11
12:31
A couple of years passed. Life was good. The old man never fully cut me off, and the assets I took with me were more than enough to start over. I didn’t go back to Blackwood Corp. I started my own investment firm. My luck, and my instincts, were good. My fortune doubled, then doubled again.
Money was no longer an object. My time was my own. My mind was clear.
I traveled. I learned to dive. I went skiing. Some days, I just lay on my balcony, reading a book and soaking up the sun. No one to answer to, no drama to navigate. Just peace.
Occasionally, at industry events I couldn’t avoid, I would run into Evelyn.
She had risen through the ranks at Blackwood Corp, personally mentored by my father. She was no longer the pale, haunted woman from my memories. She was a powerhouse, radiating confidence and authority.
The first time we saw each other, we made eye contact across a crowded room, nodded, and went our sep- arate ways. The second time, she approached me at a cocktail party.
“Long time no see,” she said.
“You too,” I replied, raising my glass.
We’d make small talk about the market, about business, then drift apart. We were like old colleagues, or fam- iliar strangers. The past was never mentioned.
The comments would pop up from time to time:
[Damien is getting hotter! Freedom looks good on him!]
【Evelyn is a total queen now!)
【They look so good together. Such a power couple!]
【Such a shame.]
【What’s a shame? They’re both thriving. This is a happy ending.]
One night, at yet another gala, Evelyn found me by the bar. “A word?” she asked.
We stepped out onto the terrace. The night air was cool.
:
She leaned against the railing, studying my face with a complex expression. “Damien,” she said finally, a sm-
all smile playing on her lips. “You’re very… attractive now.”
It was a simple statement of fact, no flirtation behind it.
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Must be the money.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s your energy.
14/15
12:31
15/15
Chapter 2
“My energy?”
12:31
“The energy of not caring,” she clarified, looking out at the city lights. “You’re not tied to anything. You’re free, you’re clear–headed. You know what you want. That’s an attractive quality. You didn’t have it before.”
“The guy before was a mess of neediness and insecurity,” I said with a shrug.
She didn’t argue. “Yes. So… this is better.”
We stood in comfortable silence for a few more minutes. We didn’t talk about her, or my father, or the com- pany. There was no need. We were both doing well, and that was enough.
“Getting cold,” I said.
“Yes. Let’s go back in.”
We walked back into the ballroom, two streams that had briefly converged, now flowing peacefully back into
our own separate rivers.
A few final comments scrolled across my vision:
[And that’s a wrap!]
[Damien really did get his own happy ending!]
[Evelyn is living her best life!]
【An unexpected but satisfying conclusion!)
[The redemption arc turned into a permanent vacation! You magnificent bastard, Damien!]
[Long live freedom!]
Life went on. The sun was bright, the wind was free. I was driving down a coastal highway with no destinati- on in mind, the windows down, the salt air on my face. An old song was on the radio, and I was humming along, completely content.
The sky above was clear, open, and endless.
(End)
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