Chapter 3
The security guard at the entrance spotted her from a distance, froze for a second, then hurried over and gave her a perfect ninety-degree bow. "Good morning, Ms. Lynn!"
Nina nodded and walked through the revolving door.
The receptionists all stood up in unison and called out, "Good morning, Ms. Lynn!"
She smiled and swiped her card to get through the turnstile.
The elevator went straight up to the top floor. When the doors opened, her father and brother were waiting for her at the end of the hallway, both smiling warmly.
"Dad!" Nina called, running over and throwing herself into his arms, her eyes getting misty. "I'm sorry I took so long to come home."
Mike hugged her, his voice thick with emotion. "It's okay, it's okay. You're home, that's all that matters."
Ethan grinned. "Alright, alright, enough with the drama. Come on, let me show you around and catch you up on the latest business. What are you interested in? How about commercial real estate? We just closed a big deal."
Nina looked up and wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
"Sounds good," Nina said with a smile.
Meanwhile, across town, Barton was house hunting with Yulia.
"Barton, this place is really nice, but it's kind of expensive," Yulia said softly, holding onto his arm.
Barton reached into his pocket for the divorce papers. For some reason, he felt oddly empty inside. He remembered the way Nina looked when she signed—no tears, no fuss, not even a second glance at him. Like he'd never really mattered to her, not even once.
"Barton? What are you thinking about?" Yulia asked, glancing up at him.
"Nothing," Barton said, snapping out of it. "If you like it, just go for it. Money's not a problem."
What he didn't know was that, right then, Nina was standing at the top of Lynn Group's headquarters, gazing out the window at the city below.
The glass reflected her silhouette—not the quiet, apron-clad wife she used to be.
Now, she was the heiress of the Lynn Group.
"Ethan," she suddenly asked, "do we have any acquisition deals coming up?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Interested?"
"Definitely," Nina said, taking a sip of her coffee, a knowing smile curling at her lips. "Ideally, something that'll make certain people come crawling to me themselves."
The morning sun was shining bright outside.
Today, Nina Lynn's own story was officially kicking off.
Nina's room was on the third floor of the Lynn family mansion, facing south and overlooking a private garden through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
She pushed the door open and froze in the doorway.
The room was exactly as she'd left it three years ago—her college photos were still on the nightstand, her half-read novel sat on the bookshelf, and her unused skincare products were still on the vanity. Her favorite pale purple curtains glowed in the sunlight, and the air was filled with a faint scent of gardenias.
"Mom has someone clean it every day," Ethan said, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "She always said if you ever came to your senses and came back, you could just move right in."
Nina felt a lump in her throat.
Her mom had warned her three years ago that Barton wasn't the right guy. Nina didn't believe her—she insisted on going her own way, only to end up battered and defeated, coming home with nothing but regret.
"Where's Mom?" Nina asked.
"In the kitchen. She said she's making your favorite soup herself," Ethan replied.
Nina set her suitcase down and, without a second thought, ran downstairs.
In the kitchen, Mary was standing by the stove in her apron. When she heard footsteps, she turned around, and her eyes grew misty with emotion.
"Mom!" Nina called out.
She ran straight into her mother's arms, and Mary hugged her tight.
"You're so skinny," Mary said, patting her back, her voice trembling. "How did you end up like this? Was he starving you or something?"
"Mom, I'm just dieting," Nina said, feeling like she could laugh and cry at the same time.
"What diet? You're beautiful as you are!" Mary let her go and looked her up and down, her heart aching more with every glance. "Those dark circles—don't tell me you've been crying all this time. That bastard Barton, didn't I tell you back then—"
"Alright, alright," Mike said, suddenly appearing at the kitchen door. "She just got home, let's not dig up the old drama. Nina, come here—let me show you something."
Nina wiped her eyes and followed her dad to his home office.
Mike took a document envelope out of the drawer and handed it to her.
"What's this?" Nina asked.
"Open it and find out," Mike said.
Nina opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of documents. On top was a share transfer agreement, then a property deed, and underneath were contracts she couldn't even understand.
"Dad," Nina said, her voice trembling.
"I transferred Royal Tower to your name three years ago," Mike said, sounding almost casual. "I meant it as a wedding gift, but the guy you married... Never mind, let's not talk about that. Now that you're back, the building's yours. All the rental income and dividends have been going into your account—take a look for yourself."
Nina flipped through the share transfer agreement, and when she saw the numbers at the end, she sucked in a breath.
She knew her family was rich, but she never realized they were this loaded.
She never realized she was sitting on a fortune herself.