From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 259

Chapter 259 A Clean Break

After Maya left, Kit patted his chest, still shaken. That was close.

He told himself he should go back to his parents‘ home less often. The more he showed up, the more likely he’d say something wrong and Maya would find out Athena’s real identity.

If Maya ever learned that Athena was his father’s illegitimate daughter, all hell would break loose.

Storm Group Headquarters.

Zaden hadn’t been himself lately. He leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting to the desk drawer. A thought hit him; he still kept a photo of Maya in there.

He hadn’t looked at it since that day Harriet asked if he was in love with Athena.

Zaden had taken it out back then, stared at it for a moment, then put it away and never touched it again.

He took a deep breath. Thankfully, Athena never came to his office. She wouldn’t see it.

Still, it was time to get rid of the past.

He pressed the intercom. “Tommy, come in.”

Moments later, Tommy entered, respectful as always. “Mr. Storm, do you need something?”

Zaden tossed the photo into the trash and said calmly, “Clean the office. Get rid of everything.”

Tommy froze for a second, surprised by the sudden order. As he bent down to gather things, his eyes caught the photo in the bin.

His eyes widened in surprise.

That photo had been sitting in Zaden’s drawer for years. A picture of Maya he once couldn’t bring himself to throw away. No one expected him to toss it out so easily now.

Tommy remembered how Zaden used to take the photo out sometimes, staring at it in silence, his expression unreadable. No one could tell if it was regret, longing, or just unfinished feelings.

Ever since Athena came into his life, that drawer had stayed shut.

His boss even ordered him to get rid of the photo. It probably meant he wanted a clean break from the

past.

Honestly, Tommy was glad to see it happen. He thought Athena was perfect for him. She was kind, capable, and strong–everything a man like Zaden needed in a wife.

“Mr. Storm,” Tommy said with a grin, “good thing you cleared out Ms. Rice’s photo. If Ms. Hall ever stopped by and saw it lying around, she’d definitely be upset.”

Zaden pressed his lips together tightly. Of course, he knew what would happen.

1/3

The ringtone incident carlier had already been a warning. Athena had let it go once, but if something like that happened again, she definitely wouldn’t.

After giving his orders. Zaden headed off to a meeting, leaving Tommy alone in the office.

There wasn’t much left to pack–just a few old, useless items. Tommy gathered them into a cardboard box. including Maya’s photo, planning to throw it all out later.

Just as he was about to leave, a voice suddenly came from behind him. “Tommy, what are you doing?”

Tommy shot to his feet, clutching the large cardboard box in his arms. Inside were just a few old pieces of junk and bits of trash, but sitting right on top, clear as day, was Maya’s photo.

The moment he saw Athena standing in the doorway, his face went pale.

M–Ms. Hall? What are you doing here?” Tommy blurted, his face turning pale. Then it hit him–the photo. But with a heavy box in his arms, he couldn’t exactly drop it and grab the picture without looking

Suspicious.

Panicking, he tried to set the box down casually.

Before he could, Athena’s sharp eyes caught the photo first. She picked it up before he could react.

Her face darkened as she studied it.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify