Chapter 3: Seven Years Later

Seven years later...

New York City had become Emerald Hutton's home.

The frightened fifteen-year-old girl who had boarded a plane with a broken heart no longer existed.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of her apartment, Emerald adjusted the blazer over her white blouse before taking one final look at the skyline.

She had changed in every possible way.

Her once timid personality had grown into quiet confidence.

The braces were gone.

The freckles across her cheeks remained, but instead of hiding them beneath makeup, she wore them proudly.

Her shoulder-length chestnut hair framed a face that had matured into effortless elegance.

Most importantly...

She no longer believed fairy tales.

"Miss Hutton?"

Her assistant peeked through the office door.

"Everyone is waiting in the conference room."

"I'll be there in a minute."

Emerald picked up the final presentation she had spent months preparing.

Today was graduation day.

Not only was she graduating with honors in Business Management and International Finance, but she had also secured an executive position in one of New York's fastest-growing investment firms.

It was a dream she had built with nothing but determination.

No distractions.

No heartbreak.

No Achilles Valencian.

After receiving her diploma later that afternoon, applause echoed throughout the auditorium.

"Congratulations, Miss Hutton," the dean said while shaking her hand.

"We expect great things from you."

"Thank you, Professor."

Outside the university gates, Beth and Casie were already waiting.

"There she is!" Casie squealed before tackling Emerald into a hug.

"Our genius finally graduated!"

Beth smiled proudly.

"We're so proud of you."

"I couldn't have survived college without you two," Emerald admitted.

"Nonsense," Beth laughed.

"You would've survived anywhere."

The three friends spent the afternoon reminiscing about their university years.

For seven years, Beth and Casie had remained her greatest support.

Neither of them ever mentioned the night Emerald's heart had broken.

It became an unspoken chapter they all silently agreed to leave behind.

Until...

"So... when are you going home?" Beth asked carefully.

Emerald's smile faded.

"Tomorrow."

Casie nearly choked on her drink.

"Already?"

"Dad insists."

"He says the family company needs me now."

"Are you ready?"

Emerald stared out the café window.

"Honestly?"

"No."

"I spent seven years convincing myself I'd never have to go back."

"But I can't avoid home forever."

Beth reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

"Whatever happens... you're not that scared fifteen-year-old anymore."

"You're stronger now."

Emerald smiled faintly.

"I hope so."

The following afternoon, Emerald boarded a private flight arranged by her father.

As the plane climbed above the clouds, memories she had buried for years slowly resurfaced.

The Hutton mansion.

The family library.

Chess boards.

Storm-grey eyes.

"Rosebud..."

She immediately closed her eyes.

"No," she whispered.

"Don't think about him."

Several hours later, the plane landed.

The familiar air of her hometown greeted her the moment she stepped outside.

Nothing seemed to have changed.

Yet somehow...

Everything felt different.

A long black luxury sedan waited near the airport entrance.

"Welcome home, Miss Emerald," the family chauffeur greeted warmly.

"It's good to have you back."

"Thank you, James."

During the drive home, Emerald watched the city pass outside the window.

Several new skyscrapers towered over the skyline.

Luxury hotels and shopping districts had replaced old neighborhoods.

"The city has grown," she murmured.

"Quite a lot," James agreed.

"Especially after Valencian Holdings expanded."

Her heartbeat skipped.

"Valencian Holdings?"

"Mr. Achilles Valencian practically owns half the city now."

"His company became one of the largest investment corporations in the country."

"People call him the Ice King now."

"No one dares challenge him."

Emerald looked back toward the passing buildings.

Achilles...

A billionaire.

She shouldn't have been surprised.

Even as a teenager, everyone knew he possessed extraordinary intelligence.

Still...

Hearing about him made something inside her chest ache.

The gates of Hutton Estate slowly opened.

Before the car even stopped, the front door burst open.

"Emerald!"

Her mother hurried outside with tears streaming down her face.

"My baby!"

Emerald barely had time to step out before she found herself wrapped inside the warmest hug she'd missed for years.

"Mom..."

"Look at you!"

"You've become even more beautiful."

Richard Hutton joined them moments later.

"Welcome home, Princess."

Emerald hugged her father tightly.

"I missed you both so much."

"And we missed you every single day," Richard admitted.

Inside the mansion, everything looked exactly as she remembered.

The grand staircase.

The crystal chandelier.

Even the family portraits remained untouched.

"Someone else has been waiting for you," Tobias announced with a grin.

Emerald turned just as her older brother walked into the hallway.

"Toby!"

He laughed while lifting her completely off the ground.

"You're still tiny."

"Put me down!" she complained, laughing.

"Never."

The siblings embraced tightly.

Only one person remained missing.

"Where's Tess?" Emerald asked.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"She moved into her own apartment two years ago," Tobias answered.

"She'll be here tonight for dinner."

Emerald nodded slowly.

She hadn't spoken properly to her sister in seven years.

Not after what happened.

That evening, the family prepared a welcome-home dinner.

As everyone chatted happily around the dining table, the front doorbell rang.

"That must be Tess," Mom smiled.

Emerald instinctively looked toward the entrance.

The door slowly opened.

First came Tess.

Then...

A tall man dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit stepped inside.

Time seemed to stop.

Achilles Valencian.

He looked nothing like the twenty-two-year-old she remembered.

His shoulders had broadened.

His sharp jaw was covered with perfectly trimmed stubble.

The playful spark in his storm-grey eyes had disappeared completely.

Instead...

Cold confidence surrounded him like armor.

The room seemed smaller the moment he entered.

"Good evening," he greeted everyone politely.

Then his eyes found hers.

Neither of them spoke.

For seven years...

They had imagined this moment countless times.

Yet now that it had arrived...

Neither knew what to say.

"Rose..."

The nickname almost escaped his lips.

He stopped himself.

"Welcome home, Emerald."

His voice was calm.

Controlled.

As though seven years meant nothing.

Emerald forced a polite smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Valencian."

The formal title struck him harder than she realized.

For the first time...

The billionaire everyone feared stood completely speechless.