, yes."

But peace had never been meant for her.

From across the garden, Lucas watched the room with hawk-like precision. He knew Jonah better than most. If Jonah knew about the wedding, he was here.

And he wasn’t here to celebrate.

When Jae excused herself from the dance to get some air, Lucas’s instincts screamed.

Then he saw them—shadows moving where there shouldn’t be any.

His blood ran cold.

Jonah’s men.

Lucas sprinted across the terrace, but he was seconds too late.

One of them grabbed Jae, a gloved hand clamping over her mouth, dragging her toward the darkness beyond the gardens.

Her muffled scream sent ice through his veins.

Lucas moved before he had time to think, his body reacting on pure survival instinct. He slammed into the nearest attacker, sending the man crashing into the stone pathway.

Jae thrashed against her captor, her elbow connecting with his ribs, but a second set of hands grabbed her, pulling her further away.

Then the gunfire began.

A knife slashed across Lucas’s arm, but he barely registered the pain. His only thought was getting to Jae.

Then he saw him.

Jonah.

Standing just beyond the treeline, watching, waiting.

Lucas didn’t hesitate. He lunged, taking down another one of Jonah’s men, clearing a path for Jae to run.

"Go!" he shouted. "Get to Kellin!"

Jae hesitated for a heartbeat, her eyes locked on his.

Then—a gunshot.

The impact stole the air from Lucas’s lungs, a sharp, burning agony tearing through his side.

Jae screamed.

But he didn’t stop. He grabbed one of the fallen attackers’ guns, turned—and fired.

One. Two. Three shots.

Men collapsed. The plan had failed.

Jonah snarled in fury, but he knew when to retreat.

With one final look at Jae, he melted into the night, his rage left simmering in the darkness.

Kellin reached them moments later, his face pale when he saw Lucas on the ground, his blood staining the gravel.

Jae collapsed beside him, her hands pressing uselessly against the wound.

"Stay with me," she begged.

Lucas gave her a weak smile. "Guess I finally got to be the hero, huh?"

Tears blurred her vision. "Don’t talk like that. We’ll get you help."

But Lucas knew better.

His hand gripped Jae’s wrist, his voice turning urgent. "Jonah’s not done. He’ll come back." His breaths were shallow now. "You have to end this, Jae. Before he takes everything from you."

His fingers slackened.

His chest rose once.

Then didn’t rise again.

Jae’s cry of anguish echoed into the night.

The War Had Begun

Jonah had taken so much. Too much.

Lucas had died protecting her, and Jae wouldn’t let that sacrifice be in vain.

Kellin held her close as she trembled with grief, but beneath the sorrow, something else took root.

A storm.

Jonah had wanted her broken. Afraid.

Instead, he had created something else entirely.

Jae wasn’t running anymore.

She was coming for him.

The loss of Lucas shattered Vivienne in a way nothing else had. Her once-unshakable composure cracked, giving way to a quiet, consuming grief. The world around her faded into the background—Deveraux Couture, the industry, even the life she had built with Jae. Nothing mattered anymore.

She withdrew from the company, leaving Jae to shoulder the weight of its future. For the first time in her life, she allowed herself to disappear behind closed doors, mourning in silence. To the outside world, she was broken. A once-powerful woman, now brought to her knees by loss.

But grief had a way of sharpening the mind, and beneath the sorrow, something else took root—rage.

Jonah had taken Lucas. That was an unforgivable sin. But worse, he was still out there, a looming threat over Jae, over the family she had fought to protect. That was something she could not allow.

So while the world believed she was lost in mourning, Vivienne was planning. She made quiet calls to old connections, people who owed her favors. She reached out to those who lived in the shadows, those who specialized in making problems disappear.

Jonah was a disease, and like any disease, he needed to be eradicated.

She started with information. Every aspect of Jonah’s life was dissected—his financials, his movements, his alliances, and his weaknesses. She found the cracks, the people he trusted but who would sell him out for the right price. She uncovered his secrets, the ones that could ruin him in every way possible.

Then, she laid the foundation of her revenge. A trap. One Jonah wouldn’t see coming.

She arranged for a meeting between Jonah and an unknown investor, someone promising power and influence, someone he wouldn’t be able to resist. But the investor was a ghost, a fabrication backed by mercenaries trained to do one thing—end him.

Every detail was meticulously crafted. The location was isolated, the security minimal, the exits controlled. When Jonah arrived, expecting an opportunity, he would find nothing but the consequences of his sins.

Vivienne would not let Jae live in fear. She would not let Jonah take anything else from them.

When she returned, it would not be as the grieving matriarch.

It would be as the executioner.