Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN WHO TOOK BACK HER NAMEThe following year changed everything.
Morgan Events Group survived.
Not because of Julian.
Because of the employees he had nearly destroyed.
I became chairman.
I rebuilt the finance department.
I created stronger controls.
I personally reviewed every major contract.
And I made one promise.
Nobody would ever use the company as a private bank again.
My relationship with Chloe was more complicated.
She had cooperated.
She had admitted her role.
She had returned some of the money.
But forgiveness wasn't automatic.
It had to be earned.
One afternoon, she came to my office.
“Can I talk to you?”
“Yes.”
She sat down.
“I've accepted a position in another city.”
I nodded.
“That's probably best.”
She looked at me.
“I don't expect you to forgive me.”
“I don't know if I ever will.”
She nodded.
“I understand.”
She stood.
Then paused.
“I really am sorry.”
This time, I believed her.
“Goodbye, Chloe.”
“Goodbye, Emma.”
She left.
I watched her disappear down the hallway.
Some people leave your life because they hate you.
Others leave because they finally understand they hurt you.
I wasn't sure which Chloe was.
But I knew I no longer needed to find out.
A year later, I met Daniel.
He was a financial attorney representing one of our major clients.
He was intelligent.
Funny.
And completely unimpressed by my wealth.
Our first dinner lasted four hours.
He didn't ask about Julian.
He didn't ask about my family.
He asked about me.
“What do you want?”
I laughed.
“No one has asked me that in years.”
“What do you want?”
I thought.
“Peace.”
He smiled.
“That's a good answer.”
We started dating slowly.
No secrets.
No games.
No hidden accounts.
No suspicious phone calls.
It felt strange.
May you like
Then it felt normal.
And eventually, it felt like love.
Related Stories
