143
Laila's POV
I stepped out of the company, needing a breath of fresh air and a brief respite from the constant chaos. The sun was warm on my face, but it did little to ease the storm brewing inside me. As I headed back towards the entrance, I caught sight of him—Daniel. My heart skipped a beat, not out of love or affection, but from the rush of anger that surged through me like wildfire. His usually confident demeanor was replaced with frantic movements. His tie hung loose, his hair disheveled, and his face was etched with desperation. He looked like a man clinging to the edge of a cliff, and I knew I was the one who had pushed him there.
Good. He deserved it.
I kept walking, my heels clicking against the pavement, my head held high. I wouldn’t let him see even a flicker of emotion. I had caused his misery, and I had no regrets. After all, he had caused mine first. I was the one who had called the authorities. I was the one who had ensured he faced the penalty for his embezzlement. He thought he could betray me, humiliate me, and walk away unscathed? Not a chance.
“Ms. Laila!” His voice, loud and filled with urgency, echoed through the courtyard.
I ignored him, pretending not to hear.
“Laila, please! Finally, I found you!” He rushed toward me, panting, his face a canvas of frustration and panic. I slowed my pace but didn’t stop. He wouldn’t get the satisfaction of my attention so easily.
“I went to your house yesterday,” he said, his voice cracking as he kept pace beside me. “I knocked and knocked, but no one answered. I even… I even slept outside, hoping to catch you. Please, listen to me.”
His words should’ve softened me, but they only fueled my resolve. I didn’t respond, keeping my face impassive as I pushed open the glass doors to the company lobby. The cold, air-conditioned breeze hit my face, contrasting the warmth outside. He followed me in, his voice trembling.
“Laila, look at me. I know I made a mistake. I’ve acknowledged it, and I’m ready to fix it. Please, just give me one more chance to prove myself. To prove my worth.”
I stopped abruptly, spinning around to face him. “Once a cheater, always a cheater,” I said, my voice cold and sharp like a blade. “All your pleas, all your cries, cannot undo the damage you’ve done. So, let me make this clear—threaten to kill yourself, beg on your knees, I don’t care. I’m not going back to you. Not now. Not ever.”
His eyes widened as if my words had physically struck him. He dropped to his knees in the middle of the lobby, drawing the attention of onlookers. His voice was raw with desperation as he said, “Please, come back to me. Even if not for anything else, do it for the sake of what we had. For the sake of our relationship.”
I laughed bitterly, folding my arms across my chest. “For the sake of our relationship? You mean the relationship you destroyed? Don’t make me laugh, Daniel.”
He clutched his hands together as if in prayer. “Laila, I’m begging you. I’ll pay the deposit of $50 million, but please… don’t include the penalty. That $30 million is too much for me. My company is collapsing. My clients have left. My employees have abandoned me. I have no way of paying.”
For a moment, I let myself remember. I remembered how he had once looked at me with love, how he had held me as if I were his entire world. But then I remembered how it all ended—how he had tried to push me down the stairs during an argument. The rage and betrayal surged back, washing away any trace of sympathy.
“You should’ve thought about the consequences before betraying me,” I snapped. “You’ll pay every penny of that $80 million, exactly as the lawyer demanded. You have three days.”
His face crumpled, his shoulders sagging under the weight of my words. “Three days?” he echoed, his voice barely a whisper. Then his tone turned bitter. “Fine. But what about the $100 million I invested in your project? Are you just going to keep that? I’ll use it to pay the $80 million, and you can give me the remaining $20 million.”
I smirked, shaking my head slowly. “That’s not how this works, Daniel. You don’t get to make demands. You’ll pay the $80 million, and that’s final.”
His frustration boiled over, and for a moment, I thought he might explode. But instead, he softened again, tears streaming down his face. “Laila, please. You’re backing me into a corner. I have nothing left. We were about to get married… I know I messed up, but please, give me a chance to make things right.”
I crouched down, leveling my gaze with his. “You want mercy?” I asked, my voice dangerously low. “You want me to give you a chance to recover, so you can turn around and destroy me all over again? No, Daniel. That’s never going to happen.”
He reached for my hand, gripping it tightly. “Please,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I love you, Laila. I never stopped.”
I yanked my hand away, disgusted. “Love?” I scoffed. “You don’t know the meaning of the word. You’re just a selfish man who thought he could have it all without consequences. And as for your love—save it. I don’t want it.”
His expression shifted, panic giving way to fear. “Who told you about my ex-wife?” he demanded, his voice rising.
I straightened, looking down at him. “Does it matter? The truth always comes out, Daniel. And I’m not about to end up like her. Not ever.”
His face paled, and for a moment, he seemed genuinely afraid. “That’s not true. It’s all lies,” he stammered, but the guilt in his eyes betrayed him.
“Lie to yourself if you must,” I said, stepping back. “But don’t lie to me. This is the bed you made, Daniel. Now lie in it.”
He reached for my feet, his fingers trembling. “Laila, please,” he begged, his voice breaking. “I can’t do this without you.”
I pulled my foot away, glaring down at him. “You should’ve thought about that before you betrayed me,” I said, my voice laced with venom.
As I turned and walked away, his pleas echoed behind me. “Laila! Please! Have mercy!”
I didn’t look back. My heart was pounding, my mind racing, but I knew I had made the right decision. Mercy? Mercy was for the weak. And I wasn’t weak anymore.