Chapter 9 Damian reached into his pocket , pulled out a box , and handed it to me . " I stayed up designing this necklace for you , " he said . " The gem is one of a kind , like you . Please , give me another chance . " I tapped my fingers on the table , my eyes sliding past the jewel . " Don't you think it's a bit too late ? That a shiny gift could erase all these years of pain ? " Desperation crept into his voice . " That's not what I meant . I'm sorry that I hurt you . " The screen of my phone lit up . I glanced at it and saw multiple messages from Valerie , asking about my whereabouts . I pushed the necklace back and stood up . " If you're really sorry , stay out of my life . Let go and set me free . " I walked out , and he didn't follow . Back at the office , Valerie sulked , " You vanished without a word . Do you have any idea how worried I was ? " I apologized , promising it wouldn't happen again . That evening , a letter arrived . There was a Centurion card and a note from Damian . His handwriting was heavy with regret . He offered the card as compensation , vowing never to disturb me again . " Too little , too late , " Valerie scoffed , rolling her eyes . " Keep the card , though . He owes you that much . Use it to fund our startup . Rise on his back . " I smiled , nodding . " Yeah . " For the following days , we dove into work . Within a month , our revenue tripled , our name echoing in the business world . The Centurion card remained untouched . My skills were enough Six months later , our business thrived in Frostuolton . Everything was heading in the right direction . One evening , after an early finish , Valerie and I cracked open beers at the villa . " Remember Harriet ? " she asked . I raised an eyebrow . " How could I forget ? " She chuckled , " She was locked in the old Patton estate . Went nuts and rampaged through the streets , hurting people . Ended up in a psychiatric hospital . " I blinked , then shook my head . " She brought it on herself Got what she deserved " Raising my beer , I grinned , " To our better lives " She clinked her bottle against mine . " To our brighter future . " It was Friday , and we drank happily late into the night . The next morning , I woke up to sunlight streaming through the windows , warm and golden My new life was just beginning . The End