---- Chapter 15 Desmond Day POV: The lobby of Evelena Lindsey' s law firm was an imposing cathedral of glass and steel, designed to intimidate. It worked. By the time her assistant led me into her corner office, my heart was hammering in my chest. She sat behind a massive mahogany desk, the city skyline spread out behind her like a kingdom she commanded. She looked at me, her eyes as sharp and dissecting as a surgeon ' s scalpel. There was no surprise in her expression. She had been expecting me. "Mr. Day," she said, her voice a calm, chillingly neutral tone. "l' ve been waiting for you." | took a deep breath and did the only thing | could do. | bowed. A deep, formal bow, a gesture of complete and utter surrender. "Ms. Lindsey," | began, my voice trembling slightly. "| am here to apologize. | was a fool. | was arrogant, and cruel, and | destroyed the best thing that ever happened to me. | hurt Ariel in ways that are unforgivable. | know that." | straightened up, meeting her unwavering gaze. "But | am asking, | am begging you, for a chance to make it right. | know ---- you were behind the audit, the investigation. You were right to do it. | deserved it. | deserved all of it. But please, don' t keep me from her. Let me try to earn her forgiveness." She listened, her expression unreadable. When | was finished, a long, heavy silence filled the room. "You had many chances to 'make it right,' Mr. Day," she said finally, her voice laced with ice. "You chose not to take them. So, you' II forgive me if | question the sincerity of your sudden repentance. Is it Ariel you want back? Or your company?" "No!" | said, the word exploding out of me. "I don' t care about the company. |' Il give it all away. | just want her. | was so wrong, and | need her to know that." "And what about the years she wasted on you?" Evelena pressed, her voice rising with a cold fury. "The dreams she gave up? The scars on her back that will never fade? How do you propose to 'make that right' ?" | had no answer. | just stood there, my shame a physical weight crushing me. "Please," | whispered, my voice breaking. "Just let me see her." She stared at me for another long moment, her eyes searching mine for any hint of deception. Then, she sighed, a barely audible sound. "| cannot make that decision for her," she said, her tone softening almost imperceptibly. "Ariel is her own woman. Whether or not she chooses to see you is entirely up to her." ---- She stood up, a clear dismissal. "But | will give you one piece of advice, Mr. Day. If you cause her one more ounce of pain, | will not just destroy your company. | will erase you from the face of the earth." It wasn' t forgiveness. It wasn' t an absolution. But it was a chance. A tiny, fragile sliver of hope bloomed in my chest. | would stay here, in this foreign city. | would shed the skin of Desmond Day, the tech CEO. | would become the man | should have been all along. The man who was worthy of Ariel' s love.