Farewell to Love: The CEO's Desperate Chase novel Chapter 602

Even though Emilia had already rejected him directly and made her boundaries perfectly clear.

And even though Felix had verbally agreed to step back.

He still needed to truly let her go.

Standing by Emilia's side, Theodore understood her inner turmoil.

She didn't want to lose her friendship with Felix over this.

"She cares far more about your safety than that file," Theodore finally said, breaking the silence.

Felix kept his gaze fixed on the floor, saying nothing.

"She's always cared for you," Theodore continued.

Felix paused, finally looking up at him.

"As family," Theodore clarified. "She views you as a brother."

Feeling as though he was being mocked, Felix furrowed his brows.

Theodore offered a faint smile. "You don't need to feel like you owe me a favor. I'm the one who owes you."

"If you hadn't risked your neck to get that file, I would have sent my own people to do it. The result would have been the same."

"But because you acted, we got the leverage much faster."

To prove his point, Theodore grabbed a folder and slid it across the table.

Felix opened it and leafed through the pages.

It was a detailed tactical plan.

The only reason Theodore hadn't mobilized his own team was because Felix had a cleaner cover story, making him far less likely to be detected.

Theodore desperately wanted to be with Emilia, but he refused to cage her.

She had her own family and friends.

He had no intention of severing the ties she had with the people she loved.

He never wanted to turn her into an isolated island.

Because of that, he was willing to take the complicated route to make sure everyone walked away intact.

He wanted to step seamlessly into her life, not drag her away and trap her in his own.

"Christian has already started dating other women in our social circle," Theodore noted, watching Felix scan the documents.

Felix tossed the folder back onto the table and met Theodore's gaze.

Felix looked skeptical.

Theodore let out a long breath. "Felix, she refuses to hurt you, and she would never force me to have this conversation."

"She's torn. She's struggling to navigate this without losing you."

Felix stayed quiet, scrutinizing Theodore's face as if searching for a lie.

Theodore didn't flinch, holding his gaze steadily.

"Christian saw the writing on the wall. That's why he moved on."

Theodore continued, "Do you honestly think he agreed to partner with my company and started seeing other people because he stopped caring about her?"

Felix's eyes widened slightly, rendered speechless.

"Sometimes," Theodore said softly, "accepting someone's help and moving forward takes the most courage of all."

Across the room, Christian was still ranting, trading insults with Joyce as they ripped into Tyler and every troll attacking Emilia online.

Looking at him now, Felix felt as though he were seeing Christian for the very first time.

He wasn't just the hot-headed jerk everyone assumed he was.

It hit Felix like a freight train—he was the only one still stubbornly clinging to a losing hand.