Chapter 303
Chapter 303
The turmoil in Monaco finally came to an end in a dramatic yet thoroughly conclusive way.
Vivienne was arrested on the spot by the Monaco Royal Police for commercial fraud and for suspected harboring of an internationally wanted fugitive. What awaited her was a long prison sentence.
Alfonso's death was officially classified as an "accidental fall." The indelible, gruesome bloodstain pooling by the crocodile enclosure was the final, pathetic trace he left on the world he had tried to conquer.
Concurrently, the unprecedented collaboration between the Scott family and the Monaco royal family dominated the global financial news cycle. Overnight, the Scott Group's jewelry brand transformed overnight from a domestic brand into a globally recognized, top-tier luxury supplier with limitless potential.
However, inside the pressurized cabin of the private jet returning to Emerald City, the atmosphere wasn't as relaxed as outsiders might imagine.
Simon stared silently out the reinforced window, his left hand—missing its ring finger—gently rubbing the armrest. Steve sat opposite him with his eyes closed, seemingly in complete control, calm and composed.
Sophie leaned her head against Benjamin's shoulder, looking at Simon and Steve with mixed feelings.
The revenge was complete. The family empire had been reclaimed. but could those five years of pain carved into their bones really be erased so easily?
...
Half a month later, at the Scott Villa.
Thomas and Timothy's birthday party was warm and lively. No outsiders were invited, only family.
Kieran, leaning on his crutches, watched the lively and adorable Thomas and Timothy, unable to hide the smile on his usually stern face.
During the dinner service, the ambient chatter suddenly died down when Simon reached across the table and deliberately poured Benjamin a glass of aged whiskey.
"I am done holding the past against you," Simon stated, raising his own glass. His voice revealing no emotion. "But let me make one thing absolutely clear—if you ever let Sophie suffer again..."
"I won't." Benjamin interrupted him, his eyes clearer and more determined than ever. "Simon, you have my word."
Simon let out a low grunt, said nothing more, and downed the burning liquor in a single gulp.
One knot in their hearts was finally untied.
Hours after the party concluded and the twins had finally fallen asleep.
Benjamin gently held Sophie's hand as they walked in the back garden.
The silver moonlight was piercingly was bright, shining down on them.
"Sophie," Benjamin murmured, suddenly stopping on the stone path. He reached into the inner breast pocket of his tailored suit.
Sophie's heart violently skipped a beat.
Was it that thing?
Her first reaction wasn't joy, but instinctive resistance and retreat.
A proposal? Marriage?
No. It was entirely too soon. Her five years of hellish experiences, the pain carved into her bones, filled her with an instinctive fear of the word "marriage."
She could accept him coming back into her life, but she hadn't decided whether she could once again entrust her entire life and future to someone without reservation.
"Don't get the wrong idea." Benjamin saw her tension and quickly explained.
What he withdrew from his jacket wasn't a velvet jewelry box, but a sleek, custom-crafted leather folio.
Sophie looked puzzled. Why would the CEO of the Brown Group produce corporate paperwork in the middle of a moonlit garden?
Benjamin opened the folio and held the document out to her.
Illuminated by the moonlight, the bold, black heading at the top of the parchment was unmistakable:
LIFETIME SERVICE CONTRACT
Party A: Sophie Scott.
Party B: Benjamin Brown.
Sophie's breath caught. She looked at Benjamin, her eyes full of shock.
"I know that no amount of money, no matter how many foundations I establish, can make up for the harm I caused you and the Scott family." Benjamin's eyes were more honest and serious than ever.
"Financial compensation is too cold. It’s too simple a penance. So, I want to give you... a living, breathing person."
He pointed at the contract.
"This contract has no salary, no vacation. The only clause is that Party B—me, Benjamin Brown—will spend the rest of my life serving you and the children. Whether I'm acting as the manager of the Brown Group, or as your driver, bodyguard, cook... whatever you demand, I'm yours."
Sophie was utterly stunned.
He wasn't proposing, nor was he giving her property. He was using an absurd yet incredibly serious contract to place the rest of his life, without reservation, in her hands.
He was willingly becoming her lifelong "servant."
"Benjamin, you..."
"Sophie, I lost the right to ask for your forgiveness five years ago, and I have absolutely no right to try and bind you again as my wife," Benjamin whispered. His voice was hoarse, betraying a barely contained tremor of desperation. "I only want to ask you one thing."
"Please... sign this contract. Be my master."
He pulled out a pen from the folder and handed it to her, his posture almost reverent.
"Let me spend the rest of my life working for you."
He said nothing more. He simply looked at her quietly with those unfathomably deep eyes, waiting for her final judgment.
Sophie looked at this incredible contract before her, then looked up at Benjamin.
Did she hate Benjamin?
She had.
That hatred had once been the only pillar supporting her through countless desperate days and nights.
But now, with revenge taken and the dust settled.
That hatred had gradually dissipated, unknowingly replaced by another, more complex, softer emotion.
No, she and Benjamin could never simply be "even."
Five years of blood feud, the children's five years without a father's love, her own heart full of wounds... these couldn't be canceled out by a simple "I love you" or a wedding ceremony.
Perhaps his solution was the only path forward.
No settling of old accounts. No forced forgiveness. No more calculations.
But rather, using a new, absolute relationship of control to firmly step on everything from the past.
Sophie suddenly smiled.
That smile, in the cold moonlight, carried tears but was full of queen-like pride.
She took the pen from his hand. Without a microsecond of hesitation, she slashed her signature across the line for Party A.
"Okay."
She looked him dead in the eye, her voice crystal clear and vibrating with absolute authority.
"Benjamin, I'm signing this contract."
"From today on, you're mine."
"Work hard for me... for the rest of your life."
The turbulent agony swirling in Benjamin's eyes finally became completely calm the moment he heard those words.
He suddenly pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, wishing he could merge her into his very bones.
"Okay."
A thousand words ultimately became just this affirmative answer.
In a corner of the garden, Simon and Steve stood side by side, silently watching Benjamin and Sophie embrace.
"Simon, aren't you going to tear up that 'indenture contract'?" Steve rarely made a joke.
Simon shook his head, actually showing a faint smile.
"Forget it."
"Sophie signed up her own 'employee.' Letting her manage him for life isn't so bad."
The cool night breeze swept by, carrying the scent of grass and earth.
In the distance, the city lights sparkled brilliantly, illuminating a new life.
Some scars will never fade. But for those strong enough to survive the fire, those scars eventually forge an impenetrable armor, teaching them exactly how to love, and how to ruthlessly protect what is theirs.
(The End)