No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Jacqueline nodded before letting go of my hand, "I'll call and check."

As she made the call, I knelt down, clasping my hands together in a silent prayer, hoping for peace and smooth sailing for everyone.

Jacqueline's voice floated back to me during my prayers, "...Dustin, you're not pulling my leg, are you? He's really okay?... Alright, I'm on my way back. Tell his mom I visited the Silent Wisdom Temple, and I even bumped into Felicia."

Looking back at me as she spoke, Jacqueline reassured, "She's... she's alright, nothing's wrong with her. Tell Rad that Felicia is okay and that she has forgiven our family's past mistakes... Okay, mom will know..."

I bowed my head, a gesture of letting go and finding peace.

After Jacqueline left, I stayed, listening to Master Mathew's sermons until dusk before descending the mountain.

Fanny picked me up, handing me a bouquet of sunflowers, "Congratulations on your rebirth."

She understood me, knew that this journey was about releasing my grudges and forgiving myself.

I hugged Fanny and then went to James' bar for drinks.

We didn't drink much but hung around late into the night, calling James over for one last round after everyone else had gone.

"James, you've got to keep this bar open forever, so when we're toothless old Ethels, we can still come here for a drink," Fanny said, her arm around my shoulder, making a heartfelt request to James.

James just laughed. "By the time you're toothless, I doubt I'll still be around."

He was speaking the truth since he was a generation ahead of us.

Fanny and I fell silent, and James clinked his glass against ours, "Everyone is born to die, it's inevitable. So, what's the difference if it's sooner or later?"

His words reminded me of his late daughter, showing that James had found his peace.

"Let's toast to living life to the fullest," I raised my glass.

I had been reborn, freed from the bitterness and grudges.

I had let go of the feud with the Wagner family and made peace with Ernest's and my separation.

Seeing each other at work but

maintaining & professional distance

the

was now easy for me. I even joined in the jokes about him with colleagues and participated in Collins and Wagner families' joint business gala alongside Grant Smith.

Ernest, making his debut as the heir to the Collins family in a bespoke suit and his trademark aloof demeanor, instantly became the center of attention, stirring the hearts of many women present.

QUMS

Even Grant remarked to me, "Felicia, Ernest is like a blue-chip stock, it's a shame to let him go."

Grant had tried more than once to reconcile me with Ernest, seemingly unsettled by our split.

"It's not a loss," I whispered to Grant with a smirk, "After all, been there, done that."

Grant choked on his drink at my words, and I left laughing.

Conrad didn't attend the gala, reportedly suffering a head injury from a car accident. Dustin represented him instead.

And I had heard plenty of rumors

suggesting that Dustin was securing major deals at the Wagner Group, positioning himself to potentially replace Conrad. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

It wasn't just a possibility; Dustin was clearly determined.

Unless Conrad stepped aside willingly, a clash for power between the brothers seemed inevitable.

Their father would undoubtedly be heartbroken by such a feud.

So, Herschel's rise to success, built upon a contract signed by my father, leading to a rift between his sons, seemed like divine retribution.

Lost in thought, I barely noticed someone approaching until he spoke, "Beautiful snooker girl, we meet again."