Chapter 199: Legacy and Lead-1
Damien looked up, a faint crease forming between his brows.
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“I… didn’t mean to overhear,” Jamie said, his voice tightening with emotion. “But I heard what you
said. About the ring.”
Jamie placed his hand against his chest, his fingers wrapping around the pendant of his necklace. His eyes glistened, shadowed by memories of a harder time. With practiced precision, he clicked a hidden latch on the back of the ornament-one invisible to the naked eye-and gently removed a
small, brilliant stone.
He held it out to Damien, his hand steadying as the light caught the facets. Damien took it,
stunned. “Jamie… what’s this?”
Jamie smiled gently, a sad but beautiful light in his eyes. “When I got sick and our finances started draining fast, Maya had no choice but to pawn Mom’s jewelry so we could survive. She held on to
them as long as she could, but when her back was pushed against the wall, she had to let them go.
Everything except our parents’ wedding bands.”
He gave a short, quiet laugh. “She still has those. She told me she’s holding onto them so that when I get married, I’ll have them for my future wife. Honestly, I think she said it to make me feel
guilty-to make sure I didn’t end up with the wrong woman.”
Jamie’s expression turned solemn as he looked from the stone to Dahlia. “But she didn’t know that Dad gave me this stone on my eighth birthday. He said it was our little secret. He wanted me to use it for an engagement ring, too. He’s the one who modified this pendant to keep it hidden.”
He looked Damien directly in the eye. “But I don’t want my future wife to have it. I want Maya to
have it. Dad told me this was the first diamond he ever bought with his own money for Mom… but
he ended up giving her a different one.”
Jamie glanced at Dahlia, a new understanding dawning on him. “I didn’t think much of it before, but now… I think he refused to give it to her once he knew who she really was. Maybe it was pride.
Maybe he felt like the first thing he truly earned wasn’t enough for a woman of her status.”
“But for Maya… it’s perfect.”
“It’s the first piece of our father’s heart.”
He nudged the stone toward Damien. “Take it. Add it to the ring.”
Damien didn’t answer right away.
The weight of the stone in his palm felt far heavier than it should have-like it carried more than
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Chapter 199 Legacy and Lead 1
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memory, more than sentiment. It carried sacrifice. It carried years of quiet suffering he hadn’t been
there to witness.
His fingers curled slightly around it, careful, almost reverent.
For a brief moment, the world he controlled so effortlessly-fell away.
This… this was something he couldn’t calculate.
He lifted his gaze to Jamie, studying him not as Maya’s younger brother, not as someone under his
protection-but as a man who had endured, who had chosen, who was now entrusting him with
something irreplaceable.
“You’re sure?” Damien asked quietly.
Jamie didn’t hesitate.
“I’ve never been more sure about anything,” he said.
There was no trace of doubt in his voice-only a quiet certainty that made something shift in
Damien’s chest.
Jamie exhaled slowly, his grip tightening briefly around the now-empty pendant before letting it fall
back against his chest.
“She gave up everything for me,” he added, his voice softening. “Every piece of our past… her
present-she even put her future on hold just to keep me alive. And she never once complained.
Not once.”
His eyes flickered, emotion threatening to spill over-but he held it steady.
“So if there’s anything left that can go back to her… anything that can give her even a fraction of
what she lost…” He shook his head lightly. “Then it should be this.”
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Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.