The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 22

Chapter 15: The Event, Part 3.-2

“All right?” he asked, barely approaching.

“Yes,” I answered. “I was just watching.”

“It’s an interesting environment, isn’t it? he remarked. “Everyone looks, everyone measures.”

“They always do,” I said. “The difference is that now it doesn’t bother me.”

He smiled.

“That shows.”

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We continue talking. We laughed at some point. Alexander made a witty comment about one of the previous speeches and I couldn’t help but let out a genuine laugh. I felt comfortable. Present.

At one point, he leaned a little more towards me.

“By the way,” he said, “you look impressive tonight.”

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It was not exaggerated. It was non-invasive. It was said naturally.

“Thank you,” I replied. “I feel… aligned.”

And I was.

The ceremony progressed. The lights dimmed slightly, and a presenter took the stage. They began to announce categories, recognitions, names that the public applauded with courtesy and, in some cases, with true respect.

The moment of awards in different categories had begun, I was at a central table surrounded by the stage

with Alexander and several people. Everyone listened attentively, and I… I listened without expectations,

until I heard something that made me straighten my back.

“The next category recognizes new business leaders who have managed, in a short period of time, to transform their sector with an innovative and sustainable vision…”

Alexander slowly turned his head toward me.

“Clara,” he whispered. “Listen.”

My heart took a small leap. Not scary. By surprise.

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“This recognition highlights not only economic growth, but also the strategic and human impact of its

projects…”

They said my name… They said it clearly and completely.

“Clara Sinclair, founder and CEO of Sinclair & Co.”

For a second, I didn’t react.

Chapter Is The Plant Part

Alexander was the first to hug me tightly, to make me react and tell me something sincere.

“You deserve it,” he said close to my ear. “Everything.”

I stood up with a mixture of excitement and calm. I didn’t feel dizzy, k felt affirmed.

I walked to the stage to the applause of the room. I saw familiar faces. I saw evaluative looks that were now recognition. I saw pride in the eyes of people who had bet on me.

And yes… I saw him… Ethan, I saw him with the rest of the people, he was standing, looking at me and applauding. His expression was restrained, but his eyes did not leave me.

I took the prize in my hands… It was heavier than I imagined, not because of the material… Because of what it represented.

I walked over to the microphone and breathed.

“Thank you,” I began. “This recognition means more than I can express in a few minutes.”

I paused briefly. Not to dramatize. To order what I wanted to say.

“Sinclair & Co. was born at a time of profound change for me. Not only professional… personal. It was a gamble on something that many consider risky; to start again when the previous path was already traced.”

Some eyes became more attentive.

“For a long time, I believed that success had to do with fitting in. To sustain structures that do not always sustain us. Today I know that true growth begins when we stop doing it for others and start doing it honestly for ourselves.”

I felt the firmness in my voice. It did not tremble.

“This award is not only mine. It is from each person who trusted, who worked, who believed in a different vision. And it’s also a reminder that reinventing yourself isn’t a failure… it is an act of courage.”

Applause.

“Thank you for watching. Thank you for listening. And thank you for reminding us that belongs to those who dare to change.”

the

future also

I smiled.

I left the stage with the award in my hands and my heart full of something new. Not euphoria… It was

plenitude.

When I returned to Alexander’s place, he greeted me with a broad smile.

“You’ve just conquered New York,” he said.

“No,” I answered. “I just confirmed that I can be here.”

At that moment, I felt that look again. I looked up, and Ethan was watching me from across the room. He didn’t smile, he didn’t speak… he just watched.

* Chapter 15 H

Our eyes met once more and I understood something with a serene clarity, the past no longer had power over me… But he was beginning to realize that I did have it over him.

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Chapter 15: The Event, Part 3.-3

And there, amidst lights, applause and raised glasses, the night ended in which I confirmed that I was not going back to any place had learned to leave.

The murmur of the room gradually died away, like a tide that recedes after it has covered everything. The lights were still on, elegant, but no longer had the same prominence. The ceremony was over. The applause, the formal smiles, the toasts… Everything was left behind, suspended in a memory that still vibrated in my chest.

Alexander walked beside me, talking about practical details: future meetings, tentative dates, schedule adjustments. I nodded, truly listening, but a part of me was still processing what had happened just minutes before. The award, my name called out in front of everyone. My story surnmarized in a short but honest speech. One I hadn’t prepared… I had survived that stage… and not only that, I had shone in it.

We moved along with the orderly flow of guests heading for the exit. Heels on marble, expensive perfumes mingling in the air, conversations in low voices. Everything was exactly as it should be.

Alexander took a step forward and, with a natural gesture, opened the door for me.

“Go ahead,” he said, with that quiet smile that always seemed to be in the right place.

“Thank you,” I replied, sincerely.

That’s when I felt it.

It was not an impact, nor a shock. It was more of a silent certainty, like when you know someone is watching you, even if you’re not looking directly at them. I turned my face slightly, just enough to confirm

Ethan.

He was a few meters away, also advancing towards the exit. At his side, Vanessa. Her arm linked to his, her hand resting familiarly, as if that were exactly her place. He listened to her with distracted attention, with that posture of his that had always been half elegance, half distance.

I didn’t stop.

I didn’t slow down, I didn’t change the rhythm of my breathing. I didn’t harden the expression on my face or force a nonexistent smile. I just kept walking, as if they were two strangers among dozens of people leaving the event.

I barely glanced at them, long enough to know they were there. Not enough to give them importance. And

that… That was new.

For years I thought that if I ever saw him again, something inside me would break or ignite. Anger, sadness, nostalgia. Something intense… Something inevitable, but no. What I felt was… neutrality. A slight

strangeness, yes.

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Alexander continued by my side, oblivious to that silent crossing that only existed in my head. He was talking now about how well everything had turned out, about the impression we had made.

“You did amazing, Clara, he said. “Really”

“Thank you,” I replied. “It means a lot.”

We went outside. The night air of New York greeted me with a mild cold that I appreciated. It cleared me. It anchored me to the present. The lights of the city shone in the distance, indifferent to our personal

stories.

The valet approached with impeccable efficiency. He called out my last name, held out the car keys to me.

I took them with a calmness that would not have been possible years ago.

Alexander stopped in front of me. For a second he hesitated, as if assessing the correct distance, and

then gave me a brief, respectful, warm hug.

“I’m proud of you,” he said. “And this… This is just beginning.”

“I know,” I answered, and I really knew it.

We separated. He waved goodbye and walked away, getting lost in the cars and the lights. I walked to mine, feeling the weight of the dress, the prize, the whole night settling inside me.

Before going up, I looked up one last time.

Ethan and Vanessa were further back, stopped for a few seconds. I don’t know if he looked at me. I didn’t

check it. I didn’t need it anymore.

I opened the car door, sat down, closed it gently. The sound was definitive. As a well-placed endpoint. I started the engine and without further ado, I left.

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