He Chose Her Joke, I Chose His Ruin Chapter 13

He Chose Her Joke, I Chose His Ruin Chapter 13

On the fourth day, Shaw Cultural City officially collapsed into insolvency.

Banks moved to freeze portions of Shaw Group’s assets. Partners terminated contracts en masse.

Chairman Shaw came to see me again.

This time, he didn’t even make it past the lobby.

He stood outside Starlight Capital for two hours before reporters captured him leaving in disgrace.

On the fifth day, Adrian was taken in for questioning by the internal investigation team.

The executive post he’d once flaunted like a royal crown was stripped away bit by bit.

Chairman Vale’s health collapsed. He was hospitalized.

Victor Vale, the Vale family’s eldest son, seized the opportunity to return from abroad and attempt a

takeover.

Yet his own hands were far from spotless.

The undercurrents inside Vale Group were far muddier than any outsider suspected.

And this was exactly the moment I’d been waiting for.

A week later, Starlight Capital announced a strategic restructuring of Vale Group’s New Energy division.

We weren’t saving Adrian.

We were saving the project.

Because the project itself wasn’t flawed.

The engineers who’d burned countless nights with me weren’t flawed.

The small suppliers waiting for payment weren’t flawed.

The employees who’d already signed contracts and prepared to work at the site weren’t flawed.

The flaw lay with the people who treated the project as a private tool.

On the day of the restructuring meeting, I walked back into Vale Group.

This time, the receptionist’s gaze held no complexity.

Everyone knew the regime had changed.

I passed Adrian’s former office.

The nameplate was gone.

The room stood empty.

Ava asked, “Elena, want to take a look inside?”

I shook my head. “No need.”

Certain spaces lose all significance the moment you walk away.

I saw Adrian again half a month later.

I was at the hospital for a follow-up on my injuries.

Stepping out of the elevator, I spotted him at the end of the corridor.

He’d lost weight.

He still dressed in tailored designer suits, yet all his former sharp aura had faded away.

He saw me and immediately approached. “Elena.”

I stopped. “Mr. Vale, is there something?”

The address stung him. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I didn’t ask you to wait.”

He pulled on a pained, bitter smile. “You won’t even spare me a few extra words now?”

I looked at him. “There’s really nothing left to say between us.”

His eyes reddened. “I’ve cut ties with Celeste. She drove Shaw family to the brink-Chairman Shaw shipped

her overseas. I won’t see her again.”

I nodded. “That’s your business.”

Adrian grew anxious. “I did it for you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Adrian, are you still presenting yourself as a prize?”

His face went pale.

I continued, “You not seeing Celeste doesn’t mean you love me. It means she has no value left. You coming

to me isn’t because you love me. It’s because I still have value.”

Color drained from his lips. “That’s not true. Elena, I admit I was a fool. Power clouded my judgment. I thought once I secured my position, I should marry someone who strengthened the Vale family.

But these past weeks, I realized the person who truly walked through it all with me was you. Only you were

genuine.”

I listened in silence.

Then I asked, “Adrian, do you know what sincerity fears most?”

He froze.

“Being cherished only after it’s been discarded.”

His eyes welled up. “Is there any possible way to fix what we had?”

I shook my head. “No.”

He looked like he’d been punched, going rigid on the spot.

I stepped around him to leave.

He grabbed my wrist from behind. “Elena, please. Don’t go.”