The office door was still slightly ajar as Celeste Stratton’s footsteps echoed further down the hall. Damien Harlow took a deep breath, bracing himself. Even as he leaned back in his wheelchair, it felt like he was carrying the weight of the world. His gray eyes stared blankly at the door, though his mind was a storm of questions and guilt.Before Celeste could fully leave, Damien pushed the wheels of his chair forward with enough force to make his wrists strain. He managed to get to the doorway and reached out to gently grab her arm. His touch was soft but firm enough to stop her.“Wait,” he said quietly.Celeste turned around slowly. Her eyes burned with frustration, tinged with a flicker of hidden hope beneath her cold expression. Her gaze was sharp, but Damien knew just how fragile she was behind that facade.“If you’re going to stop me, then give me a real reason. I don’t have time for riddles, Damien,” she said flatly, though her voice trembled with emotion.Damien looked deep i

Damien knew his time with Celeste was running out. If he wanted to prove himself, he had to act fast. But every step forward felt like smashing into a brick wall—an insurmountable challenge for a man still confined to a wheelchair.What nobody knew, not even Celeste, was that Damien had secretly joined a classified military rehab program. This program, designed for severely injured war veterans, offered a chance to recover using experimental methods.The program wasn’t cheap, though. Damien had to fund it himself after leaving the military and cutting all ties. He’d also abandoned his past as one of the most influential people in the country, effectively erasing his identity from everyone who once knew him.For the past year, Damien had been disappearing for a few days each month to attend rehab sessions. These weren’t just about physical recovery—they involved intense mental training and martial arts to regain control over his body. Although he wasn’t back to his Grandmaster peak yet

The Stratton family meeting room had been tense from the very beginning. The atmosphere was heavy, palpable to anyone present. However, the tension shifted when Damien Harlow, with unwavering confidence, spoke as though he could foresee the future and the fate of the Stratton family.Adrian Stratton was the first to break the silence, his mocking laughter echoing throughout the room.“What did you say? I’ll bring ruin?” he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “Look at yourself! Besides your crippled legs, are you blind too? Can’t you see that I’m the one driving the company’s growth lately with all the new investments pouring in? Absolutely ridiculous.”Adrian’s laughter was met with light jeers from a few other family members, including Eleanor Stratton, Celeste’s mother, who stared at Damien with a cold, disdainful expression. Margaret Stratton, Celeste’s grandmother, even smirked from her corner of the room, as if reveling in the humiliation of the man she deemed unworthy of

Celeste grabbed Damien's arm firmly, stopping him from turning away.“Mom, let him in!” she said sharply, her voice laced with determination.Eleanor, who had been ready to shut the door in Damien’s face, looked at her daughter in shock.“Celeste, he’s—” Eleanor started to argue, but Celeste cut her off.Celeste knew if she let Damien leave now, Adrian would probably hire thugs to beat him up. Damien had hit Adrian for her sake. There was no way she could leave him to deal with the fallout on his own.“He’s my husband, Mom!” Celeste declared, her voice rising.Those words made Eleanor freeze. She couldn’t believe Celeste was speaking like this. For as long as Eleanor could remember, Celeste had shown nothing but disdain for Damien. She treated their marriage as the biggest mistake of her life. But now, here she was, standing up for him against her own mother.Feeling defeated, Eleanor sighed and turned to head upstairs. She didn’t say another word, but the heavy stomp of her footsteps

Everyone immediately turned toward the source of the voice. A middle-aged man in an elegant suit walked closer. His face was calm, yet there was an undeniable aura of authority surrounding him."Mr. Lincoln!" the receptionist called out politely as she stood up.Adrian quickly turned around, trying to regain his composure. He knew the man before him—Lawrence Lincoln, the CEO of Xoldex, a powerful figure in the world of technology business."Mr. Lincoln," Adrian said in a lowered tone, attempting to sound polite despite the anger still burning within him. "I'm here to sign the partnership contract. I'm Adrian Stratton, the new director of Novatek."Lincoln observed Adrian for a moment before glancing at the receptionist, who swiftly explained the situation. After hearing the explanation, Lincoln returned his gaze to Adrian, his expression unreadable."Mr. Stratton, I'm not aware of your new position at Novatek. What I do know is that all offic