His Last Choice, My First Gambit Chapter 08

His Last Choice, My First Gambit Chapter 08

I stood up, not wanting to deal with Lily, but she grabbed the hem of my dress, refusing to let go. 1

“Coralie, I’m begging you. You can’t ruin him.”

How was fair competition ruining him? I’d met shameless people, but she was in a league of her own.

I bent down to look her in the eye. “Lily, if you can’t stand to see him fail, why not prop him up with your own family’s money? The Rowe family might not be as wealthy as mine, but it should be more than enough to secure this project.”

With that, I walked away, refusing to waste another second on a fool.

For the next few days, I buried myself in work for the project and paid them no mind.

When I finally came up for air, I realized I hadn’t seen Julian in a while.

Without a second thought, I grabbed a car from the garage and drove to his house.

The living room was empty, but I heard the rustle of papers from the study.

I pushed the door open and saw Julian hunched over a desk, flipping through

documents.

Seeing me, he stood up, his face lighting up. “Coralie, I have a surprise for you.”

I walked over, and he handed me a contract. A single glance was all it took. It was the

project.

“You control this project?” I asked.

Julian nodded. “Yes. My father gave it to me to practice with.”

I casually flipped through the folder. The Vance Group’s name was already on the contract, just waiting for my signature,

Once I signed, the project would be mine.

“Are you crazy? This is…”

“A multi-billion dollar project. I know.” Julian smiled. “Coralie, you want it, and I happen to have it. Isn’t it only natural that I give it to you?”

I was stunned, my heart skipping a beat.

“Then how can I ever repay you?” I asked.

Julian took my hand. “Anything.”

“Then I’ll marry you.”

We took a private jet to Las Vegas that night and got married in a small, quiet chapel,

When we came out of City Hall, Julian was still buzzing, holding my hand tightly and insisting we go out to celebrate.

I never expected Preston to find out so quickly.

We had just arrived at a Michelin-starred restaurant when he appeared.

Seeing the marriage certificate in our hands, Preston’s face turned a ghastly shade of pale. “Coralie, how could you…”

I gestured for Julian to go inside first. “If you’re sick, Preston, you should see a doctor.”

But he suddenly grabbed my hand, his eyes flashing with pain. “I’m sorry, Coralie. I know I was wrong. Hit me, scream at me, but please… can you forgive me?”

I sneered. “Regret what, Preston? That you didn’t save Lily? Or that you drove me off a

cliff in our last life?”

Preston’s hand went slack, and all the color drained from his face.

So, he remembered too.

I was about to walk past him when he suddenly dropped to his knees.

There, in front of everyone at the restaurant entrance, he started slapping his own face.

“Coralie, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Please, forgive me.”

I remained silent.

“Is there still a chance?” he pleaded.

Then, his face lit up, a horrifying idea dawning on him. “Coralie, it’s because of Lily,

isn’t it? You won’t forgive me because of her. Trust me. I’ll take care of it.”

I stared at him in shock, unable to believe what I was hearing.

Just then, Julian came back out, and I quickly followed him inside.

My father heard I’d secured the project and handed over control of the group. I casually mentioned I had married Julian. They didn’t ask questions; they just said it was my choice.

Not long after, I heard from a friend that the Sterling Group was on the verge of bankruptcy. They were already short on funds, and with the Vance Group pulling out their situation became dire. They had gambled everything on the marina project. With it in my hands, their capital chain snapped, and the company soon folded.

What I didn’t expect was that just as the Sterling Group was about to go under, Lily fled to Monaco with all their remaining liquid assets, cutting off Preston’s last lifeline.

By the time I heard the news, the Vance Group had reached new heights under my leadership.

I thought I would never hear about Preston again. But the next time his name appeared, it was on the international news.

He had hunted Lily down, consumed by his resentment. He traveled thousands of miles, found her at a gala in Monaco, and stabbed her repeatedly in the heart. Her screams had alerted the entire ballroom.

He was tackled by police before he could even escape.

Lying in Julian’s arms, our new Golden Retriever curled up at our feet, I watched the report impassively.

“Patrick,” I whispered to the puppy, “never be like that man. Don’t blame everyone else for your own choices, thinking you’re some kind of victim. In the end, he was the most vicious one of all.”