Episode 3.The Proposal war
1249 Words
Alexander stared at Scarlett across his office.
The city lights shimmered behind her through the massive glass windows.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The silence felt heavy.
Dangerous.
Scarlett remained calm, her expression unreadable.
Alexander, however, struggled to hide the storm raging inside him.
Five years ago, he had lost Elena.
Now she stood before him once more.
Yet every time he looked into her eyes, he was reminded that the woman he loved no longer trusted him.
Maybe she never would again.
"What proposal?" Alexander finally asked.
Scarlett sat gracefully across from him.
Then she placed a black folder on his desk.
Alexander frowned.
Scarlett folded her hands.
"Open it."
Slowly, Alexander opened the folder.
His eyes narrowed.
Inside were documents.
Financial reports.
Corporate contracts.
Acquisition plans.
The more he read, the more surprised he became.
Because Scarlett wasn't offering to destroy Vantage Group.
She was offering to help save it.
Alexander looked up.
"What is this?"
Scarlett leaned back.
"Three of your international partners are secretly planning to withdraw their investments."
Alexander's eyes darkened.
That information wasn't public.
Very few people knew about it.
Yet somehow Scarlett did.
"If they leave," she continued, "Vantage Group loses nearly two billion dollars within six months."
Alexander remained silent.
Because she was right.
Exactly right.
Scarlett slid another document toward him.
"I can stop them."
The room became quiet.
Alexander studied her carefully.
"What do you want in return?"
A faint smile appeared.
"There it is."
"What?"
"The Alexander Vance I remember."
Alexander crossed his arms.
"You didn't answer my question."
Scarlett's smile disappeared.
"I want access."
"To what?"
"Your investigation files."
Alexander froze.
Instantly.
Every muscle in his body tightened.
Scarlett noticed immediately.
And she knew she had hit her target.
Five years ago, after Elena's supposed death, Alexander had secretly begun investigating the case.
Nobody knew.
Not even his closest executives.
Yet Scarlett somehow did.
"How do you know about that investigation?" he asked quietly.
Scarlett ignored the question.
"I want every file."
Alexander stared at her.
For years, he had searched for answers.
For years, he had tried to uncover the truth.
And now the woman at the center of everything wanted access.
Part of him wanted to refuse.
But another part...
The part that still loved Elena...
Wanted to trust her.
Finally, Alexander spoke.
"If I agree..."
Scarlett waited.
"Will you tell me the truth?"
For the first time, something flickered in her eyes.
Pain.
Sadness.
Regret.
Then it vanished.
"The truth is exactly what I've been trying to find."
Elsewhere in the city...
A luxury mansion stood hidden behind iron gates.
Inside, a woman paced nervously across a lavish living room.
Sophia Laurent.
The woman the public believed would soon become Alexander Vance's future wife.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Ambitious.
And terrified.
She slammed her phone onto a table.
"This can't be happening."
Across from her sat an older man.
Richard Laurent.
Her father.
One of the wealthiest businessmen in the country.
His expression remained grim.
"Calm down."
"Calm down?" Sophia snapped.
"Elena Reyes is alive!"
The room fell silent.
Even saying the name felt dangerous.
Five years ago, Sophia had believed the problem was solved forever.
Now Elena had returned.
More powerful than anyone imagined.
Richard rubbed his temples.
"This changes everything."
Sophia's hands trembled.
Because she remembered.
She remembered exactly what happened five years ago.
The lies.
The forged evidence.
The manipulation.
Everything.
And if Elena discovered the truth...
Their empire would collapse.
Sophia swallowed hard.
"What if she remembers?"
Richard's face darkened.
"Then we make sure she never gets the chance."
Meanwhile, Scarlett returned to her penthouse.
The city stretched endlessly below.
Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor.
Adrian waited near the window.
"How did the meeting go?"
Scarlett removed her earrings.
"As expected."
Adrian studied her expression.
"You got what you wanted?"
"Almost."
She poured herself a glass of water.
Adrian hesitated.
Then spoke carefully.
"Our people found something."
Scarlett immediately turned.
The seriousness in his voice caught her attention.
"What?"
Adrian handed her a file.
Scarlett opened it.
The moment she saw the contents...
Her entire body froze.
Photographs.
Old bank transfers.
Private communications.
Hidden records.
Evidence.
Real evidence.
The kind she had searched for during five years.
Scarlett slowly looked up.
"Where did you get this?"
Adrian's expression remained tense.
"An anonymous source."
Scarlett frowned.
She hated anonymous sources.
Too risky.
Too unreliable.
But the documents appeared genuine.
Painfully genuine.
Her eyes returned to the file.
Then she saw a familiar name.
Sophia Laurent.
Instantly, old memories flooded back.
The parties.
The charity events.
The fake friendship.
The constant smiles.
The jealousy hidden behind them.
Sophia.
A woman who always seemed too interested in Alexander.
A woman who was always nearby whenever problems appeared.
Scarlett's hands tightened around the papers.
"No..."
Adrian nodded slowly.
"We verified part of the information."
Scarlett's pulse quickened.
For years she had searched for the person responsible.
For years she wondered who started everything.
Who destroyed her marriage.
Who framed her.
Who tried to kill her.
And now...
For the first time...
She finally had a lead.
A real lead.
Her eyes turned cold.
Dangerously cold.
"Sophia."
The name sounded like a warning.
Like a death sentence.
Adrian almost felt sorry for the woman.
Almost.
Because anyone who crossed Scarlett rarely escaped unharmed.
And if Sophia Laurent truly played a role in Elena's downfall...
Nothing would save her.
Late that night...
Alexander sat alone in his office.
The building was nearly empty.
Everyone else had gone home.
Yet he remained.
A single file rested on his desk.
The Elena Reyes Investigation.
The same file Scarlett wanted.
For years, he had reviewed it countless times.
Searching for answers.
Searching for mistakes.
Searching for proof that Elena had been innocent.
And every time...
He found more questions.
Not answers.
Alexander opened the file once again.
Photographs.
Witness statements.
Financial reports.
Everything seemed normal.
Until one page caught his attention.
A detail he had somehow overlooked before.
A signature.
Small.
Almost invisible.
Alexander stared at it.
Then his eyes widened.
Because he recognized the name.
And suddenly...
A terrifying possibility entered his mind.
"What if..."
His voice barely rose above a whisper.
What if Elena had been telling the truth all along?
What if the entire case had been fabricated?
What if someone close to him had manipulated everything?
Alexander's heartbeat quickened.
Because the deeper he looked...
The more the evidence pointed toward one shocking conclusion.
Someone inside his inner circle had betrayed both him and Elena.
And whoever it was...
Had been hiding in plain sight for five years.
Across the city, Scarlett stood alone on her penthouse balcony.
The cold wind brushed against her face.
Below, millions of lights illuminated the darkness.
She held Sophia's file tightly.
For years, revenge had been her goal.
But now things were changing.
Because revenge was no longer enough.
She wanted the truth.
The whole truth.
No matter how painful it might be.
No matter who it destroyed.
Even if that person was Alexander himself.
Scarlett looked toward the distant Vantage Tower.
A dangerous smile slowly appeared.
"The game is changing."
Her voice was calm.
Cold.
Certain.
And somewhere in the darkness...
Someone was watching her.
Someone who knew exactly what happened five years ago.
Someone who feared her return.
Someone preparing to make the next move.
Because the war between Elena Reyes and her enemies had only just begun.
And soon...
Blood-stained secrets would finally come to light.
- Writer
