Diana’s POV
“Goodbye, Cassia,” I said coldly.
I stepped to the side, expecting her to move.
She didn’t.
Instead, she crossed her arms, blocking the hospital doorway like she had all the time in the world.
My phone vibrated in my hand.
Flight rescheduled.
I glanced at the time. I couldn’t afford to miss it again. The longer I stayed, the greater the chance Eduardo would try to trap me back into his world.
And I desperately needed distance—from the Ricci family, from the blood-stained power struggles, from the suffocating life inside that mafia empire.
“Move,” I said, my patience thinning.
Cassia tilted her head, smiling like a cat toying with a wounded mouse.
“I want to see you cry.”
I scoffed.
“Too bad. That’s not happening.”
I dragged my suitcase forward.
Cassia suddenly pulled out a few dollar bills from her designer purse and tossed them at my feet.
“Use this for your fare,” she giggled mockingly.
Something inside me snapped.
Before I could stop myself—
My hand swung.
Slap.
The sound echoed sharply in the hospital room.
Cassia stumbled backward, clutching her cheek.
“How dare you?” I hissed, my voice trembling with anger.
Cassia immediately let out a loud cry.
Right on cue.
Footsteps rushed toward the room.
Eduardo burst in, Lucan following closely behind him, along with two Ricci bodyguards stationed outside.
“What did you do, Diana?” Eduardo barked when he saw Cassia’s reddened cheek.
I laughed bitterly.
“What did I do?” I shot back. “You heard her scream and came running. Where were you when your son shot me? Where were you when I passed out from blood loss?”
“Bad woman!” Lucan shouted angrily. “You hurt Cassia!”
“It’s not her fault, Lucan,” Cassia sobbed, her voice trembling pitifully. “I came to beg her to stay… but she refused… so I offered her money for her fare… and she slapped me…”
I clenched my fists.
“Stop this madness, Cassia. Stop playing the victim,” I snapped.
“No, you stop this, Diana!” Eduardo snapped sharply. “I’ve indulged you long enough. I’ll take you back… as long as you apologize to Cassia.”
I stared at him.
Then I laughed.
A hollow, bitter laugh.
“Even if you were the last man on earth, Eduardo… I would never be with you.”
His face darkened.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“For eight years, you never wanted a child with me,” I said calmly. “Only for me to find out—on the same day your son shot me—that Cassia is pregnant with your child.”
Eduardo shot Cassia a quick glance.
A silent question.
Why did you tell her?
“We can talk about that later,” he said quickly. “Just come home. We’ll resolve everything.”
I scoffed.
“In your dreams, Mister.”
I turned and walked away.
Behind me, Eduardo’s voice echoed down the corridor.
“Diana! Don’t walk away from me!”
But I didn’t stop.
For the first time in eight years…
I didn’t look back.
---
An hour later, I arrived at the airport.
The VIP terminal buzzed quietly with private security and luxury travelers. Even here, I kept my head low, not wanting any Ricci connections to recognize me.
Just as I checked in, my phone rang.
Eduardo.
I hesitated… then picked up.
“What do you want?” I asked coldly.
“I know you're upset about Cassia’s pregnancy,” he said. “Come back. Give me a child. I’ll put your name in my will. You and your child will live well.”
I let out a cold laugh.
“Go to hell, Eduardo.”
I hung up.
Then blocked his number.
The flight was long.
I slept halfway through, exhaustion finally catching up to me.
When the plane landed, I stepped into the arrivals hall, dragging my luggage behind me.
That’s when I saw him.
A tall man in a tuxedo holding a placard:
Diana Blake
I walked toward him.
He immediately straightened.
“Miss Blake,” he greeted respectfully. “I’m Tony. Your personal guard.”
I nodded slightly.
He took my luggage and escorted me outside.
A black armored SUV waited near the curb—bulletproof glass, discreet security convoy behind it.
This… was a different world.
We drove through quiet streets until the car slowed before massive iron gates.
They opened automatically.
The mansion beyond was grand, elegant, and heavily guarded.
My grandparents’ estate.
John and Linda Blake.
Owners of one of the most powerful corporate empires in San Francisco—an empire rumored to have deep ties with old-money syndicates and underground financial networks.
And I…
Was their sole heiress.
Three years ago, they reached out to me.
They told me my mother had been their daughter—who ran away for love, abandoning her wealthy family to marry my father.
When my mother fell ill with cancer… she contacted them quietly.
She told them about me.
But when they asked me to return and take over…
I refused.
Because back then…
I still believed I could win Eduardo’s heart.
I was foolish.
The car stopped.
The front doors opened.
“Diana! Welcome home!”
My grandmother rushed forward, followed by my grandfather.
They wrapped me in a warm embrace.
“We’re so glad you're here,” they said.
My chest tightened slightly.
I smiled.
“Thank you… for accepting me.”
My grandmother cupped my face gently.
“Nonsense, Diana. Everything here belongs to you.”
My grandfather nodded firmly.
“Yes, Diana,” he said.
“You’re now the new heiress of the Blake Empire.”
I smiled slowly.
Because this time…
I wasn’t returning as someone abandoned.
I was returning with power.
And this time…
It was my turn to settle the score.
