The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 300

<Chapter 215-1s She Replaceable2-2

Chapter 215: Is She Replaceable?-2

“You’re a piece of shit, Ethan.”

+25 Paints

I didn’t respond immediately, not because I didn’t have anything to say. But because… I was gauging. Assessing the tone, the timing, the limit.

She took a step forward.

“Can’t you wait?”

Her voice trembled, but it wasn’t weakness… it was simmering fury.

“Can’t you wait until I get out of this shithole?”

My jaw tightened.

“Can’t you at least have the decency?”

Silence.

“Find a replacement while I’m still here?”

That’s when I understood, of course… Quickly. Someone talked, or someone saw. Or someone… leaked.

My assistant was discreet, but this is a business. Things move.

“Who told you?” I finally asked, calmly.

She let out a humorless laugh.

“Does it matter?”

Yes. But that wasn’t the point.

“Does it matter more than what you did?”

I stared at her.

“We already talked yesterday.”

“No,” she interrupted. “Yesterday you gave me papers.”

Her voice rose.

=

“Yesterday you decided to cut me out of your professional life as if I were replaceable overnight.”

I didn’t respond.

“And today,” she continued, pointing to the folder on my desk, “you’re already looking for someone else.”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly.

“Am I worth so little to you?”

<Chapter 215-is She Replaceable?-2

+25 Fonits

There. That sentence, that’s not professional. That’s personal. And that… is exactly what I had to end. I straightened up in my chair.

“This isn’t personal, Vanessa.

“Of course it is!” she exploded.

I shook my head slightly.

“It’s a business decision.”

She stood still for a second, as if processing it. As if… it hurt her more.

“Don’t lie to me.”

Her voice lowered. But now it was more dangerous.

“Not after all this time.”

I held her gaze.

“Your contract is about to end.”

“That was never a problem before.”

True, but things change.

“The company is in a new phase.”

“Or are you?”

Silence… The question hung between us. And it didn’t need an answer. Because we both knew her, Clara… Always Clara.

Vanessa took another step, closer.

“Tell me straight,” she demanded. “Is it because of her?”

I didn’t answer immediately, not because I doubted her. But because… I wasn’t going to turn this into what she wanted it to be.

“It’s my decision.”

“That doesn’t answer.”

“That’s enough.”

୮

Silence… a long silence. Her eyes filled with something I hadn’t expected to see so clearly. Pain, but also… wounded pride.

“You’re a coward,” she finally said.

I didn’t react.

“You always have been.”

Chapter 215- She Replaceable?-2

Nor.

“You prefer to hide behind ‘professional’ decisions instead of telling the truth.”

She moved a little closer to the desk.

“Do you know what the worst part is?”

I looked at her.

“That I stayed.”

Her voice cracked slightly.

“I stayed when she wasn’t.”

Silence.

“I was here for you… I never left you alone. I always supported you, I didn’t replace you.”

I said nothing.

“And now… now that she’s back… you’re kicking me out.”

I closed my eyes for a second, breathed, and when I opened them…

“This isn’t a competition, Vanessa.”

“For me, it is.”

Direct. There it is, finally… The truth.

I held her gaze.

“So you lost the moment you decided to compete.”

+25 Points

The silence that followed… It was brutal, because she understood, because it hurt, because it was real

Her lips trembled, but she didn’t cry. Not there, not in front of me.

She clutched the papers to her chest.

“This isn’t over.”

It wasn’t an empty threat, it was an ernotional promise.

I barely shook my head.

“Sign the documents when you’re ready.”

Γ

She looked at me for a few more seconds, as if searching for something. A crack, a doubt. Something to cling to, but she didn’t find it. Because it isn’t there.

Finally, she turned, walked to the door, opened it, and before leaving…

“This isn’t over.”

< Chapter 215- She Replaceable?-2

didn’t answer.

+25 Points

The door closed. And the silence returned. But this time… it wasn’t peace. It was the echo of something that… definitely… didn’t end here.

The silence that remains after the door closes… isn’t real silence.

I take a deep, slow breath. I hold it for a few seconds and exhale through my mouth, closing my eyes as I run a hand over my face, from my forehead to my jaw. I don’t do anything else. I don’t bang on the desk, I don’t call out to anyone. I don’t ask who spoke. don’t care. That… doesn’t change anything. What had to happen, happened. And what’s coming… I know that too.

I lean back in my chair for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling.

I try to clear my head, to sort out the emotions Vanessa left hanging in the air. Because yes… it affected me, but not in the way she thinks. Not from love. But yes… from time, from what was. From what… at some point, carried weight. But that weight… no longer decides for me.

I sit up again, I look at the folder on the desk. The same one, the one she saw.

I open it again, I flip through the pages, names, data, histories.

I force myself to focus, to keep going. Because this doesn’t stop. Not for her, not for anyone.

The rest of the day moves on, meetings, calls, decisions. Everything continues its course. And me… too. But there’s something different. Firmer, clearer. As if I’d closed a door that had been ajar for too long. And that… although uncomfortable… is also necessary.

Evening falls, the light filters softly through the office windows. And just as I’m finishing reviewing some reports… there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

My assistant enters, carrying a folder. The same efficient expression as always, but with a slight hint of… professional satisfaction.

“It’s done.”

I look up.

“So fast?”

She nods.

“The human resources team did the additional evaluation. Interviews, behavior, performance…. everything.”

She extends the folder toward me; I take it and open it.

A name, a profile. I read it calmly, carefully. Solid experience, consistent results. Clean track record, good at handling pressure. Leadership skills. No gaps, no red flags.

I turn the page: excellent internal references, team feedback, respect, trust. Order…

I close the folder slowly, and for the first time all day… I feel something close to peace.

Chapter 215-1 She Replaceable?-?

“It’s perfect,” I say.

I’m not just saying that; it is.

My assistant nods, as if she already knew:

“I knew you’d find it appropriate.”

I place the folder on the desk.

“Initiate the transition process tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And make sure everything is,.. clean.”

She understands what I mean.

“It will be done.”

She pauses.

“Anything else?”

I look at her, think for a second, and shake my head.

“No.”

She nods, turns, and leaves.

+25 Points

I look at the folder one last time. I gently push it to the side of the desk. Like someone closing a chapter without needing to reopen it.

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