Her Rebirth.

Dan Blackwood sat by the fireplace of the Blackwood mansion sitting room, swirling a glass of whiskey in his hand, the ice clinking softly with each rotation. His brow was furrowed as he stared into the flames, clearly troubled. Across from him, Hera Blackwood sat in a high-backed chair, her brows furrowed into a frown. Her hands were clasped and her legs, the right crossed upon the other.

"The stock price dropped another five percent this morning," Dan said finally, tossing the report onto the table. "And they’re dropping again. Blackwood stock has been down for three days straight. We’ve stabilized dips like this before, but this..." He shook his head. "Something is obviously not right."

Hera picked up the papers and skimmed through them with sharp precision. "It’s deliberate," she said. "Someone’s pulling strings. First the supply chain hiccups, now this. It’s too clean to be coincidence. We are being sabotaged."

"I wouldn’t call it sabotage yet," Dan replied. "But the sell-off isn’t random. And surely someone is pulling strings. Dumping shares at just the right intervals to cause panic among our retail investors."

Hera’s lips curled in distaste. "Cowards. If someone wants to make a move against the Blackwoods, they should at least have the spine to do it directly."

Dan glanced at her. "We’ve made enemies over the years, Hera. You know that."

She let out a slow, measured breath. "Yes, but few have the guts or the resources to try and destabilize us in the market. It would take connections, timing, and knowledge of our movements."

Her tone sharpened and her eyes became calculated. "The question is, who benefits? Who stands to gain if our stock value plummets? A rival conglomerate? A former ally?"

Just then, the double doors to the drawing room burst open with little regard for decorum.

Ace strolled in, wearing a half-buttoned silk shirt and the smug smile of someone who’d never been told no. Draped across his side, her arm entwined with his, was Lilac. Her eyes were downcast and around her was an air of delicate helplessness.

Hera’s gaze snapped toward them and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

"Well," she said coolly, "look who finally decided to grace us with his presence."

Ace raised a brow, unfazed. "Mother. Father. Hope I’m not interrupting anything important."

"You’re not," Hera said, voice as smooth and sharp as a blade. "You’re merely parading around with prostitutes while we are in the middle of a corporate crisis."

Lilac flinched at the word prostitute and Ace stiffened, his expression turning defensive as he tightened his arm around her.

"Mother."

"She is not a prostitute," he said more firmly, pulling Lilac closer. "She’s my girlfriend. You will treat her with respect."

Lilac lowered her eyes even further, her lips trembling. "It’s alright, Ace... I don’t blame Madam Blackwood for thinking that way. I’m just... not worthy—"

"Stop that," Ace interrupted, and then snapped at Hera. "She’s not some fling. You don’t know her."

"Your girlfriend," Hera repeated, then snickered. "You bring her into this house, at this time? Honestly, Ace, do you ever think beyond your pants?"

Lilac shrank slightly. "I didn’t mean to cause any trouble, Lady Blackwood," she murmured sweetly.

"Spare me the act," Hera snapped. "If you had any dignity, you’d know when you weren’t welcome." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ace’s jaw tightened. "I said stop it. She’s with me. She’s not going anywhere."

Dan remained silent, letting his wife unleash her fury. He knew better than to interrupt when she was in this mood.

"You’re too easily distracted," Hera continued, rising to her feet now, towering over them with an arrogant air and a look filled with disdain. "And because of your foolishness, your lack of foresight, the most important contract in our portfolio is dependent on that mongrel."

Ace blinked. "Mongrel?"

"Kai," Hera spat the name. "That bastard son your father created."

Dan sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he knew where this discussion was about to lead. Hera always lived to bring up his previous flings and mistakes every time there was a serious argument. If not for the fact that Hera came from a powerful family, he would have divorced her a long time ago. Besides, he didn’t even marry her because of love but because of the agreement between his family and her family.

"This isn’t the time, Hera. Let’s stay focused."

At this, Lilac looked up, blinking slowly, interest flickering in her eyes. What contract was in Kai’s hands?

Ace scoffed. "You’re overreacting. Kai’s always done what he’s told. He’s useful, if nothing else."

Dan finally spoke again in a warning tone. "Don’t underestimate him."

But Ace shrugged. "He owes us everything. We raised him. Fed him. Trained him. You think he’ll betray us?"

Hera gave a thin smile. "Loyalty built on scraps of acceptance isn’t loyalty, Ace. It’s survival. And desperate creatures bite when cornered."

Her eyes flicked to Lilac. "If only you’d stuck to Amelia and not passed her on to Kai, then we would have been assured that the diamond mine was ours. But you were foolish as always, blinded by momentary pleasure with..." her voice became spiteful, "...this thing."

Lilac’s eyes widened. Diamond mine?! Now what exactly was this contract? Was it related to Ace’s engagement to Amelia?

Ace stepped in front of Lilac protectively. "Say whatever you want about me, but don’t talk about her."

"I am your mother and I will say whatever I wish to say about her."

Lilac’s fingers clutched Ace’s shirt tighter, her expression still one filled with sorrow and guilt, though her eyes glimmered faintly, filled with curiosity.

Ace was silent for a second, his eyes serious, before he said, "I don’t think Kai can betray us, but if he does betray us," he said slowly, "I’ll handle it."

Hera turned away with a sneer. "You haven’t even been able to handle your own mess. What makes you think you would be able to handle him?"

And with that, she walked past them, not even sparing them a second glance.