One Night Stand Gone Wrong

Chapter 17 – 3 years later

**3 years later**

Arielle sat on a couch watching financial news as she had been doing since she was 10.

In the last three years, John was often on the news. Thomas was as low-key as ever. But she was content.

PGI was doing well as she had expected it would under his management and with the scope and plans they had discussed. Admittedly, the share prices of PGI had doubled in the last three years, which was an unprecedented growth for a listed company that was already doing quite well.

That day, however, it was Thomas who made an appearance.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Arielle’s breath hitched seeing him after three years, even if it was just on TV.

She heard his entire speech attentively as he talked about the company and its future.

However, his parting words kept ringing in her ears repeatedly.

“Three and half years ago, I had contacted the best financial analyst in the industry, Miss Arielle, and sought her help. It was owing to the personnel and project clean-up by Miss Arielle that helped PGI become a desirable place to work for its nurturing work culture and environment.”

“It was also owing to the plans I made with Miss Arielle and the path we both projected together that PGI was able to make such unprecedented progress. The success of PGI goes to her and all the PGI employees who have given their 200% on the job. I could not be prouder to have had the privilege of working with all of you.”

“Thus, with a heavy heart, I announce the end of my path with PGI. My only consolation is that I am leaving PGI in capable hands.”

“My younger brother, Alex Payne, has worked closely with me for the last two years and has been involved in every project, leading almost all of them in the last six months. My capable assistant, John Geller, will continue to assist Alex for another year. My good buddy, Andrew Knight, will continue as vice-President of PGI.”

“I will miss PGI, but now I want to try an ordinary life. Thank you for your support!”

Arielle was dumbstruck. Why would Thomas leave after bringing PGI to its current heights at a grueling pace?

But she shook herself before her mind wandered. She was in no position to have opinions.

Thomas went off the stage and out of the building. A strange sense of relief washed over him.

He was finally free to seek his happiness – Arielle.

Thomas had been looking for Arielle for three years. But she had disappeared without a trace.

He had grabbed onto every trail and managed to reconstruct some of her paths.

After leaving PGI, she went home. He was unclear on what had happened, but she had taken a series of quick actions.

She had sponsored two large-scale blood donation programs with two different local blood banks. She had also pre-booked the same to conduct another blood donation program after six months. For her contribution, her parents would get a VIP blood transfusion at any point in their life.

In an elderly care home, she booked two rooms for her parents with a private nurse for the entirety of their life.

She had transferred all her shares to her family’s company, their familial house that was in her name in her parent’s name.

She had transferred her stocks in other companies and her private apartment to her younger brother’s name.

She had created separate accounts for her parents and brother. She had deposited 1 million dollars in each of them.

She had created a trust fund for her goddaughter.

She had donated 5 million dollars to three different charities and had requested everyone to take care of her family.

After that, she removed herself from her household register and left.

Even after three years, Thomas felt his heart break whenever he remembered that.

Her parents hated her as they thought she was unlucky for them.

Arielle was, unfortunately, born on her grandfather’s death anniversary. On her fifth birthday, her father’s older brother urged everyone to go to a fun park.

Hence, six people, Arielle and her parents, her uncle, aunt, and their son, went to the fun park in two different cars. But they had met with an accident en route which caused the death of her uncle and aunt and crippled her father.

She was then forever deemed as a curse and treated as such. Her cousin was worse as he hated her entire family and was dead set on destroying them.

Her condition worsened after her brother, Phillip Ward, was born when she was nine.

Given the environment, Arielle’s brother did not even know that she was his elder sister until he was 10. He simply did not know that she was someone to be loved and respected.

By then, it had been too late to fix their relationship. Phillip treated Arielle like a freeloading servant.

The only reason Arielle had never lacked a roof above her head was that her grandmother had left that cottage in her name and made the transfer so binding that it could not be taken away from her under any circumstances until she was 20. After that, she could do as she wished. As such, her cousin was unable to take it away from her.

Much to her cousin’s frustrations, Arielle grew up to be very smart and mature and rose to prominence quickly. She developed a brand out of her name.

Thomas could not help but shudder at the thought of how painful her childhood and adulthood had been.

He was glad their break-up could provide a leg up to give up on her family and leave.

It was more or less like what he was doing.

Thomas’s grandmother had passed away a year before.

She had died at peace, knowing that Thomas had fallen for a sweet and sensible woman. Thomas had told his grandmother everything about Arielle. She had liked the woman and thought she was a good match for her grandson.

Thomas had thwarted every attempt from Sophia to get close to him. Thankfully, she had fallen out of favor with her father due to the incident caused by Arielle. And she did not have much access to him. In any case, he avoided her, not bothering to hide his distaste.

With his grandmother gone, his younger brother – Alex – in charge of PGI, Emma still being Emma and even more unruly, and his parents being insensibly doting and enabling her bad behavior, he could only leave.

He had done everything he could for his family. He had left PGI in good condition and in good hands. He had no regrets. He wanted to live his own life now.

After three years, he had caught wind of many small factories from the small town on a hill by a beach. They were making it big, and he could see Arielle’s work all over it.

Three years later, he finally had some lead and was determined to follow it.