Chapter 36 You still love him
CHAPTER 36
You still love him.
“Leo…” she breathed.
His forehead rested lightly against hers. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
The intensity between them was electric, It was the kind built on longing and withholding emotions.
He finally pulled back slightly, searching her face. “Stay with me.” he said with a pleading look.
Ruby hesitated only a second before nodding. He exhaled as if he’d been holding his breath for hours.
Leo moved beside her on the bed, pulling the covers back. She lay down carefully, and he followed, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her against his chest.
The room was quiet again, but no longer lonely.
Her head rested over his heart, steady and strong beneath her ear.
Their fingers intertwined beneath the sheets.
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Clara stood in the center of her father’s grand living room, her hands trembling despite the calm expression she tried so hard to maintain. The chandelier above cast a golden glow across the marble floor, reflecting the storm brewing inside her heart.
She had never imagined she would be here begging.
“Dad,” she whispered, her voice softer than usual. “Please. I need you to arrange a meeting with the Carters.”
Her father, Mr. Williams, a powerful businessman with decades of influence in the corporate world, lowered the newspaper he had been pretending to read. He studied his daughter carefully.
Clara Williams was not a woman who asked twice. She commanded rooms, turned heads down but one thing was she has never lost. But she had lost Leo.
“Clara,” he said slowly, adjusting his glasses, “you ended things with Leo. You said he wasn’t ambitious enough for you at the time.”
Her throat tightened. She remembered that day vividly how she had chosen pride over love, status over sincerity. Back then, Leo had only just started building his empire. Now, he was one of the most influential CEOs in the city.
“I made a mistake,” she admitted quietly. “And I won’t make it again.”
Mr. Williams leaned back in his chair. “What exactly do you want from this meeting?”
“I want a chance,” Clara said firmly. “A chance to speak to him face to face. If the Carters host a formal family meeting, he can’t avoid me.”
Her father sighed. He knew the Carter family well particularly Richard Carter. Their companies had partnered in the past. Arranging a meeting would not be impossible.
“You still love him?” he asked.
Clara hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. And I’m not giving up on him.”
After a long silence, Mr. Williams reached for his phone.
“I’ll speak to Richard,” he said. “But this will be a formal business meeting. Don’t embarrass me.”
Clara’s eyes shimmered with relief. She walked over and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you, Dad.”
But as she stepped away, determination replaced vulnerability. Leo might be cold now. He might ignore her messages. But once she stood in front of him again, she was certain he would remember what they had.
She would make sure of it.
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Across the city, inside the towering glass building that housed Carter Enterprises, Leo sat behind his massive mahogany desk, reviewing financial reports.
His jaw tightened when his assistant informed him that his father was on the way up.
Moments later, Richard walked in without knocking.
Richard Carter was a man of authority sharp suit, sharper gaze. His presence alone commanded respect.
“Dad,” Leo said flatly, not standing up.
Richard noticed. He always noticed.
“You seem busy,” his father remarked coolly.
“I am.”
The air between them was heavy with unspoken tension.
“I won’t take much of your time,” Richard began, placing a file on the desk.
“There’s a board meeting this Friday.”
Leo flipped through the file lazily. “And?”
“And you must attend,” Richard said firmly. “As CEO, your presence is not optional.”
Leo’s eyes lifted, icy and unreadable. “I’m aware of my responsibilities.”
“Are you?” Richard challenged. “Because lately, you’ve been distracted.”
Leo stiffened slightly. He knew what his father meant. The rumors and changes in his routine, and tension in his personal life.
“I handle my company just fine,” Leo replied coldly.
Richard stepped closer to the desk. “This company is not just yours. It carries the Carter name. Our reputation matters.”
Leo stood up slowly, matching his father’s height and intensity.
“I built my success with my own decisions,” he said quietly. “Not by hiding behind a family name.”
The words hung sharply in the air.
For a moment, something flickered in Richard’s eyes—anger? Disappointment? Perhaps both.
“I didn’t come here to argue,” Richard said after a pause. “There will also be important guests attending the board session.”
Leo narrowed his eyes slightly. “What guests?”
Richard adjusted his cufflinks. “The Williams family.” The name landed heavily.
Leo’s expression did not change, but his fingers curled slightly at his side.
“It’s a strategic partnership discussion,” Richard continued. “Their company is expanding internationally. Collaboration would be beneficial.”
Leo knew better. The Williams family meant Clara, of course she would try something like this.
“I assume you’ve already agreed,” Leo said.
“It’s good for business,” Richard replied.
“And you will behave professionally.”
Leo gave a short, humorless laugh. “I’m always professional.”
Richard studied his son carefully. “Don’t let personal matters interfere with corporate decisions.”
“Personal matters?” Leo repeated, his tone dangerously calm. “You mean your attempt to force alliances?”
Richard’s face hardened. “I’m securing this family’s future.”
Leo stepped back, picking up the file again as if dismissing the conversation.
“I’ll be at the meeting,” he said flatly.
“That’s not a request,” Richard replied.
Without another word, Richard turned and walked out of the office.
As the door shut, silence filled the room.
Leo exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. He had moved on, or at least, he had tried to. The memory of her betrayal still burned quietly beneath his composed exterior.
And now she was coming back—through business, through family influence, through strategy.
He hated manipulation, one thing he knew for sure was Clara persistence. And his father was calculating.
This board meeting was not just about business.
It was a setup.
Leo walked to the window, staring down at the city skyline. The empire he had built stood tall beneath him. He had fought for every inch of it. No one would control his choices—not his father, not Clara, not anyone.
Still, somewhere deep inside, a small voice whispered uncertainty.
What if facing her again stirred something he had buried?
He clenched his jaw.
It didn’t matter. He would attend the meeting, and remain cold, also professional.
And Clara would learn that the man she once left behind was no longer the same Leo.