I AM SORRY ALEXIS (2)

XAVIER'S POV

The conference room fell into complete silence. I stared at the man standing near the entrance, unable to believe what I was seeing.

Dyson.

For a second, I thought I had mistaken him for someone else. Then I noticed the way Alexis had gone perfectly still beside me.

The color drained from her face. Her fingers tightened around the leather folder resting on the table until her knuckles turned white.

She knew him.

No.

She knew him far too well. It couldn't be that he was who I thought he was.

Dyson looked at Alexis as though the rest of us had disappeared. His mouth parted slightly, but no words came out.

The silence stretched painfully.

I shifted my gaze between the two of them before clearing my throat.

"Mr. Lacrae," I said, forcing the meeting back on track. "Please, have a seat."

He didn't move. His eyes remained locked on Alexis.

"Alexis..."

She inhaled slowly before lifting her chin. Every trace of surprise disappeared behind the calm, professional expression she had perfected over the past month.

"Mr. Lacrae," she corrected evenly.

His shoulders stiffened before he finally walked toward the table.

He finally answered the question I had asked about the negotiation. His eyes kept looking at her, and that confirmed my thoughts.

He's her ex-husband.

"I didn't know..." His voice came out hoarse. "I didn't know you were here."

Alexis met his gaze without blinking.

"I don't believe my workplace is information you were entitled to."

Another uncomfortable silence settled over the room.

I opened the proposal in front of me. "Shall we continue?"

Dyson nodded absently, though it was obvious his attention wasn't on the documents.

He presented more of his proposal, and I rubbed my jaw, my eyes going through the documents as I listened carefully. So did Alexis.

She remained composed throughout the presentation, occasionally making notes in the margins of the file.

When Dyson finally finished, he looked directly at her.

"What do you think?"

Alexis closed the folder gently. "I think your projections are ambitious."

A flicker of hope crossed his face, and I saw his assistant's face stretch into a smile.

"But ambition alone doesn't guarantee stability."

She slid the proposal back across the table. "Our company values long-term reliability above promises and perfection."

Her finger pressed on the document, and I knew she knew too. This proposal looked fake.

Dyson frowned, replying without catching the hint. "We can provide that."

Alexis shook her head once. "The financial reports suggest otherwise, Mr. Lacrae."

His expression tightened, his lips twitching. "You've reviewed everything already?"

"I have." Her voice remained calm, her eyes fixed on him. "There are inconsistencies in your cash flow, unnecessary luxury expenditures, and unstable investor confidence."

Dyson swallowed, leaning forward desperately. "I can fix those issues, Alexis..."

"I'm sure you can." She interrupted him and stood, gathering her documents. "But at this moment, your company does not meet the standards required for a partnership with ours."

The words echoed through the room. His shoulders slumped.

"I respectfully decline your proposal," she said, and Dyson's face fell.

"Alexis..."

She paused briefly before looking at him one last time. "I hope things improve for your company, Mr. Lacrae."

Then she walked toward the door.

I watched her leave before offering the executives a brief nod.

"Please excuse us."

Without waiting for anyone's response, I followed after her.

...

I found Alexis standing on the empty balcony outside the executive floor.

The city stretched endlessly below us, the afternoon sun burning.

She gripped the railing tightly, her breathing uneven.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Then I quietly stepped beside her.

"You handled that better than most people would, Alexis," I said, not knowing exactly what to say to her at that moment because I didn't know what emotions she was going through.

Hell, if it were me, I would have removed Dyson's teeth the second I saw him.

She gave a small laugh that sounded painfully close to breaking.

"I almost didn't handle it as well as you think, Xavier."

I noticed her shoulders trembling, and my heart twisted with worry.

When she turned away, I caught the tear sliding down her cheek. Without thinking, I handed her my handkerchief.

She accepted it with shaking fingers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, dabbing at her eyes. "I thought I was over everything."

"You don't have to apologize," I replied softly, my hands clenching tightly.

No woman deserved this. She shouldn't be the one suffering after everything.

She lowered her head.

"Seeing him brought everything back." Her voice cracked. "The lies... the humiliation... the way he looked at me when he brought that woman back and discarded me. I... I thought the months I spent away from him would make me forget everything."

Another tear escaped despite her efforts to stop crying.

I gently rested a hand on her shoulder.

"None of that is your fault, Alexis. You shouldn't be suffering over a man who doesn't know how to treat you right. You were his wife, and he discarded you. You don't deserve to be feeling this way."

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"I know." She sniffled, lifting her head to reveal a painful smile. "But it still hurts."

"It will," I admitted quietly. "Healing isn't something that happens quickly, but you can start healing your heart by forgiving yourself and stopping the guilt from eating away at your heart. That's what you should focus on right now."

She nodded slowly.

After several moments of silence, a question I'd been trying to ignore finally escaped.

I clenched my hands tightly. Even though the answer was painfully obvious on her face, I still forced myself to speak.

"Alexis..."

She looked at me, her eyes red.

"Was he really your husband? The man you told me about..."

She hesitated before answering.

"Yes."

The single word struck me harder than I expected, and my chest tightened.

Dyson, my stepbrother?

The woman I had fallen hopelessly in love with had once been his wife?

I looked away before she could read the storm crossing my face.

The irony was almost cruel.

Out of every woman in the world, my heart had chosen the one person who came with the one history I never imagined.

I forced those thoughts aside. None of that mattered right now.

She was hurting, and that came first.

I gently pulled her into my arms.

She stiffened for only a second before her body relaxed against mine.

"You don't have to carry this alone anymo

re," I murmured, resting my chin lightly against her hair.

My hand rubbed her back as I stared at the city, my heart filling with the darkest thoughts.

I will fucking kill him.