---- Romano family's business, I expect you all to look out for it. Don't let any flies bother her." The room erupted in shock, followed by a tide of congratulations. The crystal glass in Vincent's hand let out a pained creak. "Mr. Cross!" Vincent shot to his feet, his voice raw. " Isabella is my wife! She can't be a Cross daughter-in- law!" The room fell dead silent. Marcus finally looked up, his gaze like he was looking at an insignificant ant.
"You?" Damien swirled the wine in his glass, a cold smirk on his lips. ''The man who personally pushed his wife toward death, just to 'teach her a lesson'? You think you have the right to speak her name?" Vincent completely lost control, his eyes red as he stared at me. "Isabella! You tell me! Are you choosing me, or this dying cripple who has days left to live?!" ---- CRASH! The wine glass in Marcus's hand shattered on the floor, his eyes like daggers.
But Damien just laughed, a low, soft sound. He stood up and walked to the center of the hall, the spotlight falling on him. He took out a sealed medical file and opened it in front of everyone. "Who said I don't have long to live?" He held up the report, but his eyes were locked on me. "It seems my 'terminal' diagnosis... was a miscalculation. Thanks to Sophia." The hall exploded in an uproar. Cured of ALS?! "Damien! What are you saying?!" For the first time, Marcus's voice lost its calm.
The report was passed around, the conclusive "cured" diagnosis stunning everyone. ---- Only I was filled with doubt. The painkiller I gave him when he fell from the cliff... Was it just another one of his high-stakes gambles? Damien looked at no one else. He faced me and dropped to one knee. A perfectly cut, ten-carat, rare blood diamond ring lay in his palm, reflecting light like a deep abyss. "T know you might not believe me right now," his voice was clear, cutting through the silence.
"Marry me. The Cross and Romano bloodlines will be linked, for better or worse. My father can sign the agreement immediately, transferring half of the Cross family's assets to your name. Vows are words. Promises are vapor. Profit... profit is the only chain that binds forever. So, Isabella Romano. Will you take my bet?" Vincent's face twisted in fury. "Isabella! Come back to me! I was wrong! I didn't know about your condition...
" ---- I looked at the blood diamond in Damien's palm, then at Vincent's contorted, regret-filled face. The fire from my past life, the charred bodies of my parents, the cold liquor and suffocating despair of that night... It all swirled together with the bloody, powerful throne being offered to me now. I slowly extended my hand. My fingertips were ice- cold, but my voice was unnaturally calm.
"T'll take the bet, Damien Cross." From this moment on, my life would be tied only to Damien, not Vincent. I refuse to let past heartbreak stop me from stepping into anew love. That is just who I am. One thing I know for sure: my future will shine brighter and burn fiercer than ever before, completely different from the life I lived in my past life.