The CEO's Regret: You made me your lie, I become your Loss-Chapter 108: He gave it back

Damian beamed, clearly proud of the growth he thought he was witnessing. He leaned against the desk, shifting the conversation. "And what about King? Will you finally forgive him for... well, for sleeping with Elara? He’s been asking to come back into the fold."

Sebastian’s gaze sharpened, the coldness of a Creed returning to his eyes. "I’m starting a new life, Damian. People like King people who don’t understand loyalty have no place in it. I don’t want him around me, and I don’t want his name mentioned again."

He sat down, pulling the merger files toward him and opening them with clinical precision. "Let’s go over the logistics of the deal we just closed. I want the integration started by Monday."

Damian nodded, diving into the paperwork, unaware that beneath the desk, Sebastian’s hand was still resting on the drawer that held the photo of the woman he was currently stalking, the woman he intended to win back, no matter how many lies he had to tell his friends or the world.

—

The next morning, the Pedro Corporation headquarters felt like a fortress under siege. Amara stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the executive suite, her reflection pale against the glass. The news of Silas transferring his shares to Sebastian had leaked to the senior staff, and the air in the building was thick with whispered rumors of a Creed takeover.

When the elevator chimed, Amara’s heart hammered against her ribs. She was on high alert, her mind racing with the bitter realization that her kindness in helping Sebastian recover paying his bills, and returning his company had been met with the ultimate betrayal.

The heavy boardroom doors pushed open. It wasn’t the board members who walked in, but Sebastian. He was dressed in a simple, charcoal suit, walking with a steady gait that lacked the predatory swagger of the Creeds.

"What do you want, Sebastian?" Amara snapped, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and exhaustion. "This is a routine operational meeting. It doesn’t require a ten-percent shareholder to be present. Get out."

Sebastian stopped a few feet away, keeping a respectful distance. He didn’t look like the man who had tormented her during their divorce; he looked tired, his eyes softening as they landed on her mourning clothes.

"I’m sorry about your mother, Amara," he said, his voice a low, melodic rasp. "I truly am. She was a force of nature."

Amara scoffed, crossing her arms tightly. "Don’t pretend to care. You and your ’Uncle Silas’ timed this perfectly, didn’t you?"

"I didn’t even know Silas existed until last week," Sebastian said softly, stepping closer but stopping when he saw her flinch. "He is my mother’s estranged brother. I had no idea he held those documents until he handed them to me. I don’t want anything from a man I don’t know, and I certainly don’t want to be the reason you lose sleep."

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a legal envelope, sliding it across the mahogany table toward her.

"I have hurt you so much that being in the same space as you is a thorn in your injury. I know that. That’s why I’m handing the shares back to you. You don’t have to pay for them. Consider it my apology and my thank you for returning Creed Tech to me and covering my medical bills when I had nothing."

He turned away immediately, his shoulders slumped as if the weight of his guilt was too much to carry. He knew Amara’s heart; he knew that despite her strength, she was always moved by vulnerability and quiet gestures of repentance.

"Wait... Sebastian?" Amara called out, her voice barely a whisper.

He stopped, a small, triumphant smile tugging at the corners of his mouth where she couldn’t see it. He wiped the expression away before turning back, his face a mask of somber gratitude.

"Thank you," Amara said softly, her nails digging into her palms as she tried to reconcile this "new" Sebastian with the snake she had known.

"You’re welcome, Amara," he replied gently. He turned and walked out, leaving the documents on the table. He had just handed her millions in equity for free, but he knew exactly what he was buying: her trust.

–

The air in the Pedro mansion, which had been thick with grief, was suddenly charged with something much sharper. Julian had been at the Vale headquarters all morning, coordinating a legal offensive to bury the Creeds, but he returned to find Amara staring at the manila envelope on the library desk.

When she explained what had happened, the apology, the gift, and Sebastian’s sudden, saintly exit, the reaction wasn’t what she expected. Julian didn’t explode. He became terrifyingly, unnervingly still.

Julian walked over to the desk, his eyes scanning the legal transfer. He didn’t touch it. He looked at it as if it were a coiled viper.

"He gave them back," Julian said, his voice a low, dangerous silk. "No strings? No payment? Just a thank you for the hospital bills?"

"He said he didn’t want to be a thorn in my side, Julian," Amara whispered, her voice defensive but uncertain. "He looked... different. He looked like he truly regretted the past."

Julian turned to her then, his gaze so intense it felt like a physical weight. He moved into her space, his hands catching her waist and pulling her flush against him, his thumb pressing firmly into the small of her back.

"Amara, a Creed doesn’t give away ten percent of a multi-million dollar corporation out of the goodness of his heart. He doesn’t have a heart; he only plays games."

"He didn’t give you those shares. He sold you a version of himself that you’d be willing to let back into your life. He knows you, Amara. He knows your empathy is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness."

"He’s playing the long game," Julian murmured, his forehead resting against hers, his breath hot with frustration. "Silas was the hammer, meant to break you down. Sebastian is the bandage. He wants you to feel safe with him again so he can get close enough to strike."

Amara pulled back slightly, her eyes flashing. "I’m not stupid, Julian! I know who Sebastian is. But what was I supposed to do? Refuse the shares? Let him keep a seat on my board out of spite?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"You should have let me vet the document first," Julian countered, his jaw tight. "Now you’ve opened the door. You’ve thanked him. You’ve acknowledged his ’growth.’ That is exactly where he wants you."