His Bride, Her Revenge

Chapter 143: In the Wake of Fire

The silence that followed the explosion was a roaring void. Smoke curled like serpents in the air, wrapping the charred ruins of the penthouse in a choking embrace. The echoes of Ava’s scream still lingered in the hallways, fading into the crackle of dying flames and the whimper of wounded walls.

Ava stumbled to her feet, ash clinging to her once-pristine white dress, her heels discarded in the debris. Her arms trembled as she pushed a scorched beam aside and scanned the wreckage. Her ears rang, and for a moment, she couldn’t hear anything but her heartbeat.

"Liam!"

There was no answer.

She coughed, her lungs burning. Through the haze, the outline of a collapsed wall came into focus. Beyond it

"Liam!" she screamed again, louder this time, hoarse and raw.

Movement. A groan.

Then, from beneath a slab of plaster and wood, a hand reached out.

Ava lunged forward, ignoring the pain lancing through her knees. She clawed at the debris, digging with frantic fingers until she uncovered his face.

Liam’s eyes blinked open, dazed. Blood streaked his temple, but he was breathing.

"Don’t move," she gasped, cupping his cheek. "I’ve got you."

He tried to speak, but coughed instead, the sound wet and terrible. Ava glanced around, desperate. Her phone was gone, destroyed in the blast. Sirens wailed in the distance. Help was coming, but it might not be fast enough.

She refused to lose him.

The hospital room smelled of antiseptic and fresh linen. It was too quiet, too still.

Liam’s body lay motionless under layers of white sheets, tubes, and wires trailing from his arms. Machines beeped rhythmically, the only sign that he was still alive.

Ava sat by his side, her fingers intertwined with his.

He’d been unconscious for two days.

Doctors said it was a miracle he survived the explosion. But his head trauma was severe, and until he woke up, they wouldn’t know how bad the damage truly was.

Ava hadn’t left the room.

Not when Sophia showed up with fake concern, not when the board demanded a public statement, not when her past clawed at her with sharp, bloody fingers.

She stayed.

Because Liam had chosen her.

Because for the first time since her return, someone saw the woman she’d become not the girl she used to be.

And because love, in all its brutal honesty, demanded everything.

Sophia Drake stood at the edge of the boardroom, her arms crossed, her gaze cold.

The board was in chaos.

"Shareholders are nervous," one of the members snapped. "An explosion in the penthouse? What the hell is going on with this company?"

Sophia let them bicker, eyes scanning the headlines on her tablet:

MANHATTAN PENTHOUSE EXPLOSION CEO INJURED, FIANCÉE UNHARMED

WAS IT AN ATTACK? DRAKE INDUSTRIES UNDER FIRE

WHO IS AVA LEO REALLY?

A smirk tugged at her lips.

The world was watching. The storm she had engineered had arrived.

And now it was time for the kill shot.

She stood.

"I propose an emergency motion," she said, voice cool and commanding. "Effective immediately, I request temporary control of Drake Industries until Mr. Mateo can return to his duties."

"No " one of the younger board members started, but an older executive raised a hand.

"She has the experience. And with Mr. Mateo incapacitated..."

Sophia smiled, polite and deadly.

"Motion seconded."

The vote was unanimous.

And just like that, the empire Liam had built began to slip through his fingers.

Three floors beneath the hospital’s private wing, a different kind of war was brewing.

Ava stood in the security archives room, facing the chief of hospital security.

"You’re telling me someone accessed Liam’s room?" she asked, her voice like a blade.

The man shifted uncomfortably. "We detected a breach two hours after you left to shower. Someone bypassed the main doors and injected something into the IV bag. Luckily, a nurse noticed the anomaly minutes later."

"What did they inject?"

"We’re not sure yet. Toxicology is running tests. But if the nurse hadn’t "

"She saved his life," Ava finished.

The weight of it slammed into her.

Someone wanted Liam dead. Not just hurt dead.

And she had a very short list of suspects.

She looked into the camera feed.

"Zoom in."

The footage rewound. The figure wore scrubs and a surgical mask. But the way they walked purposefully, unafraid, Ava recognized the body language instantly.

"Freeze it."

She stepped closer. The frame captured a glimpse of a hand with no gloves, a silver ring visible.

She knew that ring.

She’d seen it on Sophia’s hand in countless photos.

Ava’s lips curled into something venomous.

Game on.

The charity gala for the Children’s Cancer Foundation was in full swing.

Glittering gowns. Diamond smiles. Glasses of champagne clinking like tiny swords.

Sophia Drake stood center stage, a vision in crimson. Cameras flashed. Investors clapped. She was poised, perfect.

Then Ava arrived.

In black.

A stunning sheath dress with an open back, a scar peeking from the base of her spine like a ghost.

Gasps fluttered through the room like startled birds.

Sophia turned slowly. Her smile faltered.

"Ava," she said. "You’re not on the guest list." noveldrama

"I made my own list," Ava replied smoothly, plucking a glass from a tray.

Sophia’s eyes narrowed. "You should be at the hospital."

"Oh, I was. But I realized something."

She stepped closer, her voice dropping.

"While I was keeping Liam alive, you were trying to kill him."

The blood drained from Sophia’s face. Just a fraction. But Ava saw it.

"You can’t prove anything."

"Yet." Ava smiled. "But the lab results come back tomorrow. And the hospital’s board? They’re not as fond of you as you think."

"You’re bluffing."

"You’re afraid."

A camera flashed behind them.

Ava turned and addressed the crowd.

"I’d like to make a donation," she said, her voice projecting like a seasoned queen. "In Liam Mateo’s name. One million dollars."

Applause erupted. Sophia clenched her jaw.

"And I’d like to announce," Ava continued, locking eyes with Sophia, "that once he recovers, Mr. Mateo and I will be getting married. As planned."

Gasps again.

Sophia’s glass shattered in her hand.

Liam woke up the next morning.

Ava was asleep in the chair beside him, her hand still holding his.

He looked at her, eyes filled with something old and new all at once.

"Ava," he croaked.

She startled awake. Then smiled.

"Welcome back," she whispered.

He lifted her hand to his lips.

"I dreamed about you."

"Was it a good dream?"

"The best."

Then his eyes darkened.

"But there was fire. And someone tried to "

"I know."

She leaned in, kissed his forehead.

"They won’t win."

Not this time.

Because revenge wasn’t the end of her story.

It was only the beginning.

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