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Home / Romance / TOO LATE TO WANT ME BACK, MR CEO / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of TOO LATE TO WANT ME BACK, MR CEO: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

57 Chapters

CHAPTER 31

DamienI was up at night as usual. My knowledge of Aurora and Leon had stolen my night from me.But everything became complicated the moment I attended the partnership meeting. To say it was a disaster was an understatement.I didn't bother returning to the office. I went straight to the house. The person Marcus told me was responsible for the slander, according to Marcus, had stated he was paid. “I'd have forced him to speak,” he'd said on the phone. “But I stopped doing the dirty work a long time ago.”Marcus was basically asking me to give him more time to dig.So, that morning, I was up as usual, staring at the ceiling. The call came in by 4:30am. The caller ID made me jolt to a sitting position. St. Vincent Medical Center was where my father was admitted.A strange feeling settled in my stomach as I answered the call.“Hello?”“Mr. Cross,” the voice sounded too calm. Too cold for comfort.I closed my eyes. “What’s going on?”“I’m sorry, Mr. Cross,” the doctor said. “He passe

CHAPTER 32

AuroraFor close to thirty minutes, I stared at Damien’s number. I couldn’t go to work, not because I didn’t want to, but Patrice was already pulling her weight.She had told me vehemently to stay away from the office after she heard what happened to Theo.I knew better not to argue with her.I leaned against the kitchen counter, still staring at my phone’s screen, wondering if what I was about to do was the right thing, despite how Leon had emphasized it.But Leon wasn’t in my shoes, so how can he understand?My thumb hovered over his contact on the screen, then moved away.It’s just to inform him of what has gone wrong.No. Wrong answer. I was to tell him that Theo was his son and tell him about the transplant.Those felt like intimate details I didn’t feel like revealing. Especially since Theo was his son.No matter how much I hated him and despite how badly he hurt me, the conversation I was about to have with Damien terrified me.“You’ve been staring at that phone for too long,

CHAPTER 33

DamienI didn’t sleep. I couldn’t.Not after what I had learnt about Theo. All these years, I had a son who was five years old.I had missed out on five years of birthdays, scraped knees, first words, nightmares, and everything else.And all these while, Aurora had to shoulder it alone.My chest hurt painfully. I sat in my study long after midnight, staring at nothing in particular.I had to leave the penthouse for the house, since my father was no more.My phone sat on my desk, or what used to be my father’s desk.I stared at it, not knowing what exactly I was waiting for.I didn’t know how I felt in that moment. My emotions were a mess.Aurora had refused to disclose the hospital on the phone. Maybe spending the night with Theo would have been worth more than sitting in this silence.My doorbell rang once, then twice.I sat there. Anyone outside the door should probably go. Dad was gone, and I had more important problems that were worth more to me than they were.The next time the

CHAPTER 34

AuroraA day after the uncomfortable call with Damien, the doctors have finally given their final verdict. The transplant was the only way to go.My heart sank when I heard the certainty in their voice. Then Leon gave me another two hour lecture on why I should get Damien really involved in the matters of Theo and not keep him at arms length.Actually, I like to think it was a two hour argument where Leon managed to win.Because he always does. I didn’t know how he did it.Actually, I do. He has a way of being reasonable and right at the same time, even though his logic was painful emotionally.I was staring at my phone’s screen after the argument, the messaging app window open.My thumb hovered over the screen, moving, stopping, moving again, and stopping again.I didn’t like this.I didn’t like being in this position.I hated that Theo’s health was putting me in this position.And above all, I hated that I felt nervous, despite all he’s done to me and my decision to keep him at arm

CHAPTER 35

DamienIf anyone told me that I’d one day become familiar with everything that happened in this hospital, I wouldn’t believe. But visiting the hospital seven times in twenty-four hours made that possible.I knew half the nurses dispatched to Theo’s floor by name, the vending machine that stole money, and the elevator in the hospital that was fastest.The transplant had gone well, lifting the bulk of concern over our shoulders. The doctors promised that there were no complications, but as part of hospital procedure, they needed to watch him for some time.I didn’t object, and neither did Aurora.Leon had distant himself from the hospital. I didn’t know why he was keeping his distance, but I tried too hard not to think about it.The most important thing to me right now was Theo’s recovery. And it was happening progressive.It was slow, but it was steadily.All of these continued for two weeks straight. I’d visit the hospital six to seven times every day.Leila had commented that I wa

CHAPTER 36

AuroraI’d just walked into the house that afternoon to see Theo asking Damien if he was his father. It was in that moment that I realized that I was never going to know peace again.I was in utter shock, staring at both men—the young, mischievous man who was still recovering, and the man who was trying to walk back into my life after five years of abandonment.Damien looked seconds away from passing out.And Theo? The confused brunet looked entirely pleased with himself.“Mom,” he leaped from the chair the moment he saw me, attempting to help me with the grocery bags while I resisted.“Don’t worry, Theo,” I said. “I got this. You need to rest.”“I’m perfectly fine, Mom,” he cried, and I refused. “No.”“See,” the boy turned to Damien. “She never lets me get what I want.”I went still, then turned to Theo.The traitor.He was collaborating with another man against his mother. At this point, I was beginning to consider whether I could legally sell him to a circus.“I agree with your m

CHAPTER 37

DamienI left Aurora’s house feeling worse than I was when I’d arrived, and that said a lot.Aurora was giving me a completely different reaction than I had anticipated. I expected more resistance, not to justify my actions, but because she’s a human being.I hurt her five years ago, and if she resisted certain things, I expected it.I asked for all of it the moment I decided to walk back into her life.But right now, it is beginning to look difficult for me. Our conversation echoed in my head. Aurora called Theo our son.Our son. Not her son.Even though I was absent for five years in the boy’s life. That was enough reason for Aurora to resist.But she didn’t.My grip on the steering wheel hardened. Beyond the windows, buildings blurred past.The sidewalks were sparse with people heading to their different businesses, gaze fixed forward.Somewhere behind me, an ambulance blared.Life moved on normally, unaware of my problems. My life, on the other hand, felt stuck, as if it were mo

CHAPTER 38

AuroraThings were slowly returning to normal in the house. Patrice added a few more days to my leave, and when I insisted, she told me to walk from home and promised to arrest me if I was anywhere near Ariadne Hunt.The woman knew how to take things a little too far.Even when it comes to the people she cared about.At the house, toys were scattered all over the floor, while Theo’s cartoon played on television. Amazingly, Theo wasn’t on it.His biggest focus was on his dinosaur collection, which he argued with.Leon was beginning to complain about the whole mess. The last time he tried to scoop Theo and his business up to his bedroom, Theo didn’t take it very nicely.And so he was helpless.I, on the other hand, was trying to review a few company emails, then take care of some of the tasks Patrice had assigned to me today.I’d moved from the dining area to the couch when Theo ran towards me.“Mom?” He cried.I looked up. “Theo?”“Damien’s coming,” he jubilated. My stomach made a stu

CHAPTER 39

DamienStanding in that hallway, I felt like a traitor. I felt like I had no right. Aurora’s questions were valid.I opened my mouth to answer, but no words came out. I glanced at my sneakers.“Trust me, Aurora, when I say I regret my mistakes,” I said. “ If I knew better…”“If you knew better?” Aurora looked at me, her eyes a little wide and amused at the same time, “We are talking about five years here. Five years, Damien.”“Yes, I know.”“Five freaking years,” she stressed.He sighed.“You abandoned me with your child,” she stated. “Our child.”The words made my stomach lurch. My chest tightened. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness.”“Exactly,” she looked away.“But things change, Aurora,” I continued, baring my heart. “Like knowing Theo. You don’t know how much it means to have you and Theo around.”She didn’t reply. She didn’t even look. However, her face told a different story. She was having a hard time hiding the conflicting feelings on her face.“I’m sure we can become one big

CHAPTER 40

AuroraThe enforced, unnecessary leave Patrice had enforced on me had ended.As I pulled the car into the parking space of Ariadne Hunt Headquarters and got out, everything felt strange.I didn’t think it was because I was away for too long.Technically, I’d been involved in every aspect of the company's operations remotely. I attended meetings online, reviewed emails and reports even while at the hospital, and had Patrice approve critical projects. All of this was done without sitting in the CEO role, and I didn’t know if that was part of why the building felt different.The moment I walked through the doors that led to the lobby, I realized how much I’d missed the place.Everything felt weirder when I stepped out of the elevator into the executive wing. Everyone who walked past pretended not to stare.The gazes were the usual ones of pity or suspicion. They appeared warmer and appraising. I continued down the hall, heading for my office and failing to stop a smile from taking over

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