Chapter 115 The Apology
Emilia’s POV
The next morning started with chaos, typical for Hanson Group lately. Apparently, some investors were pissed about delayed reports and showed up demanding meetings with Scott.
As the assistant, I rushed past, looking frazzled.
"Another thrilling day at the office," Lily muttered beside me, not even looking up from her computer.
I was about to respond when my phone buzzed. Unknown number.
I answered cautiously. "Hello?"
"It’s Raelene Ferguson. I need to see you."
My grip tightened on the phone. "Excuse me?"
"Meet me. Downstairs. Now."
The line went dead before I could tell her where she could shove her demands.
Lily noticed my expression. "What’s wrong?"
"Sebastian’s psycho ex-wife wants to ’talk.’" I made air quotes with my free hand.
"Want me to come with you? I’ve got a good right hook, and I’m not afraid to use it again."
I almost smiled. "No. Stay here. If I’m not back in twenty minutes, call the police."
"Or Sebastian?"
"Definitely not Sebastian."
I headed downstairs. What the hell does Raelene want now? More paint? Acid this time?
Raelene was waiting by the building’s side entrance, wearing designer sunglasses. When she saw me, she pulled them off.
"Let’s talk somewhere private," she said.
"I’m good right here, thanks."
"Fine." She crossed her arms. "I’m sorry about yesterday. I apologize."
I blinked. Stared at her. Waited for the punchline.
"Did you just... apologize?"
"Yes. I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. I apologize to you."
This had to be a joke. Or a trap. Or both.
"Okay, cool. Apology noted. Can I go back to work now?"
"Wait." She stepped in front of me. "Do you forgive me?"
"Do I...?" I let out a laugh. "Are you serious right now?"
"I need you to forgive me. Yes or no."
I studied her face, trying to figure out what game she was playing. Then, I brushed against her thoughts.
[Damn Sebastian and his threats... if my father’s company wasn’t on the line, I’d never lower myself like this... this pathetic half-breed witch...]
Ah. There it was.
"Let me guess," I said sweetly. "Sebastian threatened to destroy your father’s company unless you apologized?"
Raelene’s jaw clenched. "So what if he did?"
"So your apology means nothing. You’re just scared of consequences."
"I don’t care what you think about my motives. Just tell me. Do you forgive me or not? Because if you don’t, I’ll keep showing up here every single day until you do."
This woman was exhausting.
"Fine. Whatever. I forgive you. Happy now?"
"Call Sebastian and tell him."
"Are you kidding me?"
She shoved her phone at me. "Call him. Tell him you’ve forgiven me. Otherwise, he won’t believe I actually apologized."
I snatched the phone and dialed Sebastian’s number, my irritation growing with each ring.
"Hello?" His voice was rough, like he’d been in a meeting.
"It’s me. I forgave her."
A pause. Then, quieter, "Did she hurt you again?"
"No. She just showed up to grovel because apparently you threatened to bankrupt her family."
"Good."
"Sebastian..."
"If something like this happens again," he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument, "tell me immediately. Don’t handle it alone."
My throat tightened. I hated how much I wanted to lean on him. How much I wanted to believe he actually cared.
"Okay," I said quietly. "I’ll hang up now."
I shoved the phone back at Raelene. "There. Satisfied?"
She grabbed it, her expression bitter. "Don’t think you won. If it wasn’t for my family’s business, I would never back down to someone like you."
"And if it wasn’t for wanting you out of my life," I shot back, "I would never accept your hypocritical apology. But here we are, both miserable. Congrats."
Raelene’s eyes narrowed. "You like him, don’t you? Sebastian."
My heart skipped. "That’s none of your business."
"I’ll take that as a yes." She leaned in. "Then let me give you some advice, Emilia. If you like him, give up now. Because Sebastian will never love anyone except Abigail Tanner. Do you know who she is? She’s the woman he thinks about every single day. I was slapped across the face just for touching her photo album. Even now, I still remember the sad look in his eyes when he looked at that album. And the disgust in his eyes when he looked at me."
I forced myself to smile, even though her words stung. "Wow. You really studied his past, huh?"
"I’m just trying to save you from making the same mistake I did."
"Well, thanks for the concern," I said lightly, "but I’m not worried. He hasn’t forgotten his first love. So what? It just means he’s loyal. He promised me he’d move forward. That’s enough for me."
Raelene laughed. The sound was harsh and mocking.
"Move forward? Emilia, are you really that naive? He hasn’t forgotten her in three years, and you think he will just because you showed up? You’re delusional. Mark my words. One day, you’ll realize you never stood a chance. And when that day comes, you’re going to be heartbroken."
She turned and walked away.
I stood there, watching her go, my fake smile fading.
She was right.
I shook my head, pushing the thought away, and headed back inside.
That afternoon, Sebastian showed up at Hanson Group unannounced. Again.
Lily spotted him first. "Your husband’s here," she said flatly, not bothering to hide her annoyance.
I looked up and saw him standing by the curb, hands in his pockets.
"Great," I muttered.
Lily grabbed her bag. "I’m leaving. Try not to let him break your heart more than he already has." She brushed past Sebastian without even acknowledging him.
I walked over. "Why are you here?"
"To pick you up. I’m taking you to dinner."
"I’m not really in the mood..."
"Too bad. Come on."
He grabbed my hand and led me toward the exit before I could protest further. Several of my coworkers stared, their expressions shifting from confusion to envy.
[Is that her husband? I thought they were getting divorced...]
[Guess the rumors were wrong...]
[Lucky bitch...]
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
For the past two days, the office has been full of rumors about me. Most of them went something like this: my handsome Alpha husband found someone new and was about to ditch me. So I flew into a rage and slapped the other woman. She couldn’t take it anymore and came to the company to get back at me. That’s how that whole scene with the paint happened.
Now Sebastian showing up like this kind of killed those rumors. So maybe that’s a good thing?