My Husband Chose His Ex I Became His Regret novel Chapter 21

10:00 Wed, May 13

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Aidan

Lila asked a question.

It was a very relevant question. An intelligent one, too, and it is my responsibility to provide her with an authentic response.

I lean back and put my finger to my lips then consider how much of the truth to reveal.

“Fifteen years ago, Mark Knight and his father my father and I. We were left with nothing.”

96

I speak keeping my tone steady and calm. It happened so long ago; this does not hurt anymore. That is what I keep telling myself.

“Six months after Mark Knight destroyed my father’s company, my father suffered a heart attack. The doctors said it was due to stress. He survived, but he has never been the same. He lost all passion and drive; through the actions of the Knight family, they not only took my father’s company but they took his will to fight.

Lila is not only listening to me with no interruptions, she’s listening intently.

“Yes, I want revenge against Mark Knight. I want to take everything that Mark has away from him so he experiences what my father did. But even more so, I want to prove the people who the Knight family discarded, the people they thought had no value, are going to be the ones who survive. The people who rebuild. And the ones who ultimately win.”

Lila’s eyes light up in recognition and she states, “That’s why you chose me. You didn’t only choose me because I know the weaknesses of Mark Knight, but because I’m evidence of how the Knight family made an incorrect decision. I have value and they threw me away.”

“That is correct,” I tell her as I get up from my chair.I walk around the desk and position myself in front of her. Close enough to observe her amber eyes flecked with gold. Close enough to smell her perfume on my skin. Close enough to be tempted. But I don’t move back; neither does she.

“Lila, you’re not only my weapon,” I say quietly, “You’re proof of my concept. When I’ve destroyed the Knight Group, and Mark is begging for mercy, you’re the living monument to the biggest mistake he made: throwing away something that was priceless because he was too blind to see its value.”

Her breath catches slightly, and her eyes search mine.

“What happens after?” she asks in a soft voice. “After the revenge? After Mark is gone? What happens to me?”

That’s been the one question I’ve avoided asking myself. I have spent the last three months planning everything down to the last detail for Mark Knight’s funeral. I have, however, not given any thought as to what will happen after he is gone and what will happen to Lila when it is all over.

“That will all be your decision,” I say finally. “You will have your skills, your industry contacts, your resume will be golden, and you’ll have choices: You can stay with Storm Industries, you can start your own company, you can do whatever you want. You won’t need me when you get there.”

10:01 Wed, May 13

Chapter 21

She holds my gaze. “What if I want to stay with you?”

The question hangs between us. Loaded. Dangerous.

What if she wants to stay?

What if I want her to stay?

What if this is already becoming something more than business and I’m too focused on revenge to notice?

1 step back. Put distance between us. Clear my throat.

96

“Let’s focus on the next four weeks first,” I say. CEO voice. All business. “David is waiting for you in Conference Room A. Third door on the right.”

She nods. Understands I’m ending this conversation. This moment. Whatever this is.

“Mr. Storm…”

“Aidan,” I correct. “When we’re in public, at events, around investors, you call me Aidan. We need to present as equals, not employer and employee.”

“Aidan,” she says. Testing it. Her voice wraps around my name in a way that sends heat down my spine. “Thank you. For all of this. For seeing something in me that I couldn’t see in myself.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Thank me when this is over and you’re standing on Mark Knight’s corporate grave.”

She smiles. That slow, dangerous smile that’s already becoming familiar.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

She turns. Walks to the door. Those heels clicking. That suit fitting perfectly. That blonde hair catching the light.

She’s almost through the door when she pauses. Looks back.

“Aidan?”

“Yes?”

“That thesis you mentioned. About corporate social responsibility. The conclusion was that companies fail when they prioritize profit over people. When they forget that their greatest assets aren’t in their financial statements, they’re in the humans they choose to invest in.”

She lets that hang in the air for a moment.

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