The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 216

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hapter 149 1 Am in Control

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Chapter 149: I Am in Control.

Clara

The room is spacious, elegant and too quiet.

Everything here seems designed to impose. The dark wood table, perfectly polished. The chairs aligned with precision. The tall windows let in cold, almost distant light.

And in the midst of all that… There is me. Sitting in front of Mr. Bustamante, I feel his gaze from the first second.

It is not an open look, it is not aggressive. But he’s not kind either.

It is… measure and evaluator. Like he’s calculating how much I’m worth after what happened last night.

I keep my back straight, my hands on the table. The calm face, although inside… I know

exactly what’s going on.

I feel it, I can feel that little change in the environment. That detail that no one mentions directly… but that is there. Present and weighing.

Alexander is next to me, silent, watching.

He does not intervene, he does not soften anything. And that… it also says a lot.

“Miss Clara,” Mr. Bustamante finally says.

His voice is deep, thin, elegant… But with a nuance that I can’t ignore.

“I must admit… which surprised me last night.”

There it is, it started straight, bluntly.

I feel my stomach barely contract, but I don’t lower my gaze.

I’m not.

“It’s not usual,” he continues, “for someone- disappear in the middle of an event of this

level.”

His fingers are intertwined on the table, his posture is impeccable.

“And even less so when there’s a pending conversation with me.”

Each word falls precisely, without raising the pitch, without the need to do so.

apter 149 I Am in Control

Because it is not necessary, his way of speaking is enough.

“People wait months,” he adds, “to have a few minutes with me.

He pauses for a small but intentional pause.

“And you- you decided not to take them.”

My chest tightens, there. Right there.

I feel the discomfort run through me, up my throat, settle in my chest.

Because it’s not just what he says… That’s how he says it.

The way he puts it on the table, without attacking, but making it clear that… I made a

mistake.

And an important one.

I keep my face calm, but inside… I know that this is not minor.

“I didn’t mean to disrespect you,” I reply.

My voice is firm. More than I feel.

“And I understand perfectly well how it could have been perceived.”

I look directly at him, holding his attention. I can’t hesitate, not now.

Clar

“I had an unexpected inconvenience,” I add, “and I didn’t handle the situation in the best way.”

I don’t give details, it’s not necessary. Besides, it is not the place, nor is it the time.

“But I’m here,” I continue, “because this conversation is still a priority for me.”

Silence… Mr. Bustamante does not respond immediately, he just observes me. As if he were measuring every word, every gesture, every pause.

As if he were trying to decide… if what I say is enough.

I feel the weight of that analysis. And it is not easy to sustain it. But I do.

Because I don’t have a choice, because this is the kind of moment that defines things.

“The intention,” he finally says, “does not always compensate for the execution.”

I barely nod. I know… Of course I know.

“And at this level,” he continues, “mistakes of this kind… say a lot about the underlying

hapter 149 | Am in Control

issues.”

That phrase… That phrase hits differently.

I squeeze my fingers lightly on the table, without it being too noticeable. Because there…

He’s no longer just talking about the event, he’s talking about me.

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Of my criteria, of my way of handling situations, of whether I am… or not… the right person for this. And I understand it perfectly.

That’s why… I do not defend myself, I do not contradict him. I don’t justify myself more than necessary, I breathe and speak.

“You’re right.”

My voice is clear, confident.

“And I’m not going to try to minimize it.”

I hold his gaze.

“What happened last night- it doesn’t reflect the way I handle my commitments.”

A short pause.

“Or the way I run my company.”

I feel Alexander’s presence next to me.

Attentive, listening. But I don’t look at him.

This moment… It’s not between him and me. It is between Mr. Bustamante and me.

“If I have built anything in this time,” I continue, “it has been precisely on the basis of consistency, responsibility… and respect for every opportunity that presents itself.”

My tone does not rise, it does not break. It is maintained.

“And I understand that yesterday- I didn’t live up to that.”

Silence again, but this time… different. Less tense or maybe… just different.

Mr. Bustamante tilts his head slightly, as if he were considering something.

“The important thing,” he finally says, “is that you understand.”

I nod.

hapter 149 1 Am in Control

“I understand.”

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