Chapter 459
Annabella’s voice came through the speaker, sharp and controlled. “Thank you for the information, Heinrich.” Then she cut the call.
Baroness Wolfsbane sat still, her brow tightening as the pieces fell into place. The story fit too well-too cleanly.
Sofina’s sudden rise, that hundred-million-dollar deal that had seemed almost divine-it all made sense now.
“She must’ve sold herself to every high-ranking man in the Eden Group,” the Baroness thought, her lips curving faintly.
But truth be told, she didn’t care. In fact, she almost admired it.
If that was what it took to secure a collaboration with the Eden Group, then it was
a price worth paying.
A clever move. A necessary sacrifice.
She wasn’t going to press charges. Still, this was not something to parade before the family. It had to stay buried.
Beatrix stepped forward. “Grandmother, if you make that shameless woman director, you’ll destroy the Wolfsbane name. The whispers will never stop. People will talk p>
She leaned in closer, her tone smooth, persuasive, dangerous. “You should choose someone else someone who can represent us with grace. Let them take the credit for the collaboration instead. That’s the wiser move p>
She smiled faintly, confident. “And remember, the contract already belongs to our family. The Eden Group won’t care who holds the title of Deputy Director… as long as it’s not her p>
Given the storm of rumors swirling around Sofina, the Baroness knew what she had to do.
But that wasn’t all. Deep down, the old woman’s dislike of Sofina.
She’d never trusted that woman-too independent for her own good, too foolish to fall in love, and too confident for her own bad taste.
And worse, she wasn’t truly a Wolfsbane by name. To the Baroness, she would always be a Scheinwald-an outsider.
‘No’, she thought. I can’t let that woman’s power grow any further. If Sofina keeps rising, the Wolfsbane fortune won’t belong to the family anymore-it’ll belong to her.
Her mind was made up. She turned to Beatrix. “Beatrix,” she said, “from now on, you’ll listen to me. Do what I tell you. Don’t do what I forbid. No questions. No hesitation. Do you understand p>
Beatrix straightened immediately, her tone obedient, almost theatrical. “Don’t worry, Grandmother. I’ll follow your orders like a loyal servant. I’ll go where you send me. I’ll do whatever you say p>
The Baroness gave a thin, approving nod. “Good. Tonight, we’ll hold a banquet. I’ll announce that you’re the new Deputy Chair of the Wolfsbane Estate and that you’ll take full charge of the collaboration with the Eden Group. But remember this
Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, “-I can raise you high, but I can just as easily crush you under my heel p>
Beatrix’s eyes sparkled with greedy delight. She clapped her hands and grinned wide. “Don’t worry, Grandmother,” she said, half-laughing. “I’ll be your good girl p>
“Tonight,” Baroness Wolfsbane declared, her voice echoing through the marble hall, “we’ll hold a grand banquet p>
“Invite every influential name in Winchester-the mayors, the tycoons, the old money families. At that banquet, I’ll announce our official partnership with the Eden Group-and the appointment of the new Deputy Chair of the Wolfsbane Estate p>
Baroness Wolfsbane lips curled into a satisfied grin. The thought alone sent a rush of excitement through her veins.
She could already picture it: all those proud, condescending families who once looked down on the Wolfsbanes, now forced to bow, smile, and toast in her honor. The Wolfsbane name would blaze across Winchester once more-stronger, richer, unstoppable.
“Move, now!” she barked. “I want everything ready immediately! Call the finest caterers in the city-no excuses. I want the most exquisite food, the rarest wines, the kind of décor that makes the rest of Winchester feel poor just walking in p>
Her eyes flashed with command. “Notify every major firm in this city. Send gilded invitations – present it as an honor, never a plea. Proclaim that the Wolfsbane house, newly fattened by Eden Group backing, is opening its doors for partnerships. Make them beg for a single audience p>
“And one more thing,” she added, lips thinning into a smile like a blade, “the grander their tributes, the higher they climb on our list — and the closer they get to winning a contract p>
At once, the mansion burst into motion.
Within hours, the news spread across Winchester like wildfire. Every business circle, every social club, every high-society salon was buzzing with the same topic:
The Wolfsbane Banquet.
Baroness Wolfsbane personally handled the flood of phone calls, her laughter ringing through the study as she spoke with one powerful name after another. Her smile never faded. Her voice dripped with triumph.
By the time the last call ended, she leaned back in her chair, heart racing with satisfaction.
“Perfect,” she said softly. “After tonight, everyone in Winchester will know-the Wolfsbane family is back on top.” Meanwhile, at the Eden Group headquarters-
Alex had just received a message from Countess Marlena von Adler. The Wolfsbane family was throwing a grand banquet to celebrate their new alliance with the Eden Group.
A smile spread across Alex’s face. For a man like him, nothing brought more joy than seeing his wife happy. With that warmth still lingering in his chest, he left the Eden Garden, his steps light and unguarded.
Then he saw her.
Sofina sat alone in the outer garden, her figure framed by fading sunlight. Alex stopped mid-step.
He’d seen beauty before-but never like this. She had that timeless, classical grace that drew people in and kept them at a distance all at once.
Her presence was like a painting-majestic, untouchable-but today, even her radiance was shadowed by sorrow.
“What are you doing out here?” Alex asked softly.
Sofina lifted
her head, eyes glistening with unshed tears. When she saw him, her sadness broke, replaced by fragile relief. She rushed into his arms clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping her world from collapsing.
“Alex,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “let’s leave all this behind. Just you
and me p>
She looked up at him, desperation
and hope tangled in her gaze. “Take
me somewhere far away-maybe Xaror Estoria. Fheard its beautiful there… quiet, close to nature don’t want to be here anymore p>
Alex could feel her body trembling, her warmth pressed against him, heavy with sadness.
He smiled faintly and held her tighter. “Wherever you want to go, I’ll go with you.
I’ll stay by your side-through joy and through pain. May we share one heart, till old age never part p>
“Thank you, Alex,” Sofina breathed, tears slipping down her cheeks.
The world had been cruel to her-every victory stained with loneliness, every dream met with betrayal. For once, she wanted to run-not to win, not to fight- just to breathe again.
“Sofina,” Alex said, “this life grinds you down. It steals and it hurts. But I’m here Tell me what’s eating you If the world’s been cruel, let me meet it for you. Your fate isn’t to be beaten
– it’s to be the happiest woman alive p>
Sofina wanted to cry and laugh at once.
With Alex by her side everything felt simpler, like a hard road that could be walked
if you had the right hand to hold.
She imagined them leaving — walking into the world together, storm or sun, laughing even if they lost everything.
The thought hardened something in her. She wanted to hit back at the world that
had bruised her.
A laugh bubbled up, sharp and surprised. It sounded dangerous, and she surprised herself with it.
“Alex,” she said suddenly, eyes bright with a wild light, “let’s wreck that banquet. You in p>
“You mean-figuratively?” Alex asked.
She laughed, a quick, cold sound. “Do I look like a woman who speaks in metaphors p>
“No.” Alex grinned. “You look like the reason the fire department’s going to work overtime p>
Sofina’s smile softened into something fierce. “If we burn it all down, what then p>
“We rebuild,” Alex said, sure as a man staking a claim.
“With what?” she pressed.
“With you’re ambition and my terrible ideas,” Alex replied.
Sofina let out a short, reckless giggle. “So… gasoline and matches again p>
Alex’s smile was all teeth. “Exactly. To live is to fight, and to fight is to burn p>
The words hit Sofina like a spark to dry grass. His fire lit something inside her- something that had been smothered too long.
She’d been hollow for months, just moving through the motions. But now, under
the moonlight and his gaze, that emptiness cracked open, and something fierce began to rise.
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls.
Alex saw it too-the shift in her eyes. The same woman who’d once looked
broken now burned bright, alive again, ready to set the whole damned world ablaze if it stood in her way.
He smiled, calm as a man who knows the horse he’s mounted. “Pick the place p>
he said. “You pour the gasoline. I’ll be the first to set the match p>
And Sofina smiled—truly, from somewhere deep in her chest. The kind of smile
that came after too much pain, too many battles survived.
‘You can’t burn a woman who’s already walked through fire p>
It wasn’t defiance.
It was a quiet truth-sharp, steady, and unstoppable.