The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 27

Chapter 18: Like a Triumph.-2

I had signed important contracts before, stood in boardrooms, and defended ideas in front of men who

doubted for the sake of it. But this was different. Not because of the company. Not because of the

project’s scale.

But because of him… the day before the meeting, I knew I wouldn’t be the only one there… I knew Ethan

would be in this very building.

Faced with that, I felt something strange, greater demand and not because I was competing with him… it’s just that, I felt that the world had that cruel and precise way of crossing paths when you least want to… or

when you need it most.

When the elevator doors opened, I took a deep breath and moved forward. My team was already in the room; I had two senior consultants, concentrated, serious. They greeted me naturally, as if this were just another day. That sustained me.

To the others, I greeted them with professionalism.

I took a seat at the end of the table and reviewed the documents, although I already knew them by heart. And despite reaching out to Ethan… It was only until that moment, sitting at that table, that I felt his presence. But I didn’t look at him right away. I didn’t want to give him that moment.

I heard his voice talking to investors, that confident tone i knew so well. The same one he used when he closed agreements, when he thought he had absolute control of a situation… or of a person.

I didn’t feel the blow I expected. There was not that turn in the stomach that I imagined so many times. The tremor and the need to flee did not appear.

At the event, I came to believe that being surrounded by people or being in a space filled with so many others might have dulled the feelings I saw coming or imagined. But I saw him the way you see someone who was once a part of your life… but no longer defines it.

That still surprised me more than his presence.

The meeting began and I focused on listening. The company needed a deep restructuring, internal conflicts, sustained losses, leaders unable to give up power. A minefield.

Perfect.

When I was given the floor, I didn’t think about Ethan. I thought about everything I had learned since I left. In every mistake, in every night doubting myself, in every decision made without a safety net and then i spoke.

I felt the weight of the gaze on me. I continued… I spoke without softening the speech. I didn’t embellish reality.

As I spoke, I knew Ethan was listening. I didn’t look at him. I didn’t need it.

Chapter 104+ Trumph 2

Because that voice-mine- was no longer asking for permission.

When the meeting ended, a wave of relief washed over me. There was no immediate verdict yet. I knew there wouldn’t be one right away, as thèse kinds of decisions take time. Even so, I felt something akin to a quiet victory.

The satisfying words they said at the end of the meeting gave me those pats on the back that I needed. I already felt like a winner.

And not because I “won” Ethan. But because I didn’t lose myself in the process.

I left the room without stopping, the corridor was long, bright. My footsteps echoed steadily against the polished floor. And then, I felt him behind me.

He did not approach. He didn’t say my name. And I was grateful for that.

That meeting felt to me like that award I received… And that night, alone in my apartment, I left the documents on the table and poured myself a glass of wine. I took off my shoes, walked barefoot to the window and observed the city.

New York was still imposing. Indifferent. Beautiful.

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