All Chapters of Too Late for Regret, Mr. Vale: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The rain fell in blinding sheets against the windshield as my car sped through the dark coastal roads toward the secondary docks. Beside me on the passenger seat lay the metal flash drive, cold and heavy against the dark cloth of my bag. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white, my heart hammering against my ribs with every flash of lightning that lit up the night sky.I didn't call Elara, and I didn't stop at my own house to check the files on a secure computer. The doubts that had been growing inside me for days had finally boiled over into a sharp, burning pain that I couldn't carry for another hour.My driver pulled up to the tall iron gates of Lucien’s private residence near the water. The security guards recognized my car immediately and opened the gates without delay. I jumped out before my driver could even step around with an umbrella, running up the stone steps into the dark front porch.I pushed the front door open, stepping into the quie

Grief was a luxury I couldn't afford.I sat at my desk on Thursday morning, staring at the gray skyline outside my window. My eyes burned from lack of sleep, and my phone still sat silent on the desk after two dozen unanswered calls to Lucien's private line. The hurt in my chest felt like a raw, physical wound, but sitting here crying about my own stupid mistakes wasn't going to save my family's company or fix the ruin I had made of my life.I picked up the desk phone and dialed Elara's extension. "Get Victor up to my office right now," I said before she could even greet me. "Use the private elevator. Don't let the board members or the reporters in the lobby see him come up."Ten minutes later, the double doors clicked open. Elara came in first, carrying a thick binder and a black laptop, her expression tight with anxiety. Victor followed right behind her, dressed in his usual dark suit. He looked exhausted, his jaw set into a rigid line, his dark eyes guarded as he stood near the ed

The first yellow light of morning crept slowly across the city skyline, washing over the tall glass windows of my office. Below in the streets, the early traffic was just beginning to hum, but inside the room, everything was still and quiet.I stood by the window, holding a cold cup of coffee that I had poured hours ago. My eyes drifted away from the rising sun and landed on the dark armchair near the side table. It was the empty chair where Lucien always sat whenever he came to my office. He used to sit there with his long legs crossed, listening to my plans without interrupting me once, watching me with those calm, guarded eyes that never demanded anything in return.Now, the chair sat empty, and the silence in the room felt heavy and suffocating.Elara came into the office carrying a tray with fresh toast and warm tea. She set it down on the small table near the armchair, looking at me with a soft, sympathetic expression."You didn't sleep at all, did you?" Elara asked gently, set

The quiet inside the study felt entirely different now. Two small ceramic cups rested on the edge of the low table between us, steam rising softly into the air. Outside the window, the sea was calm, reflecting the deep blue of the late afternoon sky.I sat on the small sofa with my legs tucked under me, holding the warm mug between my palms. Lucien sat right beside me, his long arm resting behind my shoulders on the dark cushion. The tension that had kept us apart for days was completely gone, replaced by a steady, quiet peace."So Isabella has been holding those draft motions for weeks," Lucien said, his deep voice calm as he looked over the pages of raw server logs spread across the table. "She was waiting for us to fight in public so she could step in with the court petition.""She needed Adrian to look like the victim," I said, taking a slow sip of my tea. "The moment the media painted me as the cold wife who ignored a repentant ex-husband, Isabella knew the judge would be far mo

Thursday evening arrived with a quiet, cool mist lingering around the grand entrance of the St. Regis Hotel. The lounge on the main floor was dimly lit, filled with quiet piano music and broad soft armchairs placed far apart from one another. It was an expensive, discreet spot where city executives brought private guests when they didn't want the press snooping around.I sat near a corner table, wearing a simple dark dress and keeping a light woolen wrap draped over my shoulders. My phone sat face down on the small table in front of my teacup.Right outside the front driveway, parked in a shaded spot near the garage ramp, Victor’s black utility van sat with its engine idling quietly. Inside that van, Elara was watching two black monitor screens, operating a specialized short-range digital scanner that Victor had set up for us earlier that afternoon.The heavy glass doors of the lounge opened, and Adrian walked in.He looked practically radiant. He had dropped the humble sweater and p