The Miner's Daughter Takes Manhattan

Chapter 9

The wedding went off without a hitch, thanks to Sebastian Pierce's meticulous planning that ensured the police arrived just in time to keep everything in check.

Under the sparkling chandeliers, surrounded by the sweet scent of lilies of the valley, the moment we exchanged rings, the room erupted into applause.

His fingers trembled slightly as he slid the band onto my finger, treating me like something precious, like a rare treasure.

Later, on our wedding night, nestled in his arms, I whispered something strange—a tale of "past lives and present fates."

He listened quietly, his expression unreadable, before suddenly flipping me beneath him, his eyes dark with a mix of emotions.

As we lay together afterward, I couldn't hold back anymore, finally asking the question that had been nagging at me: "Have we met before? When did you fall in love with me?"

Sebastian pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"It was at your eighteenth birthday gala."

My eyes widened in surprise.

"The Pierce family was invited, but no one paid attention to the neglected second son," he murmured, his voice low and tinged with emotion.

"Until you walked over and pinned a lily of the valley to my lapel."

His fingers ran through my hair.

"You told me everyone at a party should be happy. That one sentence made them rethink how they treated me."

"I saw you a few more times after that, but your attention was always on... him."

His arms tightened around me. "I fought my way up, just so one day, I could stand in front of you as your equal."

My throat tightened at his words, and I kissed him, silencing anything else he might say.

Months later, as I tossed food to the koi in the garden, the butler brought word.

The Crawfords, desperate to salvage their reputation, had not only stripped Vincent Crawford of his inheritance but had publicly disowned him.

Rosalie Simmons fared worse—after losing the Hawthornes' backing, she had resorted to selling herself in Southeast Asia.

I scattered more fish food, a smirk curling my lips.

Their suffering was nothing compared to what I had endured in my past life.

Four months later, my father retired.

Sebastian held a press conference at Hawthorne Group headquarters, announcing the merger of our family empires.

As I sat in the audience, pride swelled in my chest as I watched my husband command the room.

Then chaos erupted.

"Someone's on the rooftop—it's that Crawford disgrace!"

"He's live-streaming!"

I pulled out my phone.

On screen, Vincent Crawford appeared, gaunt and wild-eyed, screaming, "Bring Evelyn Hawthorne to me! If I don't see her in ten minutes, I'll paint Hawthorne Group in blood!"

Sebastian calmly took my phone from my hands.

"I'll handle this."

"No," I said, standing.

"This ends with me."

On the rooftop, Vincent's bloodshot eyes locked onto mine.

"This is your fault!"

He ripped open his coat, revealing explosives strapped to his chest.

"Dump Sebastian and marry me!"

"Are you insane?" I scoffed.

"Did I force you to cheat? To humiliate me?"

"I don't care!" He yanked at the detonator.

"We'll die together!"

The crowd ducked—except me.

I stood frozen, watching coldly as he fumbled with the malfunctioning bomb.

When the police rushed in, Vincent suddenly screamed, "Evelyn, this is our second life! We were happy in our past one!"

I stepped forward, my voice sharp.

"Then tell me—how were we happy?"

"We grew old together, ran Hawthorne Group—"

"Liar!" I cut him off.

"You took lover after lover, then killed me in a staged accident!"

His face drained of color.

"Y-you... you remember too?"

Sebastian covered my ears.

"Too noisy. Take him away."

As Vincent was dragged off, I exhaled, the tension leaving my body.

Sebastian pulled me into his arms, his cedar scent wrapping around me, chasing away the shadows.

The sun was warm, the breeze gentle.

With him by my side, this life was more than enough.