The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes-Chapter 132- new CEO

A sudden thought surged in Charles’s mind—the idea of buying and rebuilding the old, abandoned resort Janet had lived in before the age of nine. He had been considering it for a while, and now, it felt like the right time.

"Why?" Janet blinked at him in surprise. Was this what Samantha had whispered to him earlier?

"No reason. Just consider it a wedding gift," Charles said, his voice low and gentle. Through her dark eyes, he saw the flicker of sorrow hidden deep within. Even Samantha had noticed it earlier. Charles reached over and clasped her hand—still so cold. Could it be that even now, he couldn’t warm her heart?

Janet’s wide eyes turned back to the window. Somewhere along the way, fireworks had bloomed overhead, bursting in brilliant colors. Ashes drifted down from the sky, fading into specks on the ground—disappearing just like the pain in her chest.

That night, for the first time in a long while, Janet slept soundly. Surrounded by his comforting scent, she found peace only in his arms. Charles’s slender fingers gently brushed her smooth cheek. He sighed, heart heavy—even in sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed. What should he do to ease her pain?

Within a week, Charles had successfully acquired the entire Louis Corporation.

When Harold received the news that the company was no longer his, he collapsed into his office chair, utterly defeated. All those years of hard work—vanished overnight. His life’s efforts now belonged to someone else.

"Dad, is there really no way to turn things around?" Ternence rushed into the office. His father’s disheveled hair had turned nearly white. His bloodshot eyes revealed days without sleep. The once-proud man was now completely broken.

He had abandoned Cornelia for power and prestige, swallowing his pride under the Zhong family’s thumb. Was this karma? Retribution for his past?

"I’m afraid Charles’s goal wasn’t just the company," Harold muttered, a dark premonition gnawing at his gut. Just a while ago, Charles had even offered him a way out. And now? Ruthless and absolute. The sudden blow felt personal—targeted.

"Is it... because of Janet?" Ternence asked, hesitant. He couldn’t be sure. Janet was kind—too kind. Even if she had no love left for this family, she wasn’t someone who held grudges. She was his little sister, the girl he once doted on. He knew her better than anyone.

"It’s all over..." Harold murmured. Not just Louis Corp—Zanya had gone down with it. Even Derrick, who once had friendly ties with them, had handed complete control of the company to Charles. They didn’t have the slightest chance of making a comeback.

Charles never missed a kill once he locked onto his prey.

"You useless bastard! My father was ruined because of you!"

The office door slammed open. Anila stormed in, decked out in jewels and fury. Her curvaceous figure swayed dramatically as she pushed past Ternence and launched straight into Harold, shrieking like a madwoman.

"Mom, what are you doing?! This isn’t Dad’s fault!" Ternence snapped, his patience fraying. He had endured her temper for years, and now it was unbearable. Elvira had ended up like this precisely because Anila always enabled her.

"Not his fault? We lost the entire company overnight! What do you take me for, a corpse?! Was this your plan? You and that little slut Janet teaming up to swallow the whole Zhong family?!"

Anila had nearly lost her mind the moment she found out Zanya was going bankrupt. With no more support from their so-called ’backing,’ what was she now—just another desperate, fallen socialite?

"What nonsense are you spewing now? Even at a time like this, you’re still blaming Janet?" Harold snapped, glaring at Anila. Her constant use of that brat to describe Janet grated on him more than ever.

In the past, maybe he was too much of a coward to defend Cornelia and Janet. But now that he had nothing left—nothing at all—he finally realized just how terribly wrong he had been.

He had failed Janet. He had failed Cornelia even more.

"Boss, here’s Harold’s signed equity transfer agreement."

Giles laid the stack of documents neatly in front of Charles, who took the pen and, without a second’s hesitation, signed his own name. No—he signed Janet’s name.

"Perfect," Charles said coldly, standing up with sharp determination. He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his executive chair. "One by one, I’ll make them kneel before Janet and beg for forgiveness."

Moments later, Charles marched out of the office.

"Janet, come with me."

Without waiting for her response, Charles strode into the secretary’s office, reached for her hand, and pulled her straight into the elevator.

Her health had been poor these past few days, and he couldn’t leave her home alone anymore. As long as she was within his reach, she wouldn’t need to lift a finger—he would take care of everything.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of a building Janet had never stepped foot in before—the Louis Corporation headquarters.

For the first twenty years of her life, Janet had lived with Cornelia until she was nine. After being brought into Harold’s home, she’d never once been inside the company he ran. In her memory, everything Harold owned belonged to the Zhong family. She was just the outsider they all hated.

"Why are we here?" Janet asked, dazed, staring at the towering glass building in front of her. Compared to Black Rock Co., it was clearly inferior. Questions swirled in her mind—until Charles took her hand and leaned in to whisper:

"Because this will be yours from now on."

"What?" Her eyes widened in shock. She thought she had misheard.

"You heard me," Charles said calmly. "I bought out Harold’s company. From this day forward, it’s yours to manage. Keep whoever you want. Fire whoever you want. If you say someone’s out, they’re out. No questions asked."

The look in Charles’s eyes was razor-sharp, dark and ruthless.

"Charles... Why would you do this? Was it... because of me?" Janet’s voice trembled with emotion. She remembered the promise he’d made in his office the day she discovered the truth from ten years ago—"Leave everything to me."

Was this what he meant? Was he really fighting to take back everything stolen from her and Cornelia?

"Tell me, Janet. Do you want them to live in agony... or die and accompany your mother in the grave?" Charles’s tone was deadly serious, his eyes filled with a coldness that allowed no room for argument.

Janet gasped.

Was he really willing to go this far... just for her?

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t deny it—she did hate them. She hated Anila and Elvira. And she hated Harold most of all, for watching Cornelia suffer and die while doing nothing.

And she—she had called the woman who killed her mother Mom.

What a joke.

Anila didn’t deserve that title.

"I... I don’t know..." Janet stammered, her heart in turmoil. Those bloody memories from the past haunted her. Now, with Charles’s child growing inside her, she couldn’t allow his hands to be stained with blood.

Charles wrapped her in his arms, lowering his voice into her ear.

"It’s okay. We have plenty of time to destroy them slowly. Janet, all I care about... is your happiness. The rest doesn’t matter."

With that, he walked her into the Louis Corporation building. Giles had already cleared the path. Every employee in the lobby was well aware—this cold, commanding man standing beside their former boss’s daughter... was now their new CEO.

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