The Heiress's Comeback
Chapter 106: [Volume 1] - 106- why !.

Chapter 106: [Volume 1] Chapter 106- why !.

But now, the idea of Esme leaving, of having no ties left to her, unsettled him. He felt the sting of truth in Helga’s words, but it didn’t soothe the fire of frustration burning in his chest.

Why does this bother me so much? He was shocked, even at himself. Helga’s cold, clear-cut reasoning echoed in his mind, but he struggled to understand why his emotions were reacting so violently to it. What was this feeling that kept gnawing at him, clawing at the edges of his rational thoughts?

For the first time in a long while, Ray felt lost. The contract was the only thing binding him to Esme, and once that was over... who would she be to him? Would he truly let her become nothing but a stranger, just as Helga said?

A few days passed, and Esme woke up, returning to her usual routine. On the surface, not much seemed to have changed, but her condition was still far from normal. She struggled to sit for long, sleep was elusive, and her energy waned quickly. Yet, with the little strength she had, Esme forced herself to stand and resume her duties. She didn’t spend much time with anyone aside from Helga and Aron, her focus narrowed to her work.

Despite her fragile health, she pushed on, refusing to let her body’s limitations hold her back. Aron brothers had shared everything with her, asking if she truly supported Helga’s decision to halt the project, to which Esme simply nodded, her voice calm but firm. "Yes, I support Helga. What she said is right."

Her words hit Aron’s brothers hard. They had expected some resistance, perhaps even a show of loyalty to them, but Esme’s quiet acceptance of Helga’s reasoning left them feeling wounded. The sting of her decision left them reeling, unsure of how to respond. But Ryan—he didn’t react like the others. He stood back, his expression unreadable, keeping his thoughts to himself.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for them, the realization that Esme, their wife by contract, had distanced herself emotionally as much as physically. Though they had married her, it seemed they knew so little about the depths of her loyalty and the choices she would make when it mattered. Ryan, however, felt something else stir within him—a question lingering at the edges of his mind that he couldn’t quite shake off.

Was Esme truly as distant as she seemed, or was there something more, something deeper, that none of them understood?

As the days went by, the Valhale family experienced a profound shock. Their empire, once towering and indomitable, began to show cracks. Their once-mighty branches started to crumble, while Esme, like a snake lying in wait, began to devour them piece by piece.

Within only a few short months, Esme had transformed the Aron Group into a titan of its own, now standing toe-to-toe with Valhale—or, more accurately, eclipsing them. Her rise was meteoric, and the Valhale family could feel their control slipping through their fingers.

Esme governed her business affairs with two unwavering principles: If she wanted something, she would take it. And if someone dared to resist her, they should be ready to face her wrath.

Her methods were ruthless, precise, and without mercy. Every challenge to her authority was met with swift retribution.

On the other side,

BAM!

Diana slammed her fist on the table, the loud thud echoing through her office. She stared at the scattered reports in disbelief, her mind racing. The Valhale Group, a company that had once stood so tall, so indomitable, was now being chipped away, piece by piece.

Losses were mounting, and they weren’t small—millions were bleeding out of the company’s accounts. But that wasn’t the worst part. What gnawed at Diana’s core was the relentless, calculated attack on Valhale’s empire. And it was becoming clearer by the day who was behind it—that woman.

Esme.

If things continued at this rate, Diana knew it wouldn’t take long before the Valhale Group crumbled entirely. The very thought sent a shiver down her spine. A few more blows like these, and it wouldn’t be years—Valhale could decay in mere months.

Her mind buzzed with questions: How had Esme gained such power? How had they underestimated her so gravely? And most terrifying of all, what could they do to stop her?

Diana clenched her fists, her knuckles whitening as the weight of her frustration bore down on her. The office felt stifling, the air thick with tension. Her head throbbed with a mix of anger and exhaustion. The elders of the Valhale family were relentless, hounding her day and night. Their questions echoed in her mind like a broken record: "If Esme is dead, then where is the Divine Beast? How can you claim the title of heir when you haven’t even been chosen by it?"

The pressure was mounting, and Diana felt cornered. Her own foolish mother, who should’ve been an ally, was adding fuel to the fire.

All her mother could talk about was killing Esme, blinded by vengeance. She didn’t even think about the consequences or the larger picture—about what truly mattered.

And worse yet, in her blind rage, they had sent assassins after Esme, a bold but foolish move. But what happened? The assassins vanished without a trace, disappearing like smoke in the wind. Meanwhile, Esme remained untouched, unscathed—alive and well.

Everything Diana had planned, every step carefully laid out, had fallen apart. She had called the elders, orchestrated the perfect opportunity to rid the family of Esme for good, even set the stage for an attack.

Yet, here she was, buried under piles of paperwork, suffocating under the weight of responsibility, while Esme continued to rise.

The sheer irony of it all made Diana’s blood boil. The elders, who should have been supporting her, now only knew how to shout and point fingers, demanding answers, demanding results.

"Why is she still alive?" they sneered. But the truth was, Diana herself didn’t know. And that uncertainty, that failure, gnawed at her soul.