The CEO's Regret: Darling, Don’t Leave Me novel Chapter 332

Chapter 243-seful Turbulence

“What kind of complaint?” she asked.

The man h

A bad sign.

“Alleged

regularities… and improper payments for licenses.”

Sile

T

on the concrete between us. I felt Clara stiffen. I didn’t.

use finally we had something better than a delay. We had an enemy. And that, at least, can

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<Chapter 243- der the Rain

Chapter 243: Under the Rain.

Clara

Some news you hear with your head, and other news that hits you right in the gut.

Anonymous complaint, structural irregularities, improper payments for licenses.

The words continued to hang in the air under the Boston rain as the manager looked at us, waiting for a reaction. I didn’t react immediately, because when you react too quickly, you sometimes jump to conclusions. Although, I think Alexander noticed that slight feeling of tension. Here’s part of my effort, time… And someone had just cast a shadow over it.

“Who received the complaint?” I asked.

My voice came out colder than I felt. The manager adjusted his wet jacket.

“City inspectors. They arrived at 6:30 with a warrant to inspect certain areas.”

“Which areas?”

“The underground parking garage, secondary electrical systems, and initial license documentation.”

Alexander spoke beside me.

“Very specific for an anonymous tip.”

Exactly. I glanced at him for a second. You didn’t need to like him to recognize when he was right.

“Who has access to that information?” I asked.

The manager swallowed.

“Internally… a few people.”

“Names.”

He hesitated, and Alexander stepped forward.

“Now.”

The man understood the change in atmosphere.

“Me. Howard… Two technical supervisors, the legal permitting team. And you…”

Silence… Howard is the local operations director for the Boston project, a trusted figure within the expansion.

The rain continued to fall on the asphalt, an elegant way of telling us the blow was coming from within. We didn’t stay at the hotel. I couldn’t lie down to sleep knowing something was wrong, and on this scale.

They drove us to the construction site. We went up to a temporary office inside the building. Everything smelled of new cement, cables, freshly brewed coffee, and human tension.

Chapter

nder the Ram

I took off my damp coat and placed it on a chair

Alexander remained standing, reviewing some documents that had been handed to him. I opened my laptop and requested full access to the permissions files.

“I want a timeline of every license issued, reviewed, and approved,” I said “Also, who touched it and when.”

An assistant practically ran out.

Alexander continued reading.

“I don’t like this.”

“Me neither.”

“I’m not talking about the complaint.”

I looked up.

“Then be clearer.”

He held my gaze.

“It’s about timing.”

He closed the folder.

“They waited until we were weeks away from opening. They didn’t want to fix anything. They wanted to cause harm…”

I placed my hands on the table, because I had thought that too.

“Competition?”

“Possibly.”

“Someone internally with a grudge?”

“More likely.”

His phone vibrated; he glanced at it and silenced it. I didn’t ask; I wasn’t that interested…

The next two hours were a string of calls, documents, and tense meetings. The inspection department asked for original blueprints, the legal department… asked for more time, and the finance department asked for a loss estimate.

I asked for coffee and patience; only the coffee arrived. At one point, I was alone reviewing digital signatures when Alexander appeared with two cups.

He placed one next to me.

“I didn’t know if you still drink your coffee like that.”

I looked at him.

<Chapter 243-Under the Rain

“You remember too many things.”

“Only the useful ones.”

I took the coffee.

“Thanks.”

He leaned against the edge of the desk.

“You’re furious.”

“I’m working.”

“They’re not mutually exclusive.”

I sighed.

“I’m tired of things starting to feel good… and then a fire breaks out.”

His expression changed slightly. More human.

“That’s not business.”

“No.”

I took a sip.

“It’s personal.”

I thought about Ethan… How he let me go this morning, swallowing his discomfort. His kiss in front of the airport, his “get back safe.” I wanted to come back with good news. Not with this.

Alexander watched me for a few seconds that felt too long.

“Call him.”

I frowned.

“What?”

“Ethan.”

I almost laughed.

“Since when do you give emotional advice?”

“Since you’ve been staring at the same file for half an hour without reading it.”

Damn perceptive man, I looked at the screen.

He was right.

I went out into the glass-enclosed hallway and dialed. Ethan answered on the second ring.

“Honey.”

< Chapter 243-Under the Rain

Just one word. And yet I felt immediate relief.

“We’re having problems…”

“It sounds pretty bad. I guessed it from your voice.”

I pressed my forehead against the cold glass.

“There was an anonymous tip. They’ve halted work on parts of the project. They want to review the permits and the structure.”

There was a brief silence, not of fear. Of racing thoughts.

“Is it real?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“What do you think?”

I closed my eyes.

“I think it’s intentional.”

“Then act like it’s an attack, not an accident.”

Always so direct.

“We’re already on it.”

“Good.”

I heard papers being moved on the other side.

“I’m going to put you in touch with a firm here that handles regulatory issues in Massachusetts. They’re aggressive and expensive.”

“How romantic.”

He let out a low laugh; I needed to hear that more than I knew it.

“How are you?”

The question loosened something inside me.

“Wet, tired, and trying not to kill people.”

“Perfect description of you, even on vacation.”

I smiled.

“I miss you.”

I said it without thinking, there was a moment of silence on the other end.

“It’s about time you admitted it,”

426 Poudy

Chapter 243-der the Rain

+rolled my eyes.

“Idiot.”

“Me too.”

I lowered my voice.

“I don’t want to mess this up.”

His response was immediate.

“Solving a problem doesn’t define your worth. It only defines the problem.”

I swallowed hard.

How did he do that? How did he manage to straighten me up from miles away?

“I’ll call you later.”

“Do it.”

Pause.

“And Clara.”

“Yes?”

“Eat something.”

I hung up laughing through my nose… Controller, beloved controller.

I returned to the temporary office feeling lighter. Alexander watched me walk in.

“Better?”

“Much better.”

He nodded as if he’d been expecting it, then tossed me a foldex

I opened it.

A list of internal system access logs, dates, times, recent downloads. And a highlighted name. Howard

I slowly looked up.

“Tell me this doesn’t mean what it looks like.”

Alexander didn’t smile, which made things worse.

“It means,” he said with dangerous calm, “that someone very close moved something they shouldn’t have.”

The rain pounded harder against the windows, and I understood that Boston wasn’t going to be just a corporate crisis. It was going to uncover something much dirtier