Chapter 12 - The Man Who Gave Away Billions for a Future With MeMatthew spent two weeks in the hospital.
His shoulder healed.
The bullet missed the artery by less than an inch.
I sat beside him every evening.
One night, he woke.
“You're still here.”
“Yes.”
“You don't have to be.”
“I know.”
He smiled.
“My father asked me a question.”
“What?”
“What do I want.”
“And?”
“I told him.”
“What?”
“You.”
My heart skipped.
He reached for my hand.
“Not the trust.”
“Not the money.”
“Not the companies.”
“You.”
I looked at him.
“I'm not an asset.”
“I know.”
“I'm not a debt.”
“I know.”
“I'm difficult.”
“I know.”
I laughed.
“So why?”
He smiled.
“Because you're Elena.”
A few weeks later, I returned to my father's house.
For the first time, it felt like mine.
My mother moved into the guest wing.
Matthew began working on rebuilding his own life.
No empire.
No private army.
No hidden accounts.
He invested in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
He funded scholarships.
He created a foundation in my father's name.
And he never once asked me to work for him.
Instead, he asked:
“What do you want?”
Nobody had asked me that before.
I didn't know.
Then I remembered something.
When I was a child, I used to draw houses.
Not mansions.
Small houses.
Places where people felt safe.
So I started a nonprofit for women escaping abusive families.
Matthew supported it.
My mother worked beside me.
Gabriel joined as a security adviser.
We became a strange little team built from people whose families had once been enemies.
One afternoon, Matthew walked into my office holding coffee.
“You've been working six hours.”
“I like it.”
“You need lunch.”
“I forgot.”
He set the coffee down.
“Come on.”
I smiled.
“You're bossy.”
“You're stubborn.”
“That's why you like me.”
“Yes.”
He kissed my forehead.
Then knelt.
I froze.
“What are you doing?”
He held out a ring.
My heart stopped.
“I know this is not how most people propose.”
“Matthew…”
“I don't have fireworks.”
“Good.”
“I don't have a mansion.”
“Even better.”
“I don't have a billion-dollar empire anymore.”
“Perfect.”
He smiled.
“But I have a house.”
I laughed.
“A normal house?”
“A very normal house.”
“With terrible cooking?”
“Very terrible.”
I smiled.
He took my hand.
“Marry me.”
I looked at the ring.
Then at him.
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the first time I saw you, you were running for your life.”
He stood.
“I never want to see you run away from me.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“Yes.”
He kissed me.
Outside, Gabriel shouted:
“Finally!”
I laughed.
“You knew?”
“Everyone knew.”
Matthew groaned.
“You ruined it.”
Gabriel smiled.
“I helped.”
For the first time, the future felt simple.
No secret deal.
No forced marriage.
No corporate war.
Just love.
Then my phone rang.
The number was unknown.
I answered.
A woman's voice whispered:
“Elena.”
I froze.
“Who is this?”
The voice laughed.
“Someone your father trusted.”
The line ended.
Matthew looked at me.
“What happened?”
I swallowed.
“I don't know.”
May you like
But somewhere deep inside, I had a feeling the past wasn't finished.
Not yet.
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