The Billionaire's Forgotten Flame

01
I saw Nathan Blake again on an ordinary day, five years later.
He stood before me, impeccably dressed in a suit, radiating an air that clashed violently with the gritty, everyday bustle of the market street. “Emma Carter. You dare show your face?” His lips twisted in a mocking sneer, but his eyes were shadowed, cold and sharp as ice shards. A shiver ran down my spine despite myself. Even after five years, his hatred hadn’t dimmed.
Before I could speak, his hand shot out, clamping around my throat. The pressure cut off my air. “I told you,” he hissed, the words chilling, “if I ever saw you again, I’d end you.”
Gasping, I clawed uselessly at his arm, my strength fading. Just as black spots danced at the edge of my vision, Nathan abruptly released me.
I stumbled back, clutching my bruised neck, gulping in ragged breaths.
Nathan snatched a tissue from the counter, meticulously dabbing at his fingers as if touching something foul. His gaze swept over me, cold and dismissive. “You’ve got three days. Get out of Riverton.”
I swallowed against the raw pain in my throat. “I… I don’t have the money to leave.”
His eyes scanned my small fruit stand, lingering on the produce. With a contemptuous flick of his hand, he sent several apples tumbling to the ground. “Where did the million go?” he demanded, his voice dripping with scorn.
I bent to pick up the apples, fighting to keep my voice steady. “That’s none of your business, Nathan.”
He grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back sharply. Tears sprang to my eyes from the sudden agony. “Who gave you the right to call me that?” His face contorted with fury.
“Nathan Blake! Let me go!” I cried, struggling against his grip.
He shoved me away, his expression morphing into something venomous, predatory. “How much?” The words were clipped, deadly. “How much to make you disappear?”
I watched him warily, my mind racing for escape. “A hundred thousand.” I pointed to the payment scanner on the counter. “Scan it there.”
He paid swiftly, his eyes raking over me one last time, filled with pure disgust. “Take it and vanish. Just like you did five years ago.” His voice was icy, final, dismissing me as if I were trash.

02
After Nathan left, I tried to straighten the chaos in the shop. The Carters' Estate and the Blakes – Riverton’s two most powerful families. And me? Just the adopted daughter, the invisible one.
Five years ago, Nathan Blake was engaged to my sister, Lily Carter. But Lily loved someone else. Just before the wedding, she fled the country.
Nathan was devastated, drowning his sorrows night after night. One night, drunk beyond reason, he pulled me close. My own foolish feelings for him, seeing his pain… I stayed. I drank too much. When he touched me, I didn’t pull away.
I woke in a hotel room. And Lily was there.
Finding me in bed with Nathan, she used it. She convinced both families to call off the engagement.
Nathan blamed me for everything. He unleashed his fury, nearly destroying The Carters' Estate. His threat was absolute: “The Carters' Estate falls if Emma Carter remains.”
My adoptive parents wouldn’t sacrifice their legacy for me. I was cast out.
Five years ago, I’d knelt before Nathan, tears streaming. “I’m carrying your child! How can you do this?” He’d just laughed – a cold, hollow sound. He gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. “That thing inside you? It doesn’t deserve to see this world.” Then he’d tossed a bank card at me. “A million. For the… procedure. Now get out of my sight.” I took the money and left Riverton behind.
Later, somehow, Nathan still married Lily Carter. But their marriage lasted less than six months before the news came: Lily had taken her own life. I’d returned to Riverton six months ago, determined to find out why.
Since my return, I’d built a life. The fruit stand was finally starting to make ends meet. Nathan’s sudden reappearance had shaken me so badly I’d forgotten to pick Sophie up from school.
Michael Harris brought her to the shop, his usual kind smile in place. We’d met when I first came back. A middle school teacher, divorced for three years, he’d been a good friend, always ready to help.
“Emma, swamped at the shop?” he asked gently.
“Thank you, Michael. Really,” I said, grateful. Sophie bounded over and hugged my legs. “Mommy,” she chirped, looking up with big, hopeful eyes, “can Michael be my daddy? Then you wouldn’t have to work so hard all by yourself!”
Michael chuckled softly, crouching down to her level. “Well now, Sophie,” he said warmly, his eyes meeting mine with quiet understanding, “that depends on whether you’re being a very good girl for your mom, doesn’t it?”

03
Nathan Blake strode back into my fruit stand just days later. “Emma Carter,” his voice was dangerously low, “I believe I warned you not to let me see you again.”
“Nathan,” I replied, meeting his gaze steadily, “if you stopped showing up here, you wouldn’t see me.”
A cold smirk touched his lips. “Grown some backbone, have we? Daring to talk back now.” He casually pulled up a stool and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. His eyes swept over me, brimming with disdain. “What will it really take for you to leave?”
The memory of Lily Carter’s death surfaced. I couldn’t hold back. “How did my sister really die?”
Nathan’s expression instantly twisted into something feral. His eyes locked onto mine, burning with rage. The next second, his hand shot out, clamping around my throat with brutal force, the veins in his forearm standing out like cords. “What gives you the right to ask that?” he snarled.
Struggling against his grip, I choked out the accusation: “You drove her to it, didn’t you?”
Abruptly, his hand fell away. He turned his head, refusing to look at me. “Get out of Riverton!” The command was icy. “My patience is wearing thin.”
I took a deep, shaky breath. “Five years have passed. Right or wrong hardly matters anymore. Why are you still so… inflamed?”
He let out a short, derisive laugh. “Seems like you’re the one who can’t forget.”
“What happened back then… let it stay in the past. All I want is to know how Lily died.” My voice was pleading now.
He was silent for a long moment, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Through the haze of smoke, he studied me, his eyes narrowed. Gathering my courage, I pressed on: “Nathan Blake, Lily was always good to me. She died suddenly after marrying you. Don’t I deserve to know the truth? And you… you loved her so much. How could she have come to harm?”
His continued silence made my nerves fray further.
Suddenly, a bright, childish voice shattered the tense quiet.
“Mommy!” Sophie, in her little floral sundress, burst into the shop and threw herself against my legs. Michael Harris followed close behind, stopping dead in his tracks the moment he saw Nathan.
Nathan shot to his feet, his face a mask of shock and dawning fury. “Emma Carter,” he hissed, his voice trembling, “She called you ‘Mommy’? Whose child is she?”
Sophie peeked out from behind me, wary. “Mommy, who’s the scary man?”
I shot a desperate look at Michael. “Michael, could you please take Sophie outside for a moment?”
Michael hesitated only a second before gently taking Sophie’s hand and leading her away.
Nathan made a move to follow, but I blocked his path.
“Nathan,” I said, my voice unnervingly calm, “she’s your niece.”
He pointed a shaking finger at me, his lips white. “Emma Carter, do you honestly think I won’t kill you? Is she… is she my daughter?” A flicker of something raw—something terrifyingly like hope—passed through his eyes.
No. It couldn’t be.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I said coldly. “You have no daughter.”
“Do you take me for a fool?” he roared.
“It’s the truth. We grew up together. You know I never lied to you back then. If you don’t believe me, get a paternity test.”
His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “If you’re lying to me, I swear I’ll make you and that child disappear.” Without another word, Nathan Blake turned and stormed out, the roar of his Maybach engine fading rapidly into the distance.

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