Hell Hath no fury like a billionaire's Ex

Chapter 143: Forever Path

Diane’s POV

"What!" I nearly dropped my coffee mug as Joan’s frantic voice crackled through my phone. "What do you mean they’re threatening to pull out?"

"Diane, I need you to get to the office immediately," Joan said, her voice tight with what sounded like panic. "The new investors...they’re saying our presentation wasn’t convincing enough. They’re talking about withdrawing their entire investment package."

My heart was racing now. We’d been courting these investors for months, and their backing was crucial for our expansion plans. After everything we’d built over the month, after all the progress we’d made since taking over from Liam, this could be devastating.

"How much time do we have?" I asked, already moving toward my closet to grab my blazer.

"They’re here now," Joan said, and I could hear the tension in her breathing. "They called an emergency meeting. The entire board is gathering in the conference room. Diane, I’ve never seen them this agitated before."

I closed my eyes, trying to center myself. One year. It had been exactly one year since Liam’s arrest, one year since Sophie’s death, one year since our world had been turned upside down and rebuilt from the ground up. For the first time in months, everything had been running smoothly.

Synergy Sphere was thriving, Elite Group was expanding, and our partnership was generating more revenue than we’d ever imagined possible.

And now this.

"I’m on my way," I said, grabbing my keys and heading for the door. "Don’t let them leave. Whatever you have to do, keep them in that room until I get there."

"Diane," Joan’s voice softened slightly, "everything’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out together."

I wanted to believe her, but the fear clawing at my chest made it hard to breathe. As I drove toward the office, my mind raced through every possible scenario. What if we lost the investment? What if this was the beginning of everything we’d worked for falling apart?

The city blurred past my windows as I pushed my car faster than was probably safe. My hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly. After everything we’d been through—the divorce, the custody battle, Sophie’s death, rebuilding our lives from nothing—I couldn’t bear the thought of losing what we’d built.

By the time I reached the Synergy Sphere building, my heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. I parked hastily and practically ran through the lobby, my heels clicking aggressively against the marble floor. The security guard called out a greeting, but I barely heard him over the sound of my own pulse thundering in my ears.

The elevator ride to the executive floor felt like an eternity. I caught my reflection in the polished steel doors and took a moment to compose myself. Beads of sweat had formed on my forehead despite the building’s air conditioning. I wiped them away with the back of my hand and straightened my shoulders.

You can do this, Diane. You’ve faced worse than difficult investors.

But even as I told myself that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change again—and not necessarily for the better.

My new assistant, Nancy, was waiting for me when the elevator doors opened. Her face was flushed, and she looked almost as nervous as I felt.

"Ms. Evans," she said, falling into step beside me as I strode toward the conference room. "They’re all waiting for you in the boardroom. The investors, the board members, everyone’s here."

"How do they seem?" I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Tense," Nancy admitted. "But Joan asked me to tell you that she’s confident you can handle whatever they throw at you."

I paused outside the conference room door, taking one last moment to gather myself. Through the frosted glass, I could see the shadows of multiple people moving around inside. My heart was still racing, but I forced myself to breathe deeply and summon the confidence that had carried me through every challenge of the past year.

I adjusted my dress, checked my appearance one more time, and then reached for the door handle.

The sight that greeted me when I opened the door was so unexpected, so completely overwhelming, that for a moment I couldn’t process what I was seeing.

The conference room had been transformed. Instead of the sterile, professional space I was expecting, the room was decorated with white roses and twinkling lights. Balloons floated near the ceiling, and there was champagne chilling in buckets on the side table. The board members were all there, but they were smiling—beaming, actually—and they began to applaud as I stood frozen in the doorway.

But it was the projection screen at the front of the room that made my breath catch in my throat. In elegant script, illuminated against the white wall, were the words: "Will you be my wife and take this forever path with me?"

My eyes frantically scanned the room, trying to make sense of what I was seeing, and then I found him.

Noah was on one knee in front of the conference table, his face glowing with love and nervous excitement. In his hands was a small red velvet box, and even from across the room, I could see the way the diamond inside caught the light and sent rainbows dancing across the walls.

"Oh my God," I whispered, my hand flying to my mouth as the reality of the situation hit me. "Oh my God, Noah."

Joan was standing behind him, her face split by the biggest grin I’d ever seen. She gave me a theatrical wink and mouthed, "I got you," her eyes sparkling with mischief and delight.

The room fell silent except for the sound of my own breathing, which had become shallow and rapid. Every person in that room...our board members, our staff, the people who had become our extended family...was watching me with expectant, joyful faces.

Noah cleared his throat, his voice carrying clearly across the room despite the emotion I could hear in it. "Diane," he said, and my name on his lips sounded like a prayer. "For the past year, you’ve shown me what it means to be brave, to be resilient, to build something beautiful from the ashes of something broken."

Tears were already streaming down my face, but I couldn’t have stopped them if I’d wanted to. I took a step forward, then another, drawn to him like a magnet.

"You’ve been my partner in every sense of the word," Noah continued, his own eyes bright with unshed tears. "In business, in life, in love. You’ve made me a better man, a better leader, a better person. And I can’t imagine facing another day without you by my side."

I was close enough now to see the way his hands were trembling slightly, to see the love and vulnerability written across his face.

The diamond ring in the box was stunning, a classic solitaire that would have cost more than most people’s annual salaries...but it was the expression in Noah’s eyes that took my breath away. noveldrama

"Will you marry me?" he asked, his voice breaking slightly on the words. "Will you be my wife and take this forever path with me?"

I nodded before I could even find my voice, tears streaming down my face as I dropped to my knees in front of him. "Yes," I whispered, then louder, "Yes, Noah. Yes, yes, yes!"

The room erupted in applause and cheers, but I barely heard it. Noah was sliding the ring onto my finger with shaking hands, and then he was pulling me into his arms, and we were both crying and laughing at the same time.

"I love you," I sobbed against his shoulder. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he whispered back, his voice thick with emotion. "More than anything."

As we held each other, I pulled back to look into his eyes. "Noah," I said, my voice trembling with the weight of everything I wanted to say. "You’ve been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.But I need you to know—being a CEO is challenging. It’s demanding and stressful and sometimes all-consuming.

Are you sure you want to take this on? Are you sure you can handle being married to someone whose job never really ends?"

Noah’s hands came up to cup my face, his thumbs gently wiping away my tears. "Diane," he said, his voice filled with absolute certainty, "I knew exactly what I was signing up for when I fell in love with you. I don’t want to marry you despite your strength and ambition—I want to marry you because of them. You’re not just the woman I love; you’re the woman I admire most in the world."

I kissed him then, pouring all of my love and gratitude and joy into that kiss. The room around us seemed to fade away, and for a moment, it was just the two of us in our own perfect bubble of happiness.

We might have stayed like that forever, but a familiar voice made us both freeze.

"Well, it’s about time!"

I turned around so fast I nearly lost my balance, and what I saw made me gasp all over again.

Mom was standing in the doorway, walking—actually walking. Her face was beaming with joy, and her words were clear and strong. Dad was right beside her, his arm around her waist, and the look of pride and happiness on his face was like watching the sun rise.

"Mom!" I scrambled to my feet, my engagement ring catching the light as I reached for her. "You’re here! You’re walking!"

She moved toward me with careful but determined steps, and when she reached me, she pulled me into the strongest hug she’d been able to give since the attack. "I wouldn’t miss this for the world," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "My brave, beautiful daughter getting engaged to the man who loves her the way she deserves to be loved."

I was crying again, but these were tears of pure joy. "I can’t believe you’re all here," I said, looking around the room at all the faces of the people I loved most. "I can’t believe you all planned this."

"Joan and Noah have been planning this for weeks," Dad said, his voice warm with affection. "They wanted to make sure it was perfect for you."

Before I could respond, I heard the sound of children’s laughter from the hallway, and my heart nearly burst with happiness. Sarah, our nanny, appeared in the doorway with Dylan and Danielle in tow, both of them toddling on unsteady legs but moving with the determined confidence of children who had just learned to walk.

"Mama!" Dylan called out, his face lighting up when he saw me. "Mama, Mama!"

"Dada!" Danielle added, reaching her chubby arms toward Noah. "Dada!"

Noah and I looked at each other with wonder and joy. They’d been saying "Mama" and "Dada" for a few weeks now, but hearing them call Noah "Dada" in this moment felt like another kind of miracle.

Noah scooped up Dylan, lifting him high in the air until the little boy giggled with delight. "Hey there, buddy," he said, his voice filled with love. "Did you come to see Mama and Dada get engaged?"

Dylan clapped his hands and babbled something unintelligible but clearly enthusiastic. I picked up Danielle, who immediately began playing with my hair and trying to grab my earrings.

"My babies," I whispered, kissing her soft cheek. "My beautiful, perfect babies."

Looking around the room at all of these people—my parents, my children, my fiancé, Joan, our colleagues who had become family—I felt overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of love and joy in my life. A year ago, I had been broken and alone, fighting for my life and my children’s future.

Now I was surrounded by people who loved me, leading a company that was thriving, raising healthy, happy children, and engaged to marry the man of my dreams.

"I wish Sophie could be here," I said softly, and the room fell quiet. "She would have loved this. She would have been so happy for us."

Noah reached over and took my free hand, squeezing it gently. "She is here," he said quietly. "She’s in Dylan’s laugh, in Danielle’s smile, in the way you’ve built this beautiful life for all of us. She’s in every brave decision you’ve made and every moment of joy you’ve allowed yourself to feel."

I nodded, unable to speak past the emotion in my throat. He was right. Sophie’s sacrifice had made all of this possible, and I could feel her presence in every good thing that had come into our lives since that terrible day.

The celebration continued around us, with champagne being poured and toasts being made. Everyone was talking and laughing, taking pictures and offering their congratulations.

But I found myself just standing there, holding my daughter and watching Noah with my son, surrounded by all the people who had helped us build this new life.

Joan appeared at my side, her eyes bright with happy tears. "So," she said, nudging me with her elbow, "did we pull off the surprise of the century, or what?"

I laughed, shaking my head in amazement. "I genuinely thought the company was falling apart," I admitted. "I was terrified I was about to lose everything we’d worked for."

"Sorry about that," Joan said, though she didn’t look sorry at all. "But we needed to make sure you’d come running. Noah wanted everything to be perfect, and he wanted everyone who loves you to be here to witness it."

I looked around the room again, taking in all the faces of the people who had become my chosen family. "It is perfect," I said, my voice filled with wonder. "It’s absolutely perfect."

As the evening wound down and people began to make their way home, I found myself alone with Noah and the twins in the conference room. The decorations were still up, the champagne glasses still scattered around the table, and my engagement ring was still catching the light every time I moved my hand.

"We should probably get the twins home," I said, though I was reluctant to leave this perfect moment behind.

"Actually," Noah said, his voice casual but his eyes twinkling with mischief, "your parents already worked that out with Sarah. She’s taking Dylan and Danielle home with your mom and dad tonight."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Your mother specifically said to tell you to take your time," Noah said, moving closer to me. "She said you deserved to have this night to yourself."

I felt a flutter of anticipation in my stomach. "And what exactly did you have in mind for this night to myself?"

Noah’s smile was soft and full of promise. "I thought we could start by going to dinner to celebrate our engagement. And then..." He leaned in to whisper in my ear, "I thought we could go somewhere nice and I could show you exactly how much I love my fiancée."

The warmth in his voice sent shivers down my spine. "I like the sound of that," I said, reaching up to straighten his tie. "But first, I need to ask you something."

"Anything," he said immediately.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" I asked, my voice turning serious. "About marrying me, about taking on my children as your own, about being part of this complicated, demanding life I’ve built?"

Noah’s expression grew tender, and he reached up to cup my face in his hands. "Diane," he said softly, "there is nothing in this world I’ve ever been more sure of. You and Dylan and Danielle, you’re my family. You’re my home. You’re everything I never knew I was looking for."

He kissed me then, slow and deep and full of promise. When we finally pulled apart, I was breathless and glowing with happiness.

"Come on, Mrs. Soon-to-be-Hemsworth," he said, taking my hand. "Let’s go celebrate the beginning of our forever."