Chapter 159
Nora's POV
As the executives filed out, Kyle remained seated. "Bobby, would it be possible to speak with Nora privately for a moment?"
Bobby glanced at me, then nodded. "Of course. Nora, be professional." The implication was clear.
The door closed. Kyle's polished facade cracked slightly, revealing the desperation underneath. He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "I drove three hundred miles just to see you, and you won't even talk to me."
"If you came here for sympathy, you're wasting both our time."
His jaw tightened. "I came here because I miss you. Because I made a mistake and I'm trying to fix it."
"By bribing my employer?"
"By supporting something you care about!" His voice rose, then immediately dropped back down. "I'm trying to show you I've changed."
I stood up. "You want to know what I think? You're trying to buy access to me. You're using money and corporate leverage to force me into a position where I have to see you, have to work with you." I gathered my things. "I won't be your project manager. I won't be your second-chance story. And I sure as hell won't be your mistress while you play house with someone else."
"Mistress?" Kyle's face flushed dark red. He stood abruptly. "How can you think that? I told her from day one that I have someone I love. But my mother, my father, the whole family—they're all pushing me, I had no choice. I swear to you, she and I are only engaged on paper. We haven't even—"
"I don't want to hear this." I moved toward the door.
He stepped into my path. "Nora, please. Just treat her like she doesn't exist. Once I take over the family business, I'll break off the engagement immediately. I'll give you the wedding you deserve, I'll—"
"Kyle, I don't have feelings for you anymore." The words came out surprisingly gentle. Maybe because I'd finally, fully internalized their truth.
"But I have feelings for you!" His voice cracked. "I've loved you for years. You can't just expect me to forget that."
"Then take your time and forget. You'll manage eventually." I reached for the door handle.
"You've changed," he said suddenly. "You used to be so warm. Now you're cold. What happened to you?"
I turned back to face him. "I've always been this person. I can love someone with everything I have—but the moment I realize they're not worth it, I'm done. Completely done."
His hands clenched into fists. "So one mistake and that's it? No second chances? No room for forgiveness?"
"Normal mistakes can be forgiven. But what you did wasn't a mistake—it was a betrayal."
Kyle's face went white.
I picked up my bag. "I'm not taking the bonus. I'll make sure Bobby understands I'm not participating in this project."
"Nora, wait—" He grabbed my arm. "I'm going to win you back. I don't care if it takes two years, four years, ten years. I won't give up."
I pulled free. "You ever heard the phrase 'you can't put the pieces back together'?"
"I don't care." His amber eyes burned with something between determination and delusion. "I'll glue every piece back together if I have to."
"I have a boyfriend, Kyle." I shouted. "I'm not going back to you. Ever."
He barely blinked. "I don't care who he is. I'll prove I'm better."
I stared at him, genuinely disturbed by the obsessive gleam in his eyes. This wasn't love. This was ego, wrapped in romantic language.
"Listen carefully," I said slowly. "I'm not a trophy you get to win back. I don't love you. I don't want to see you. I don't want you in my life. Do you understand?"
I pushed his arm away.
Kyle tried to grab my wrist. I yanked free. "Stop interfering with my work. Stop showing up in front of me!"
I strode out of the conference room, leaving Kyle standing there alone.
I didn't look back, but I could feel his gaze weighing on me like a physical presence. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to keep walking.
---
At seven o'clock that evening, I left work and headed home. But just as I reached the main entrance, I saw him.
Kyle stood on the steps, holding a massive bouquet of red roses. Just like two years ago. The vivid red stood out starkly against the dusk.
My steps faltered, then I immediately turned toward the side exit.
"Nora—" His voice chased after me, footsteps following close behind.
I quickened my pace. He shadowed me like a ghost. The scene was too familiar—him chasing, me fleeing. But this time was different. This time I wasn't enjoying the thrill of being pursued. I genuinely wanted to escape.
I stopped abruptly and spun around. He nearly collided with me. "Kyle, don't you think you're being pathetic?"
He held the bouquet against his chest like a shield. "Nora, I have to drive back to the company tonight to handle some business. Can we just have dinner together? Just... just think of it as me treating an old friend."
"No."
"Please." His eyes held a kind of self-destructive stubbornness. "Just treat me like a friend. I promise I won't say anything that upsets you..."
My gaze turned cold. "Kyle, don't make me hit you."
He stepped forward, his eyes carrying a dangerous light. "Then hit me! However you want, as hard as you want! Nora, if hitting me will make you feel better, I'd rather you do it right now!"
I raised my hand. But it hung suspended in the air.
Violence never solved anything.
Kyle closed his eyes, as if waiting for punishment.
"Nora, don't make things hard on yourself."
A playful voice spoke from behind me. "You've never been good at hitting people since you were little. Let me handle this kind of thing."
A gust of wind.
A tall figure lunged from the side, fist slamming hard into Kyle's face.
Kyle couldn't dodge in time. He was knocked straight to the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Red roses scattered across the ground, petals looking like bloodstains in the twilight.