Chapter 256

Chapter 256
Serena glanced at Lucien.

“I’m safer,” she replied.

His hand stilled for a fraction of a second before squeezing hers.

Lunch passed easily.

They argued over which dumpling filling was superior. Meilin teased Serena about her terrible spice tolerance. Serena retaliated by exposing Meilin’s dramatic overreactions to minor inconveniences.

Lucien listened more than he spoke.

But every now and then, he’d lean close to Serena’s ear.

“You’re smiling,” he murmured once.

She looked at him. “You noticed.”

“I always do.”

Her heart skipped in a way that still surprised her.

At one point, Serena rested her head lightly against his shoulder without thinking. He didn’t move. Just shifted slightly so she was more comfortable.

Meilin pretended not to see.

She saw everything.

“This,” Meilin said suddenly, gesturing at them with her chopsticks, “is not a marriage of convenience, is it?”

Serena hesitated.

Lucien answered first.

“No,” he said simply.

Serena’s fingers tightened around his.

“It stopped being that a long time ago.”

Meilin smiled, eyes bright. “Good. About time you both caught up.”

When they stepped back outside, the sun was warmer, the world quieter.

For the first time in days, Serena felt… normal.

Lucien walked a step behind her and Meilin, watching them laugh over something insignificant, his expression unreadable but softer than it had been in a long while.

This moment, he thought, was worth everything.

As Serena turned back toward him, smile still lingering, Lucien reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.

“Enjoy it,” he said quietly, just for her.

“I am,” she replied.

Serena didn’t make the offer impulsively.

She waited until they were back at the estate, until Meilin was seated comfortably with a cup of warm tea in her hands, until the laughter from lunch had faded into something gentler.

Then she said it.

“Come with me tomorrow.”

Meilin looked up. “Where?”

“To Zhao Group.”

The room went still.

Lucien didn’t interrupt. He already understood.

Serena continued calmly, her voice steady in a way that left no room for doubt. “The rumors have gone too far. They said Lucien traded you. Sold you. Used you as leverage.”

Meilin’s fingers tightened around the cup.

“They erased you,” Serena said softly. “Just like they tried to erase me.”

Lucien’s jaw set.

Serena met Meilin’s eyes. “I want the world to see you standing beside me. Alive. Free. Untouched by their lies.”

Meilin swallowed. “Serena… the Zhao family...”

“Has no right to you anymore,” Serena cut in, not harshly, just final. “They sold you first. Then blamed Lucien to sabotage my marriage.”

Her lips curved faintly. “I won’t let them rewrite that story.”

Lucien finally spoke. “Security will be doubled. No press interference.”

Meilin looked between them.

“You’re really serious.”

Serena smiled. “I’m the CEO now. I don’t make empty gestures.”

Silence stretched.

Then Meilin exhaled slowly and nodded. “Alright,” she said. “I’ll come.”

Something settled in Serena’s chest.

....................

The next morning, Zhao Group headquarters erupted.

Cameras flashed the moment Serena stepped out of the car.

She wore a tailored suit in soft ivory, hair pulled back neatly, expression composed. Lucien walked beside her, not leading, not overshadowing. Just present.

Then the second car door opened.

Meilin Zhao stepped out.

Alive.

Whole.

Standing tall.

The reaction was instant.

Gasps. Shouts. A frenzy of questions.

Wasn’t she sold?

Didn’t Lucien Feng trade her?

Wasn’t she dead?

Serena stopped at the top of the steps.

She turned.

And extended her hand.

Meilin took it.

The cameras caught everything.

By noon, the headlines had changed.

“ZHAO HEIRESS MEILIN REAPPEARS, STANDS WITH SERENA LIN”

“RUMORS OF ‘TRADE’ PROVEN FALSE”

“INSIDE THE ZHAO FAMILY BETRAYAL”

Inside the boardroom, Serena made it official.

“Meilin Zhao will be joining Zhao Group as a minority shareholder,” she announced calmly. “Her shares will come directly from mine.”

Murmurs exploded.

Serena didn’t blink.

“She earned them,” Serena continued. “And unlike some people, I don’t abandon my own.”

Lucien watched from the side, eyes dark with approval.

This wasn’t revenge.

This was vindication.

Ethan Zhao watched the live broadcast from his office.

He didn’t throw anything.

Didn’t shout.

Didn’t deny it.

He just sat there, hands clasped tightly, as Serena spoke with quiet authority, confident, radiant, untouchable.

Meilin beside her.

Lucien behind her.

A wall he could never climb again.

The truth settled painfully clear.

There was no winning Serena back.

Not now.

Not ever.

Lucien Feng wasn’t controlling her.

He was cherishing her.

Protecting her.

Standing where Ethan never had.

Ethan closed his eyes.

He had lost.

And this time, there was no one left to blame but himself.

That evening, as Serena removed her heels and leaned back against Lucien in the quiet of their bedroom, she exhaled deeply.

“It’s done,” she said.

Lucien kissed the top of her head. “You did well.”

She tilted her head back to look at him. “You didn’t stop me.”

“I never would,” he replied. “You don’t need permission to be powerful.”

Her lips curved into a soft smile.

Outside, the city buzzed with speculation and scandal.

And somewhere far away, Arabelle Weng stared at the news in silence, realizing, too late, that Serena Lin no longer needed revenge to win.

She had already risen.

...........................

Lila hadn’t planned to beg.

But desperation had a way of eroding pride.

She stood outside Ethan’s apartment long after midnight, arms wrapped around herself, hair disheveled, eyes hollow. The news playing on the screens downstairs still burned in her mind, Serena. Zhao Group. Lucien. Meilin.

Everything she was supposed to have.

The door finally opened.

Ethan froze when he saw her.

“…What are you doing here?” he asked flatly.

Lila laughed weakly. “Is that really the first thing you’re going to say?”

“You shouldn’t be here,” he replied, already stepping back. “Leave.”

“I have nowhere else to go,” she snapped, pushing past him into the apartment. “They’re all gone, Ethan. The Wengs are finished. Serena’s untouchable. I.. Adrian...”

“You did this,” he interrupted sharply. “You and your schemes.”

She turned on him, eyes blazing. “Don’t pretend you’re innocent. You used me just as much.”

“I loved Serena,” he shot back.

Lila’s laugh broke.

“No,” she said bitterly. “You loved owning her. Just like you loved controlling me.”

Silence fell heavy between them.

Ethan clenched his fists. “Get out.”

“What?” she demanded. “You think you can just erase me now?”

She stepped closer. Too close.

“You ruined everything,” she continued, voice rising. “And now you want to play the victim? You pushed me into this, into lying, into hurting her...”

“That’s enough!” Ethan shouted.