Jane's POV

I stepped into my apartment and closed the door behind me slowly. My heels tapped against the wooden floor as I walked into the living room. I felt heavy, it was not just in my body, but in my heart too.


I dropped my bag on the couch and stood there in silence. I couldn't believe that I stood there and spoke to Nathan.

I couldn't believe I told him I was pregnant and even worse, I told him Hades was the father.

Why? Why did I say that? Why did I even allow him to talk to me?


I sat down on the couch and held my head in both hands. My mind was a mess. Emotions pulled me in different directions and a part of me felt angry, part of me felt weak, and part of me just wanted to sleep and forget everything.

'I must have been out of my mind," I whispered to myself. 'Maybe I was under some kind of stress or probably some strange influence."


I walked to the kitchen and drank a glass of water. My hands were shaking slightly and I stared at my reflection in the glass window.

'What if he used what I said against me?" I ask myself. 'What if Nathan tried to use this baby to find a way back into my life, or worse, to destroy it again?"

I bit my lip and breathed out and I felt stupid. I knew better. I was Jane Grande. I was not supposed to be making these kinds of mistakes. I have survived worse and I have outsmarted billionaires and hackers.

But Nathan? I couldn't believe that after what he did to me, he had the gut to come back and ask for forgiveness and I spoke to him in a calm way instead of getting him arrested.

I walked back to the living room and lay down on the couch. I placed one hand on my stomach.

A child, my child and I felt something deep in my chest. It was not pain, it was not fear, it was something else, it was something like a tiny spark of hope.

But then the fear came rushing back.

Why exactly did Nathan try to come back immediately when I was confirmed pregnant? Why did it have to be this exact time? It felt strange.

As I sat up, lost in thought, a notification popped up on my phone and I picked it up quickly. I was expecting something urgent.

It was an email.

Subject: Invitation to Speak – Building Young Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow**

I blinked.

The logo was from a youth innovation foundation and they wanted me to come speak next month, to talk to young people about how to build their dreams, how to grow from nothing into greatness.

I stared at it and my thumb hovered over the screen. I pressed the side button and closed the phone.

'No," I muttered, 'I can't think about this now."

I tossed the phone aside on the couch, however something kept ringing in my head.

*You started like this too, Jane"

I sat back, thoughtful. My eyes returned to the phone. That email, that message, those words.

I reached out and unlocked my phone again slowly, and I scrolled back to the email and opened it.

'We believe your story will inspire many. Especially young people with dreams"

I read the line twice.

A small smile pulled at the corner of my lips.

Yes, I started with nothing and I started with pain, I started with betrayal, but I fought and I stood, and I created an empire. And if even one young woman can believe in herself because she heard my story and then maybe, just maybe, it was worth it.

I tapped the reply button.

' I will be honored to speak. Thank you."

As I pressed send, I whispered to myself, 'I will not let Nathan, or anyone else, control my story. Not anymore."

And as I sat there, thinking about what to share with the next generation, I knew something clearly in my heart:

This was my time.


Nathan's POV

I sat in my car, and stared at my phone, my hands were sweating, but my lips were curled into a smile and then it happened.

*Ping!*

A message came in and I quickly opened it.

It was from the fake youth foundation email I created with George, my company co-founder and partner in this plan.

Jane Grande had accepted the invitation to speak at the Youth Employment Conference."

I laughed loud and long.

'She fell for it!" I shouted and slammed my hand on the steering wheel. 'She actually said yes!"

I dialed George's number right away and he picked up on the second ring.

'She said yes!" I said before he even said hello. 'Jane accepted!"

There was silence on the line for a second, then George laughed too. 'You are serious? She is coming?"

'Yes, man!" I shouted 'The queen herself is walking right into our hands."

'This is perfect," George said. 'Now we can move to the next step."

'Yes. The conference will go as planned. She will speak, cameras everywhere and after that, and after that she would fall for our plans.

George laughs. 'Are you still serious about taking her back?"

'Of course," I said, my voice was calm now.

'Once I make her fall, once the whole world sees her break. she will know she needs me and I will be there like a savior. She will come back to me. No one else will want her, not with what we are planning to show."

'And what about the baby?" George asks. 'She told you it's Hades's child."

I gritted my teeth. 'That baby is just a tool. It means nothing. Once Jane is mine again, I would deal with everything else. What matters was bringing her down first, slowly, sweetly. She wouldn't see it coming."

We both stayed quiet for a moment, and thought about the plan.

Then George said, 'It was time, brother. We have waited too long for this."

'Yes," I whispered. 'The stage is set. The trap is ready."

I looked out the window, imagining her on that stage, smiling, speaking, not knowing what was coming.

'She still thinks she's in control," I said, laughing again. 'But soon, Jane Grande will be mine again. One way or another."