Chapter 197: Chapter 197

Violet

I turned my head slightly, studying him now.

“What made you drown in work?” I asked, before I could stop myself. Then I added quietly, “Only if you want to tell me, that is.”

He exhaled slowly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Like I said, someone I trusted broke it. It took me years to be myself again.”

“How did you deal with it?” I asked. “Whatever happened to you.”

He was silent for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.

“I stopped waiting for things to fix themselves,” he said finally. “I focused on getting stronger. On building something that couldn’t be taken away from me so easily.”

His grip on the steering wheel tightened just slightly.

“And I wouldn’t have been as gracious as you,” he added. “I wouldn’t let Nate walk around like nothing happened. I would ensure he regretted breaking my trust.”

There was no anger in his voice, just certainty. We sat silently for a few minutes and I struggled to fill the awkward silence.

“I’ll try my best with the designs,” I said after a moment. “For the Lunar Gala.”

He glanced at me, the earlier seriousness easing. “I know you will. We need this to work.”

“Your company is not doing that bad,” I said lightly.

He huffed out a quiet laugh. “You’d be surprised. We’ve had a few rough quarters. This launch needs to hit hard to make up for the heavy losses I suffered or...”

“It will,” I said, not waiting for him to complete it. “We’ll make sure of it, we will destroy Deveraux Enterprises.”

“We?” he echoed, amused. “And damn I don’t like the way you say that. Calm down, Violet.”

But I didn’t want to. I wanted to destroy Elijah, make him feel the hurt, the pain like he did to me so that he would never use another woman again for his amusement.

I shrugged slightly. “I mean the whole team, we will beat them to be number one ourselves.”

“But I am counting on just you,” he said, a small smile returning and I hated the way he looked at me with so much hope...and something else.

Thankfully, the car finally slowed near my house and I reached for the handle.

“Thank you,” I said, glancing at him.

“Anytime,” he replied simply.

I stepped out, closing the door behind me but he called out.

“And Violet?”

I turned back to look at him. “Yes?”

“Please get some sleep. I would love it if you don't look like a zombie tomorrow.”

I smiled again.

“Two in a row, not bad” He seemed too pleased with himself as I shook my head.

“Goodnight, Dane”

“Goodnight, Violet”

He gave a small nod and drove off, the car disappearing down the road.

“Who was that?”

I turned to see my mother standing by the gate, her arms folded loosely, her gaze still following the direction the car had gone.

“My boss, Mr Stratford’s grandson” I said, walking toward her. I knew she had referred me to William Stratford but I doubted she had seen Dane before.

“He seems like a good man,” she said thoughtfully.

I rolled my eyes lightly. “Can you not start that already?”

“I’m just saying,” she replied, falling into step beside me. “He dropped you home, he looks decent too.”

“Mom,” I cut in, exasperated. “Please don’t try to match me with every man who shows basic courtesy.”

“I’m not matching you,” she said, though the hint of a smile betrayed her. “I’m just observing.”

I shook my head, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

“I warned you once,” she continued, her tone shifting slightly, more serious now, “not to fall for the wrong person just because you were hurt.”

I stilled.

“And yet,” she added quietly, “you still ended up getting hurt again.”

A flicker of irritation sparked in my chest. I hadn’t spoken about him, hadn’t emptied out anything since returning, just bottled it up and sunk it somewhere deep in the pits of the abyss.

“Mom, please dont…” I said, my voice sharper than I intended.

“You don’t have to shut yourself off completely because of whatever that monster did to you. You won’t even tell me what happened but I know he is behind it”

“I’m not shutting myself off,” I snapped. “I’m just focusing on things that actually matter.”

“Love matters,” she said gently.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Yeah? Look how well that worked out for me. So spare me the lecture”

My hurt and anger was turning into something far deadly and venomous, something the soft and caring Violet would never do to anyone.

My mother’s expression shifted, hurt flashing briefly in her eyes.

Guilt hit me immediately. “I’m sorry.”

She sighed softly, reaching out to smooth a strand of hair away from my face.

“You are strong, Violet,” she said quietly. “Stronger than you think. But strength does not mean you stop feeling.”

I swallowed, my throat tightening.

“You deserve love,” she continued. “And you deserve to give it a chance, even after everything.”

Her gaze flicked briefly toward the gate, where Dane’s car had disappeared earlier.

“Sometimes,” she added, “life brings someone new when you least expect it.”

I let out a soft breath, shaking my head slightly.

“I’m not ready for that,” I said.

She smiled faintly, not pushing further. “Just don’t close the door completely.”

I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I meant it.

Because right now, the door wasn’t just closed. It was locked.

And I wasn’t sure I had the strength to open it again. Not until I got my vengeance.