142
\### Desmond’s POV
The world around me seemed to collapse in slow motion, like the weight of my sins was pulling me into an abyss I couldn't claw my way out of. My breath hitched as I sat in the car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. The reporters outside my company were a sea of chaos, their voices melding into an indistinct roar that made my pulse race. Cameras flashed, questions were shouted—each one a dagger aimed at my already fractured soul. I couldn’t face them. Not now. Maybe not ever.
Taking a sharp turn, I headed to the one place I thought I might find solace—my aunt’s house. The road stretched endlessly before me, my mind replaying every poor decision, every moment of weakness that had led me here. How could I have been so stupid? Shame burned hot in my chest, but beneath it simmered fear—raw and unrelenting.
When I arrived, I felt like I was barely holding myself together. My aunt's house was just as imposing as I remembered, a mansion that screamed wealth and power. But none of that mattered now. One of her maids answered the door, eyeing me warily before directing me to wait outside. I tried to comply, pacing the perfectly manicured lawn like a caged animal. Anxiety gnawed at my insides, and my breath came in uneven gasps.
Finally, she appeared, standing in the doorway like some kind of avenging angel. Her expression was a storm of fury and disappointment, her lips pursed tightly as if trying to contain the anger threatening to spill over.
"You stupid boy," she spat, her voice slicing through me like a whip. Her eyes, sharp and unforgiving, bored into mine. "How could you do this? You can't control yourself? What's wrong with you?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My throat was dry, and shame clogged my words. She advanced on me, her face twisted in anger.
"Why are you here? Do you know the kind of trouble you've caused? You’ve embarrassed yourself, our family, and the entire company!" Her voice rose, each word a slap to my face.
I wanted to respond, to explain, but my tongue felt heavy. The weight of her words pressed down on me until I thought I might shatter. I dropped my gaze to the ground, my vision blurring as tears threatened to spill.
"You’ve jeopardized everything we’ve worked for because of your stupidity!" she continued, her voice trembling with fury. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for us to convince Lila to marry you? To agree to our plans? And now this? What were you thinking?"
I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "I... I'm sorry," I stammered, my words barely audible. "I don’t know how it happened. I swear I didn’t mean for any of this—"
"Didn’t mean?" she cut me off, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Do you hear yourself? You’re a grown man, Desmond! You think you can just throw around apologies and fix this mess? This is bigger than you!"
Her words hit me like a freight train. I felt my legs buckle, and I sank into one of the chairs in the foyer, burying my face in my hands. My mind raced with regret, each memory like a dagger stabbing deeper into my chest.
She let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as if trying to calm herself. "Do you even understand what’s at stake here? You’ve put everything at risk. Lila knows about the embezzlement, doesn’t she?"
I froze, my blood running cold. I lifted my head to meet her gaze, my face pale and stricken. "Yes," I whispered. "She knows. She’s demanding that I return the $50 million... and pay an additional $30 million as a penalty. If I don’t, she’ll have me arrested."
The silence that followed was suffocating. My aunt stared at me, her mouth slightly open in shock. For the first time, I saw something flicker in her eyes—fear.
"You’re finished," she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. She sank into the chair opposite me, shaking her head. "You’ve destroyed everything. Do you understand that? Everything!"
Her words were like nails in my coffin. I felt the tears spill over, hot and unrelenting. I collapsed onto the floor, my body shaking with sobs. The humiliation, the guilt, the sheer helplessness—I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
For a moment, my aunt didn’t speak. She just stared at me, her face a mixture of anger and pity. Finally, she stood, her expression hardening.
"Listen to me," she said, her voice firm and unyielding. "You need to fix this. I don’t care what it takes. You will make peace with Lila. Beg her if you have to. Crawl if it comes to that. She is the only one who can save you now."
I looked up at her, my face streaked with tears, my heart pounding in my chest. "I don’t know if she’ll forgive me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Then you make her forgive you," she snapped, her eyes blazing. "Do you hear me? You make her forgive you. Because if you don’t, not only will you go down, but you’ll take the entire family with you. Do you understand that?"
Her words sent a shiver down my spine. I nodded slowly, my mind racing with the weight of what lay ahead.
But just as I thought I had grasped the full extent of my situation, she dropped another bombshell.
"There’s something else you should know," she said, her tone deadly serious. "You’re not the only one with secrets, Desmond. Lila has her own skeletons. If you play this right, you might be able to turn the tables."
I stared at her, my heart pounding. "What do you mean?"
She leaned in, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. "Let’s just say Lila isn’t as innocent as she appears. But you’ll need to tread carefully. One wrong move, and this could all blow up in your face."
Her words sent a chill down my spine. A flicker of hope ignited within me, but it was quickly overshadowed by the weight of her warning. I had no choice but to play the game she was setting before me.
As I left her house, my mind was a whirlwind of fear, regret, and determination. The road ahead was fraught with danger, but I knew one thing for certain—I couldn’t afford to lose. Not now. Not ever.