Semua Bab DON'T BEG ME NOW, MR. ARMSTRONG : Bab 141 - Bab 149

The annoyance I’d felt after leaving Joan Lancaster’s office should have lasted longer than it did.Normally, I was capable of holding onto anger for weeks. Years, if necessary. There were people I still disliked because of things they’d done a decade ago. Grudges had never been something I struggled with.Unfortunately, anger wasn’t particularly useful right now.Not when my company was bleeding money.Not when investors were growing nervous.Not when the second hearing had been moved forward.And definitely not when every day seemed to bring a fresh disaster.So instead of dwelling on the humiliation of being escorted out of Joan’s office by security, I spent the following days doing what I always did.Working.Planning.Fixing.Or at least attempting to.The problem was that every solution seemed to create two new problems.I’d never experienced anything like it before.For years, I’d built a reputation on being the man who always landed on his feet. When problems appeared, I handl

“I’ll do whatever you want.”The words lingered in the air long after Dean stopped speaking.For a few seconds, nobody moved.Nobody spoke.The only sound in the room came from the soft hum of the air conditioner somewhere above us.Kai sat beside me on the couch, his small hand still wrapped tightly around mine.I could feel the warmth of his fingers.Could feel the slight tension in them.The uncertainty.He was listening.Children always listened.Even when adults convinced themselves they weren’t paying attention.I looked at Dean.Really looked at him.And for the first time in a very long time, I felt absolutely nothing.No anger.No satisfaction.No vindication.Nothing.Maybe I should have felt triumphant.Months ago, I would’ve.Months ago, seeing Dean Armstrong beg would’ve felt like justice.Now all I could think about was how tired I was.Tired of fighting.Tired of losing.Tired of watching Kai get caught in the middle.The man sitting across from me looked exhausted.Des

DeanI didn’t remember leaving Joan’s office.One moment I was sitting across from her, listening to her calmly ask for the remaining shares in my company as though she were discussing the weather.The next, I was in an elevator.Then a parking garage.Then my car.The details in between were a blur of anger.Pure, unfiltered anger.The kind that made your hands shake.The kind that made every thought feel sharp enough to draw blood.I gripped the steering wheel and stared through the windshield.My pulse hammered against my ribs.My jaw hurt from how hard I was clenching it.She wanted my company.After everything she’d already taken.After the investors.After the contracts.After the employees.After the investigations.After the articles.After the money.She wanted more.The thought repeated itself over and over as I drove.Like a song stuck in my head.An irritating one.I replayed the conversation countless times.Her expression.Her voice.The way she’d looked at me.Calm.Col

For a moment after I told him yes, neither of us spoke.The silence felt different now.Less hostile.Not friendly.Never that.Just exhausted.Like we’d both reached the point where there wasn’t enough energy left for another war.Dean remained seated across from me, staring at the folder that now officially belonged to me.Or would belong to me once the transfer was finalized.The realization still felt surreal.Years ago, if someone had told me I’d one day own a controlling interest in Dean Armstrong’s company, I would’ve laughed in their face.Back then, Dean had seemed untouchable.Larger than life.A man who always got what he wanted.A man who always won.Funny how life worked.Sometimes the very thing you used to control people became the thing that destroyed you.Dean eventually shifted in his chair.The movement pulled me from my thoughts.His eyes met mine.For the first time since he’d entered my office, I noticed something almost hopeful in his expression.It lasted barel

JoanBy the time the workday ended, my head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton.The last few weeks had been a constant cycle of meetings, lawyers, evidence, court documents, company matters, and enough stress to last several lifetimes. Even now, with the shares officially transferred and the second hearing approaching, I couldn’t bring myself to relax.Every time I thought I was finally getting somewhere, something else happened.Another document.Another phone call.Another decision.Another reminder that my life had become one long battle.I was reviewing a report for what felt like the hundredth time when my office door opened.Rachel stepped inside.For once, she was smiling.A genuine smile.Not the strained one she used whenever lawyers or Dean showed up.A real one.“You have visitors.”I frowned.“Who?”Her smile widened.“See for yourself.”Before I could ask what she meant, she stepped aside.And suddenly my entire world stopped.“Mommy!”The chair nearly tipped over