He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 1041

Yardley’s tone was tentative, laced with a fragile, almost pathetic thread of hope. He knew Scarlett was with someone else now, yet a tiny, irrational part of him still clung to the illusion that she cared. He no longer expected her to come back to him, but he desperately wanted to believe that somewhere deep down, he still mattered to her.

Over the past few weeks, he had obsessively replayed everything. Scarlett held all the cards. If she truly wanted to drive Flynn Group into the ground, she wouldn’t have given him a second to breathe. When the company hemorrhaged billions and the scandals first broke, she could have easily delivered the fatal blow. The fact that she was showing mercy—giving him a grace period—had to mean there was still a spark of feeling left.

But as she listened, Scarlett simply raised her eyes. There wasn’t a single ripple of emotion in her gaze. Her stare was clear, cold, and piercingly direct, instantly shattering his delusions.

"You're mistaken," she said. Her voice was light, but the words sliced like glass.

"I’m not cutting you slack out of some lingering affection. I’m just following standard business practices. AM Capital's investment in Flynn Group is a legitimate partnership. Within the terms of our contract, I adhere to professional ethics. I don't engage in malicious short-selling or drive companies to absolute ruin. That’s my professional boundary, not a personal favor to you."

"I would treat any compliant corporate partner exactly the same way. If it were the Thorne family, or any other conglomerate, I’d still play by the rules."

Her words were a bucket of ice water, drawing a definitive line in the sand and ruthlessly extinguishing the last embers of his hope.

Yardley’s face stiffened. The faint warmth in his chest went cold. He swallowed hard, his voice raspy. "So... from beginning to end... none of this was because of me?"

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify