---- Chapter 8 The collapse of the Edwards Corporation was swift and brutal. Hampton Hutchinson waged a corporate war with the precision and ruthlessness of a master tactician. Stock prices crashed to zero. Assets were frozen. Lines of credit vanished overnight. The Edwards family, a dynasty that had stood for a century, was bankrupt in less than a week. Brogan lost everything. The company, the mansion, the fortune. He was left with nothing but the crushing weight of his guilt and the terror of what he had unleashed. He tried to reach Grace, showing up at the Hutchinson Tower, only to be thrown out by security. He called, but his number was blocked. He sent letters, which were returned unopened. He was a ghost, haunting the edges of a life that no longer had a place for him He begged his father-in-law for mercy, not for himself, but for the family legacy he had so foolishly tried to protect. "Please, Mr. Hutchinson," he pleaded, managing to ambush the man outside a restaurant. "I'll do anything. Don't destroy my family's name." Hampton didn't even slow down. He looked at Brogan as if he were a piece of dirt on his shoe. "Your family name was destroyed the moment you laid a hand on my daughter." ---- Desperate, Brogan turned his pleas to Grace one last time. He found out where she was having lunch and managed to get past her security, throwing himself at her feet in the middle of the crowded restaurant. "Grace, please," he sobbed, clutching at the hem of her dress. "Talk to me. Punish me. Hate me. But just talk to me. Don't leave me with this silence." Grace looked down at him, her face unreadable. She felt a cold, detached curiosity. This pathetic, broken man was the same one who had held her life and the life of their son in his hands and had chosen to crush them. "There is nothing left to say," she said, her voice even. She pulled her dress free from his grasp and walked away without a backward glance. That was the last time he ever saw her. The finality of her rejection shattered the last of his sanity. He went back to the now-empty Edwards mansion, which was pending foreclosure. He found Kennedy there, packing her belongings, cursing Grace, cursing him, trying to salvage what she could from the wreckage. He looked at her, at the woman whose lies had set this all in motion. The rage, the grief, the guilt that had been poisoning him for months finally boiled over. "This is all your fault," he whispered, his voice trembling. ---- "My fault?" Kennedy shrieked. "I did this for our family! For your brother's legacy! You're the one who was weak! You're the one who married that viper!" Something inside Brogan snapped. He saw not Kennedy, but a personification of all his failures, all his sins. He lunged at her. The police found her body hours later. Collins, who witnessed the horrific act, suffered a complete mental breakdown. She was found wandering the streets, muttering about bleeding walls and freakish blood, and was institutionalized. The Edwards family was gone. Brogan went on the run, a wanted man. But with his face plastered everywhere and his resources gone, he didn't get far. Old business rivals, whom he had crushed on his way to the top, saw their chance for revenge. He was cornered in a cheap motel by men he had once bankrupted. They expected him to fight, to beg. But he didn't. He was tired of running. He simply stood there, a strange sense of peace settling over him. He was ready to pay for his sins. His last thought was not of the men coming to kill him, but of a small, unmarked grave he would never get to visit. A week later, Grace received a small, sealed envelope. It had been delivered by a lawyer. Inside was a single sheet of paper, a letter Brogan had written before he died. ---- Grace, | know you will never forgive me. | don't deserve it. But | need you to know that in the end, | understood. The inheritance, the legacy, none of it mattered. Only you. Only our son. | hope you can find peace. | hope our son, Leo, can forgive me in the next life. Tell him his father is sorry. Brogan Grace read the letter, her face impassive. She then walked to the fireplace in her father's study and dropped the piece of paper into the flames. She watched it curl, blacken, and turn to ash. It was over. Her revenge was complete. That evening, she went to the garden that overlooked the lake. She stood before Leo's grave, the cool night air on her face. "It's done, my love," she whispered to the silent stone. "They're all gone. No one can hurt you ever again. Mommy did it for you." She felt a profound emptiness. The fire of her vengeance had burned out, leaving behind only the cold ashes of her grief. There was no triumph, no satisfaction. Just a vast, aching silence. A few weeks later, she was at an animal shelter, on a whim ---- from her father who couldn't bear to see her so empty. A small, golden retriever puppy with big, sad eyes timidly licked her hand. She felt a flicker of warmth in her chest for the first time in months. She adopted him. She named him Leo. That night, she held the sleeping puppy in her arms, his small body a warm, breathing weight against her. She looked out the window at the stars, tears finally falling from her eyes. They weren't tears of anger or revenge, but of sorrow and a fragile, nascent hope. "Maybe in the next life," she whispered to the sky, to the son she never got to hold. "Maybe you'll come back. And you can be my son again. And this time, I'll get it right." She hugged the puppy closer, a small, living piece of comfort in the vast emptiness of her loss, and for the first time since she had lost everything, she allowed herself to imagine a future. Title: A Princess? No! I'm the Female General! In "A Princess? No! I'm the Female General!" by CrushReel, Adela Taylor, a noble family's daughter, disguises herself as her brother to secure their Duke title by joining the army. Despite facing obstacles, she achieves remarkable success. However, upon her triumphant return, her brother betrays her, setting off a chain of events that will test her resolve and reveal hidden truths. This captivating novel delves into themes of secrets, reincarnation, revenge, murder, and drama. Adela's journey from deception to betrayal is filled with intrigue and suspense as she navigates through a world where power dynamics and family loyalties collide. What sets this story apart is its strong female lead who defies expectations and challenges societal norms in a quest for justice and redemption. Experience the riveting tale of Adela Taylor online at CrushReel and witness the transformation of a princess into a formidable female general.