Chapter 305 New Beginnings

Chapter 305 New Beginnings
Scarlett's POV

The Rothschild estate felt different now—lighter somehow, despite everything we'd been through.

The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting golden patterns across the Persian rugs. Alice looked up from arranging delicate china teacups, her face brightening as we entered.
 
"You look thin, dear," she said, though her tone carried more concern than criticism. "All this stress hasn't been good for you."
 
Alice herself had aged visibly since Derek's arrest and exile. The revelation that her eldest grandson had orchestrated the deaths of family members had shaken her to her core. She'd moved more slowly these past days, her legendary energy dimmed by grief and betrayal.
 
"I'm sorry, Grandma," Gabriel said quietly, reaching across to squeeze her wrinkled hand. "I should have protected you from all of this."
 
She patted his cheek with surprising tenderness. "You protected the family when it mattered most. That's what matters now." Her gaze shifted to me. "Both of you did."
 
The pain of Derek's betrayal still lingered in her eyes, but watching Gabriel with the children had begun to heal something in her. She'd thrown herself into being a great-grandmother with renewed purpose, as if their laughter could chase away the shadows of recent revelations.
 
"When are you going to marry Scarlett?" Alice suddenly asked Gabriel, her bluntness catching him off guard.
 
Gabriel's mouth twitched slightly. "I'm just wondering when she'll agree to marry me."
 
I felt heat rise in my cheeks. "If you're both in such a hurry, we could go to City Hall tomorrow and get it over with."
 
"Absolutely not," Gabriel said firmly. "Trust me, I have something much better planned. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow night to find out what it is."

"Tomorrow night?"

"Your homecoming celebration," Alice supplied helpfully. "Your father is hosting quite the elegant affair. All of New York society will be there."

I groaned internally. Another society function, another round of carefully orchestrated public appearances. But looking at Gabriel's expectant expression and Alice's renewed enthusiasm, I found I didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Fine," I said. "But if you're planning something ridiculous—"

"Would I do that?" Gabriel smiled.

"Yes," I said immediately. "Absolutely yes."

---

The next evening, I stood in the grand ballroom of Langley Manor, watching New York's elite dressed in designer gowns and bespoke suits, bustling about. The scene was eerily similar to Benjamin's homecoming celebration a few days ago, except this time, I wasn't pretending to be someone else.
 
I was wearing the custom-made haute couture gown from Vespera that Gabriel had ordered for me. The dress was a deep blue, as profound as the night sky. The silk material was smooth and soft, flowing with my every step, like a river of stars.
 
Gabriel was wearing a perfectly tailored black bespoke suit as he walked over. His steps were steady, his gaze resolute, and the surrounding clamor seemed to fade away, leaving only the intimacy and understanding between us.
 
He asked me, "Do you like the dress? I specially contacted the Vespera studio to have it made."
 
"Of course I like it," I replied, a mischievous smile playing on my lips. "I designed it myself. How could I not like it?"
 
He looked at me in surprise, "So, you're Vespera?"
 
Before he could say anything more, a familiar voice interrupted us.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my star pupil."

I turned to see Master Thunder striding through the crowd, with the swagger of someone who enjoyed being the most interesting person in any room.

"Master Thunder," I said, unable to keep the smile out of my voice. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"Miss me?" he asked with his characteristic grin, pulling me into an enthusiastic embrace that was definitely going to be photographed by at least six society reporters. "My favorite student at her most precious moment, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

I laughed, genuinely delighted to see him. Master Thunder had always been larger than life, but seeing him here in this glittering ballroom felt like having a piece of my real world crash into this carefully constructed society event. 

"Master Thunder," Gabriel said, extending his hand with formal respect. "It's been a long time."

"Gabriel Rothschild," Master Thunder replied, clasping Gabriel's hand firmly. "Still looking like you've got a stick permanently lodged somewhere uncomfortable, I see."

Gabriel's mouth twitched with what might have been amusement. "Some things never change."

"Indeed they don't." Master Thunder's expression grew more serious as he studied Gabriel's face. "Speaking of things that don't change, how is your teacher these days?"

Something flickered across Gabriel's features—too quick for most people to catch, but I knew what he was worried about.

Gabriel had told me about his teacher, Master Phoenix, forbidding him from interacting with Master Thunder's apprentices, though we didn't know the reason.

So I asked directly, "Master Thunder, is there a story between you and Master Phoenix?"

Master Thunder's expression shifted, the usual swagger fading into something more vulnerable. Gabriel and I exchanged glances as we watched this larger-than-life figure suddenly look his age.

"Phoenix," Master Thunder said quietly, his voice carrying decades of regret. "We were... well, we were everything to each other once. Same martial arts school, same dreams, same stubborn pride."

He paused, his eyes distant. "We fell in love the way young people do - completely, recklessly, without any regard for consequences. But when we disagreed about something..." He shook his head. "Neither of us would back down. Both too proud, both too sure we were right."

"What happened?" I asked gently.

"She thought I chose my ambitions over her. I thought she chose her principles over us. We were both wrong, and we were both too proud to admit it." Master Thunder's voice cracked slightly. "By the time I realized what an idiot I'd been, she'd disappeared. I've been looking for her for twenty years."

Gabriel stepped forward. "I know where she is."

Master Thunder's head snapped up, hope blazing in his eyes. "You do?"

"She's been teaching privately in the mountains upstate. Goes by different name now, but it's definitely her." Gabriel pulled out his phone. "I can give you the address."

For the first time since I'd known him, Master Thunder looked genuinely nervous. "What if she doesn't want to see me? What if she's moved on?"

"Then you'll know," I said simply. "But Master Thunder, some regrets are worth living with. The regret of not trying isn't one of them."

Gabriel finished typing and showed Master Thunder the address. The older man memorized it instantly, then looked between us with something approaching panic.

"I can't go to your party like this. My head's all over the place. Scarlett, tell Benjamin I'm sorry, but I need to go make things right with the love of my life before I do anything else."

With that, he practically sprinted toward the exit, leaving Gabriel and me staring after him in amazement.

"Did Master Thunder just choose love over a party?" I laughed.

Gabriel grinned. "Stranger things have happened. Speaking of which..." He offered me his arm. "Ready for that surprise I mentioned?"