HIS RUTHLESS QUEEN

THE WOMAN WHO RETURNED

The city had not changed, at least that was what Ariana Vale told herself as she stared through the tinted window of the black sedan.

The skyscrapers still pierced the grey morning sky,luxury cars still crowded the streets, giant billboards still displayed the faces of people powerful enough to sell their names.

But Ariana had changed.

Five years ago she had left this city with nothing but a suitcase,a broken heart and a promise to herself.

She would never come back yet here she was.

Her fingers tightened around the folder resting on her lap. Five years, five years since her father's funeral.

Five years after her stepmother, Sebastian had taken control of Vale industries.

Five years since the man she loved had looked her in the eyes and said nothing when she needed him most.

Damian Blackwood.

Even thinking his name made something inside her tighten. Ariana closed her eyes briefly, not today. She had not returned for memories but for revenge.

Miss Vale, her assistant's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Ariana opened her eyes

Yes

We're almost there. She glanced at her watch.

8:47am. The board meeting started at nine, perfect. She looked down at the folder again, inside were documents she had spent years collecting. Financial records, share transfers, old contracts, names and dates.

Every piece of information she had gathered while building her own company far away from the people who had destroyed her family.

Vale industries had once belonged to her father. Now it belonged to Sebastian.

At least that was what everyone believed.

Ariana smiled faintly. They were about to learn otherwise. The sedan stopped in front of the enormous glass building. The headquarters of Vale industries. Ariana stared at it for several seconds, she remembered running through those doors as a teenager laughing with her father. She remembered sitting in his office while he taught her how to read financial reports. She remembered believing that one day the company would be hers.

Then everything had changed. Her father's death had been followed by accusations, legal battles and rumours.

Sebastian had stepped forward as the responsible heir. Ariana had been painted as an emotional young woman incapable of managing a multinational company. Then she disappeared but today she was coming back.

The driver opened the door, Ariana stepped out. Her black heels touched the pavement. The security guards immediately looked towards her. One of them frowned.

Can I help you?

Ariana looked up at the building.

I'm here for the board meeting.

The guard hesitated

Name?

Ariana Vale.

Silence

The second guard looked at her carefully.

His eyes widened.

You're

Yes

She walked past him before he could finish.

Inside the lobby conversation slowly died, people stared. Some recognized her immediately, others whispered.

Ariana heard fragments as she walked towards the elevators.

Is that really her?

I thought she left the country?

She's back. Ariana ignored them. The elevator doors opened.

She stepped inside.

Her reflection stared back from the polished metal, she looked nothing like the frightened twenty year old who had left five years ago.

The girl had been trusted so easily.

This woman trusted evidence.

The elevator reached the executive floor, the door opened, Ariana stepped out, her assistants followed.

Are you sure about this? she whispered.

Ariana smiled, I've never been more certain about anything. The boardroom door stood ahead. Two employees moved aside when they saw her. Ariana pushed the doors open.

Every conversation stopped.

Around the long table sat the company's senior executives and shareholders.

At the head of the table was Sebastian Vale.

Her stepbrother

He looked almost exactly like she remembered him, expensive suit,perfect hair, confident smile. Except the smile disappeared the moment he saw her.

Ariana

She walked into the room.

Sebastian

He slowly stood.

Nobody spoke, Sebastian's expression hardened.

What are you doing here?

Ariana placed her folders on the table.

Attending a meeting

You weren't invited

I don't need invitation

She pulled out her chair.

And I believe my name still carries a little weight around here. One of the older shareholders cleared his throat.

Miss Vale, this is highly unusual.

Ariana turned toward him.

You're right

She opened the folders, that's why I brought documents.

Sebastian's face changed.

What documents?

Ariana slid several papers across the table.

Share ownership records.

The room became silent, Sebastian picked up the first page. His eyes moved quickly across the document, then he looked at her.

Where did you get this?

Ariana leaned back

I spent five years finding the truth.

You're making a mistake

No.

Her voice remained calm.

The mistake was believing that I would never come back. Before Sebastian could respond,the boardroom doors opened again.

Everyone turned.

A man walked into the room, tall, immaculately dressed. His expression was unreadable. Ariana's breath caught. She knew him immediately.

Damian Blackwood.

Five years had changed him, he looked older, harder and more controlled,but those dark eyes were unmistakable. For one brief second their eyes met. The room disappeared, Ariana remembered another time. Another life.

A young Damian standing beneath the rain, promising that he would never abandon her.

Then she remembered the night she had needed him most and his silence.

Her expression hardened.

Damian stopped walking, something flickered across his face, surprise, regret, perhaps even relief. But it disappeared almost instantly.

Mr Blackwood, Sebastian said quickly, I wasn't expecting you.

Damian didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained on Ariana.

Neither do I.

Ariana stood

Then this meeting just became more interesting.

Damian finally looked away. Sebastian cleared his throat.

Damian is here because Blackwood Holdings has acquired a significant portion of Vale Industries. Ariana's eyes narrowed.

How significant?

Sebastian hesitated.

Damian answered for him. Enough to change the balance of power.

Ariana studied him.

So you have been buying shares.

Yes

Why?

Damian's expression remained cold.

Business.

Ariana smiled without warmth.

Of course.

She picked up another document. Then you would be interested in this. She placed it in front of him. Damian looked down, his expression changed. For the first time that morning, the control in his eyes cracked.

Ariana watched carefully.

What is it? Sebastian demanded.

She looked directly at Damian

An old transaction

Damian's jaw tightened. A transaction connected to my father's company. Ariana nodded. And my father's death.

The room went completely silent.

Sebastian stood abruptly. That's enough.

Ariana slowly gathered her documents.

No Sebastian

She looked around the room.

I'm only getting started.

Then she turned toward the door.

Behind her, Damian spoke quietly.

Ariana

She stopped.

She didn't turn around

Don't investigate things you don't understand

Ariana's lips curved into a cold smile.

That's exactly what someone says when they're afraid of what I'll discover.

She walked out.

The doors closed behind her.

Inside the boardroom, Damian stared at the document. Sebastian approached him

What did she find?

Damian didn't answer.

Sebastian's voice became sharper.

Damian

Finally, Damian looked up. His expression was grim. She found the first piece. Sebastian was pale.

The first piece of what?

Damian looked toward the closed door

The truth

Outside, Ariana stepped into the elevator.

She opened the folders for the final time.

At the bottom of the last document was a signature. A signature she had never seen before. Her father's.

But something was wrong, the document had been signed six months after his death. Ariana's smile disappeared. For the first time since returning, she felt something other than anger.

Fear.

Someone had been lying to her. And whoever it was had been hiding the truth for five years.