His Bride, Her Revenge-Chapter 55: The Price of Sacrifice

Cambria stood before the full-length mirror in her private office, her gaze hard as she studied her reflection. The woman who stared back at her seemed different, stronger, more resolute but there was still a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes. She had fought for everything, torn through the webs of betrayal, and had finally reclaimed control of her father’s empire. But at what cost?

The phone buzzed on the desk, pulling her from her thoughts. She knew who it was before she even looked: Maddox.

Her finger hovered over the screen, a part of her wanting to answer, to hear his voice again, but a greater part of her told her to walk away. He had made his choices. He had betrayed her when she had needed him the most. There were no more second chances.

But the message that popped up on her screen stopped her in her tracks:

"Cambria, I don’t expect you to forgive me. But I owe you the truth. You’ve been played. By everyone. Including me. And if you don’t act now, we’ll both lose everything."

Her heart skipped a beat, but her mind couldn’t process the words. The truth? What is the truth? She had spent the last several months unraveling the lies, pulling the strings of her own destiny, and now Maddox was telling her that there was something even darker lurking in the shadows.

She couldn’t ignore it. She couldn’t walk away without knowing the full picture, without understanding what Maddox was trying to tell her. She had already given up so much to get here. Was she really willing to risk everything for a few more answers?

As if the universe was conspiring against her resolve, the phone buzzed again, this time with a call from Elara.

"Cambria, we have a problem," Elara’s voice was low, urgent, and there was something in her tone that made Cambria’s blood run cold. "It’s about Evelyn. She’s making moves again. She’s not going down quietly."

Cambria’s mind raced, the previous conversation with Maddox already slipping to the back of her mind. Evelyn Stone is always the thorn in her side. But now, after everything that had happened, Cambria was more prepared than ever to take her down.

"What’s she doing?" Cambria asked, her voice steady, but there was no hiding the fire that was beginning to burn within her.

"We’ve intercepted some of her communications," Elara continued, the sound of typing in the background. "She’s pushing forward with a smear campaign. She’s trying to turn the board against you, undermine your position, and make you look like the villain. She’s planting stories in the media, making sure the public sees you as the one who destroyed everything, your empire, your family, and the trust of your investors."

Cambria clenched her jaw. Of course, Evelyn would do this. She had always been the master of manipulation. It was how she had gotten where she was, by playing the game of perception better than anyone. But now, she was playing with fire.

"I’ll deal with her," Cambria said, her voice cold with determination. "We won’t let her get away with this."

As she hung up, the weight of her decision settled on her. Evelyn had been a thorn in her side for far too long, and now it was time to take her down once and for all. But in the back of her mind, Maddox’s message still haunted her. He had said that she had been played. That there was something bigger at play. Was it really just Evelyn, or was there a larger conspiracy she had yet to uncover?

The next few hours were a blur. Cambria worked alongside Elara and Knox to prepare their counterattack against Evelyn’s campaign. They dug into every angle press releases, social media narratives, private meetings with investors. Everything had to be executed flawlessly. She wasn’t going to let Evelyn destroy everything she had fought for, but she couldn’t ignore the possibility that there were deeper layers to this story.

But as the day wore on and the pieces of Evelyn’s plan began to crumble under the weight of their countermeasures, Cambria couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing something. There was an underlying force, something more sinister that was pulling the strings. It was as if Evelyn was just one player in a much larger game.

When the last press release went live and the media began to flip the narrative, portraying Cambria as the resilient leader she was, a feeling of relief washed over her. Evelyn’s influence was being crushed under the weight of the truth, but it still didn’t feel like a victory. Not yet. Not until she understood who was really behind all of this.

Her phone buzzed once more, and this time, Cambria knew it was time to confront the truth.

The message from Maddox appeared on the screen once again: frёewebnoѵēl.com

"Cambria, I know you’re angry, and I don’t blame you. But you have to listen to me. There’s something I haven’t told you. Something about your uncle, about everything that’s happened. It’s bigger than you think. Meet me. I can’t explain everything over the phone. But I can give you the answers you need."

Her hands trembled as she typed a response, knowing that this conversation could change everything.

"I’m listening. Where?"

Maddox’s reply came quickly.

"I’ll meet you at the old Raye estate. It’s the only place where we can talk without anyone listening."

The location sent a jolt through Cambria’s chest. The Raye estate. The place where it all began. The place where she had once believed in Maddox, where she had believed in their future together. But now, as she prepared to meet him there, she realized that nothing was ever as it seemed. She had already been betrayed once by Maddox. Could she really trust him again?

The drive to the estate felt like a lifetime. Cambria’s mind was a whirlwind, a storm of doubt and uncertainty, and no matter how much she tried to focus on the task at hand, her thoughts kept drifting back to Maddox. What had he not told her? What was he trying to protect her from?

As she arrived at the gates of the estate, a flood of memories rushed back. The long driveway, the sprawling mansion, the promise of a future that had been ripped away. But this time, Cambria wasn’t the naive girl who had walked into that house years ago. She was a woman who had seen the darkest parts of the world and survived.

The moment she stepped out of the car, the front door of the mansion opened. Maddox stood there, his face tense, his eyes shadowed with the weight of what he was about to say.

"Cambria," he said, his voice a mix of relief and sorrow. "I never wanted to hurt you. But you need to know the truth."

Cambria’s heart pounded as she walked toward him, her every step measured and deliberate. "I’m listening, Maddox. But this time, no more lies."