The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes

Chapter 57: Chapter 57- Janet is mine

By the afternoon, Charles and Janet boarded a flight back home.

Their time in Paris—over a month of slow healing and rekindled emotions—had quietly drawn them closer.

Now, reality was waiting.

After last night, Janet no longer hesitated. She had heard the words from his heart.

And now, she was sure of hers—she wanted to stay by his side.

"Try to sleep. I’ll wake you when we land," Charles said gently, tucking a light blanket over her and adjusting the sleep mask over her eyes.

He knew she was exhausted. They’d barely slept.

Janet didn’t protest. The moment she leaned into the plush seat, she drifted off.

Charles, meanwhile, remained awake, eyes quietly fixed on her sleeping face.

He had already received the message before leaving Paris.

Derrick had delivered an ultimatum: if Charles refused to return Janet to Philip, he would be disowned as a son.

Charles let out a cold, mirthless laugh.

Cold-bloodedness was practically part of his DNA—an inheritance from Derrick himself.

A man who could raise a hand to his own grandson... what couldn’t he do?

Even if he had once "asked" for Janet in Philip’s name, Charles knew Derrick wasn’t really trying to protect his nephew.

No—Derrick saw him as the only person who could challenge August within Black Rock Co.

Now, he wanted to see just how far Charles would go for Janet.

Janet had woken up at some point, but when she saw the shadows in Charles’s eyes, she stayed quiet.

She didn’t want to disturb him.

At the airport, their driver Giles was already waiting. Charles personally brought Janet to his private villa in East City—a luxurious, five-story estate in a quiet, exclusive neighborhood.

Now that she was officially divorced from Philip, there was no reason for her to return to the Elwin household.

But she knew Charles would soon have to face far more difficult battles of his own.

"Get some rest. I’ll be back tonight," Charles said softly, helping her settle in.

The villa had everything she needed—well-kept, fully furnished, and staffed with part-time help.

Once he had made sure she was comfortable, Charles left for Black Rock Co.

As soon as he arrived, he shrugged off his tailored suit jacket.

He hadn’t slept a wink on the flight, and the fatigue was beginning to show in his striking features.

Novia was already waiting with a fresh cup of coffee in his office.

But before he could even take a sip, the door slammed open—

and Derrick stormed in.

The old man’s face was twisted with fury.

He had thought the miscarriage had saved him a dirty job—that it would destroy whatever fantasy his son was entertaining.

He never imagined Charles would disappear completely... let alone take Janet abroad for over a month.

"You still have the audacity to show your face?!" Derrick roared the moment he entered.

Charles didn’t flinch. He simply frowned with mild irritation.

He had expected this.

He was fully prepared to bear the consequences—even if it meant giving up everything he had now.

But he also knew one thing: Derrick would never gamble Black Rock Co.’s future away.

Because if Charles left... someone else would take it.

Derrick had fought Norman for half a lifetime.

He had clawed his way to the top and seized Black Rock Co. with blood and teeth.

He would never hand it over easily—not with August still eyeing the throne.

Right now, Charles was the pillar holding the company together.

Even if he walked away from Black Rock, three powerful financial groups stood behind him.

He could build his own empire—without Derrick, without any of them.

Derrick thought he was tightening the leash.

But he didn’t realize he was the one losing control.

"You bring Janet back to Philip," Derrick said coldly, "and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened."

Charles raised his hand, and Giles and Novia—both still present in the office—immediately stepped out.

In Black Rock Co., the one who held real authority now wasn’t Derrick, the former king, but Charles, his successor.

"I can take her back," Charles said lazily, spinning in his chair with calculated calm.

"But only if she returns as my wife."

He didn’t so much as flinch under Derrick’s thunderous fury.

He had already crossed the line with Philip—there was no going back.

If it was wrong, then he would gladly be wrong to the end.

Because to him, this wasn’t a mistake. Not when it came to Janet.

"Charles..." Derrick stared at his son, astonished by his unshakable composure.

In some ways, Charles had already surpassed him.

But he couldn’t believe that his son—a man he’d raised to be ruthless, logical, unshakable—was now defying him again and again for a woman.

He remembered how Charles had once avoided women entirely, too focused, too cold to be interested.

And now? The one woman he finally chose turned out to be Philip’s wife.

It always came back to Philip.

Whenever he was involved, Charles turned into someone else.

As if he were trying to protect a fragile life that didn’t even want to be saved.

"Listen to me, son," Derrick’s voice dropped an octave, dangerous now. "I won’t back down either. You want Janet? Fine. Then have her carry Philip’s child—through artificial insemination."

His eyes gleamed with shadowed ambition.

"For six years, no woman’s been able to get close to him," he continued. "But Janet did. Philip doesn’t reject her. He accepts her. She’s not manipulative, not ambitious. She’s perfect for it. So she will give Philip an heir."

"No." Charles rejected the idea instantly. His voice was steel.

"That’s impossible. Janet is mine."

He couldn’t—wouldn’t—let the woman he loved bear another man’s child.

Not even through artificial means. Not even for family.

"You ungrateful bastard!" Derrick’s voice exploded, but Charles didn’t react.

He turned and left, the old man’s silhouette vanishing into the hall like a storm.

What Derrick couldn’t admit—what burned in his chest—was that Charles was the one most like him.

Not Philip.

Charles had inherited every ounce of his cold-blooded ruthlessness.

He had molded him with his own hands.

And now, the perfect weapon he’d forged... had turned against him.

Over a woman.

If this hadn’t involved Philip, perhaps he could’ve tolerated it.

Perhaps he could’ve looked the other way.

But Philip had to have an heir.

Charles and Janet’s past marriage had been a tightly kept secret.

Aside from a few members of the Elwin and Louis families, no one knew the truth.

Even Philip’s identity as the eldest Elwin son was rarely brought up publicly.

The Louis family had never had a chance to even meet him.

Now that Janet and Philip were officially divorced, many complications had been cleared away.

At the very least, Charles and Janet could be together without facing a storm of public scrutiny.

He could bear the world’s judgment.

But Janet... she was different.

For her sake, he would tread carefully.

Even three years ago, during his high-profile engagement to Zoey, Derrick hadn’t been this forceful.

Not like this.

Charles exhaled deeply, a dull ache pressing between his brows.

His father’s obsession with control was becoming a headache.

He knew—no matter how long he and Janet stayed together—Derrick would never accept her status.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Let him disapprove.

Let the world question them.

As long as she was by his side... nothing else was worth his compromise.