Chapter 275: I Won't Let Anyone Take What's Mine

Selena's POV

The image of Kevin's phone haunted me, that damned bracelet gleaming on the screen like a ghost from my past.

At that time, I was just Sel, a nobody working at a ski resort to survive. Life had taught me early that nobody cared about an orphan with nothing to her name. Then he walked in with his custom snow gear and that commanding presence.

"My snowboard is stored here. Please find it for me. I'm Alexander Hudson," he had said, voice as cold as the mountain air.

"Thank you," he'd replied when I handed it to him, barely sparing me a glance.

I remembered how I'd sneaked away from my post just to watch him glide down the expert slopes with effortless grace. There was something magnetic about him, this man who moved through the world knowing his place in it.

Then came the avalanche.

I could still hear his faint cries for help beneath the snow, his voice so different from the commanding tone I'd heard before. My instinct had been to save myself, ducking into the equipment shed I knew so well.

"Help!" The sound had been muffled but unmistakable.

I'd watched from my hiding spot as a mixed-race woman—Katherine, though I didn't know her name then—had frantically dug through the snow toward his voice.

"Leave me, save yourself," Alexander had told her weakly.

But she'd refused, working through the night with ropes and bare hands until she'd pulled him free. I'd watched it all, telling myself how foolish she was to risk her life for a stranger.

Even the richest man's life won't last longer than mine if I play it safe, I'd thought.

After the rescue teams arrived and the chaos settled, I noticed something glittering in the snow—a delicate silver bracelet with sapphires that must have fallen from Katherine's wrist during the rescue. I'd pocketed it without a second thought.

"Such a beautiful bracelet. Must be worth something," I'd murmured, admiring how it caught the light.

Years later, that bracelet changed everything when a sleek black car pulled up outside my dingy apartment. Men in expensive suits identified the bracelet immediately.

"Don't be afraid, miss," one had said with unexpected deference. "We've been looking for you for a long time. The old gentleman would like to meet you."

At the Garcia estate, an aging Anthony Garcia had looked at me with tears in his eyes. "My daughter! I've finally found you! You've suffered so much all these years. If not for this bracelet, I might never have found you."

When he'd asked about my mother, I'd spun a tale on the spot. "She passed away... All I remember is her giving me this bracelet, saying it would help me find my father someday..."

Anthony had embraced me, accepting me completely. "From now on, you are my only daughter, Selena Garcia, heir to the Garcia fortune."

Just like that, I became someone who mattered.

Coming back to the present, I took a deep breath. I'd earned everything I had now. That bracelet had been my ticket to a better life, but I'd made the most of that opportunity through my own wits and determination.

Resolute, I located my wheelchair and transferred myself into it.

"I won't let anyone take what's mine," I whispered, wheeling myself toward the jewelry store counter. "Especially not Katherine."

"Excuse me," I called sweetly to the clerk. "I need information about a package being sent to Kevin Jordan."

The clerk looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't share customer information."

I leaned forward, lowering my voice conspiratorially. "I'm actually his girlfriend. He mentioned the bracelet is a surprise for me, but I'm worried the shipping address might be wrong. Could you just verify it for me? I promise to keep it between us."

As the clerk hesitated, I pulled out my phone and texted my private investigator: [Monitor all international deliveries to Kevin Jordan. Priority target: vintage silver bracelet with sapphires.]

Whatever it took, that bracelet would never reach that bitch's hands!

Alexander's POV

I loosened my tie as I drove Ryan home from our dinner meeting with Mason Christopher. Pride swelled in my chest as I glanced at my son sitting beside me.

"Son, thank you," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "What you did back there..."

Ryan shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. "He was being disrespectful. I couldn't let him talk that way about you."

The memory of Ryan defending me at dinner replayed in my mind. When Mason had brought those women to our business dinner and suggested inappropriate things in front of my child, I'd been ready to walk away from the deal entirely.

But then Ryan had spoken up, his knowledge of Mason's background stunning the man into silence before he systematically dismantled him.

"You know," I said, "everything you said about my work developing new energy solutions—how did you learn all that?"

"I've been studying you," Ryan admitted. "Your business decisions, your strategies. What you've accomplished is impressive. Others might not appreciate it, but I do."

His words touched something deep inside me. After years of making difficult choices, often alone, hearing my son's recognition meant everything.

"The work you've done deserves respect," Ryan continued. "I wouldn't have tolerated his behavior even if I wasn't your son."

I pulled the car over, overcome with emotion, and wrapped Ryan in a tight hug.

"Dad! What are you doing?" he protested, but didn't pull away.

"So," I said, collecting myself, "our deal with Mason is dead. Any thoughts on what we should do next?"

Ryan's eyes lit up. "Well, would the illustrious Hudson Financial Group be interested in partnering with Wise Technologies instead? I'm sure Allen's company could offer much better terms."

I laughed, playing along. "I'd be honored to partner with such a distinguished CEO. Have your people call my people?"

"Consider it done," Ryan said with a grin that mirrored my own.

As we drove the rest of the way home, I couldn't help wondering what Katherine and the others were planning. They'd been suspiciously secretive lately, exchanging whispers that stopped whenever I entered a room.

When we arrived home, I found Katherine in the kitchen with Emma, hastily covering something that looked suspiciously like design papers.

"What's going on in here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as Emma giggled nervously, her eyes darting to Katherine for help.

"Nothing!" Katherine said too quickly, her cheeks flushing slightly. "How was your meeting?"

I know what they're up to, but if I say something, it'll ruin the surprise. So I'll just let it go. But I feel incredibly happy. The warmth of knowing they're planning something special for me fills my heart with joy.

I exchanged a knowing look with Ryan, a small smile playing on my lips. "Enlightening. Ryan managed to secure us a much better partnership than I'd anticipated. The terms are exceptional."

Katherine looked between us, visibly relieved. "That's wonderful! We should celebrate."

"Yes," I softly agreed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "I think we have a lot to celebrate these days." With that, I closed my eyes and placed a gentle kiss on Katherine's forehead.