The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 266

Chapter 190: There Is a Key Point, Part 1.

Alexander

+25 Points

I don’t interrupt her, not when she begins, not when she continues. And even less so… when she

reaches that point where her voice barely changes, where it ceases to be a narrative and becomes

something more personal.

I listen to her in silence, my body seemingly relaxed, but my mind racing at a speed I don’t show

Vanessa speaks of Ethan as someone she knows, not superficially, not from the outside. She

knows him in those details that not everyone sees… or understands. And that says a lot.

I rest my arm on the back of the sofa, turning my face slightly toward her as she speaks. I don’t

interrupt her, but I observe her. I analyze her from head to toe, not with desire… with interest, with

intention. Because I’m trying to understand something that… doesn’t add up. It doesn’t fit, not

entirely.

Vanessa is… attractive. That’s obvious; she knows how to move, how to speak, how to look. She

has presence, and she’s not emotionally clumsy, nor is she naive. On the contrary, she’s calculated,

conscious of every word she every pause she makes.

So… Why not? Why didn’t a man like Ethan… stay with her? That question has been nagging at me

since she started speaking… and it hasn’t left. Because it’s not just a matter of taste, not for men

like us. We choose, we evaluate, we plan. We don’t settle for the first thing that works; we settle for

what… is useful, what adds value. What builds… And if Ethan chose Clara over her… Then there’s

something, something Vanessa doesn’t have. Or something Clara does… And I need to know what

it is.

I watch her as she continues speaking, her hands, her posture. The way she crosses her legs, the confidence with which she holds my gaze when she wants to emphasize something. I don’t see weakness, I don’t see insecurity, I don’t see anything obvious that says, “This isn’t working.” And yet

It wasn’t enough.

That… interests me, that… worries me, because if I don’t understand that… I don’t understand the

whole game.

She spent so much time chasing after him or waiting for him and… nothing, it’s as if she is invisible

to Ethan.

“…and during that time,” she says, bringing me back to the present, “I tried to take advantage of it.”

I don’t say anything, I keep listening.

“I thought it was just a matter of time,” she continues. “That he would eventually… realize. They

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Chapter 190. There Is a Key Point, Part 1

were already divorced, I thought it would be a matter of waiting and trying to rekindle the

relationship we had…”

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My jaw tightens slightly, not because of what she says, but because of how she says it… Because

she doesn’t sound like a woman who made a mistake. She sounds like a woman… who wasn’t

chosen. And that… That leaves a mark.

“But he didn’t,” she adds.

Direct, without embellishment, without drama. That catches my attention.

“The closest he let me get,” she continues, “was accompanying him to events. Being in his

environment, in his routine… even on his team. That’s why I work with him now… it was a big step

could see him often…”

I barely nod. I know that, I’ve seen it.

“But personally…” she pauses briefly. “Nothing changed.”

Silence. I look at her and there… there I do see something. It’s not weakness, it’s controlled

frustration. But it’s there

“I didn’t pressure him,” s

says. “I didn’t force anything.”

Her eyes lock onto mine.

“I was waiting for my moment.”

I exhale slowly through my nose, waiting. I don’t like that word, I never have. Because waiting… is losing control. And losing control… isn’t something I do. But she does. And that tells me something else. She doesn’t play to win quickly, she plays for the long haul. With slow, steady steps.

“And then…” she says finally, “Clara reappears.”

Her lips tighten slightly.

“And everything goes to shit.”

There’s no overflowing anger, no shouting, but there’s truth. And that weighs more.

Silence falls between us for a second, a brief one, but enough. And then She looks at me. That look that isn’t casual, that look that assesses. That look that knows exactly what it’s doing.

“I know you like her.”

My body doesn’t react, but my mind does. Quickly, precisely. I barely raise an eyebrow.

“What?” But it’s not denial, it’s… measurement.

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Chapter 190 There is a key Point, Part 1

She smiles slightly, as if she already knows the answer.

“Clara.”

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I neither deny nor confirm it. But I don’t look away, because doing so… would be admitting/more

than I want to.

“I knew it from day one,” she continues.

She leans slightly forward.

“I don’t remember what event it was… but I was with Ethan.”

I listen to her without moving.

“And that’s where I saw her.”

She pauses.

“And I saw you.”

I feel something in my chest tighten… just a little.

herm

“The way you were looking at her,” she says. “How you watched her walk through the crowd.”

She doesn’t speak quickly, she doesn’t improvise… she just remembers.

“It wasn’t by chance.” Her eyes lock onto mine. “I’m a woman… and I know how a man who’s

interested looks.”

Silence. This time… longer, heavier. Not because of what she says, but because… She’s right. Not

completely, but enough.

I look away for a second, running my tongue along the inside of my cheek. Not out of discomfort,

but… calculation. Because now I know two things for sure.

First, she’s not stupid… Second, she’s sizing me up, and that… I like that.

I look back at her.

“Even so… “I finally say “he didn’t choose you.”

The sentence is cold, precise. And deliberate. Because I want to see how she reacts, because I

need to see… where her weak point is.

Her expression doesn’t break, but it changes… barely.

“No,” she replies. Without hesitating, without embellishment. That confirms something else for me: she doesn’t play the victim, she doesn’t justify herself. She accepts it, but she doesn’t give up. And

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Chapter 190 There Is a Key Point, Part 1

that… That’s dangerous.

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I watch her silently for a few more seconds. Evaluating, fitting pieces together. Ethan… Clara…

Vanessa… And now… Me. Four points on the same line. It’s not a coincidence, none of this is.

I lean slightly forward, resting my forearms on my legs.

“So tell me something,” I say, my voice lower. More serious. “Why do you think he didn’t?”

The question hangs in the air, it’s not a trivial one. It’s not superficial. Because if there’s one thing need to understand now… It’s not just what Vanessa wants. It’s… What did Ethan see in Clara… That

he didn’t see in her? Because there… Therein lies the key.

And if I want to play this game… I need to know exactly… Which piece makes the difference.

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