Chapter 161: All I Never Had

(ALICE)

When I first learned of my pregnancy, I decided I wanted to survive. In that moment, I was a husk, a shell of my former self, so broken that I didn’t even know how to begin to put myself back together. The desire to give my child everything I never had was what got me through it all.

Even now, I am not complete. I can feel the cracks in my psyche, the hollowness that has become a permanent part of who I am. However, the love I have for my daughter makes me continue to move forward.

My child was my new beginning. And in my new life, there was no room for the past. So, I took all the memories I had of Darian and put them in a small box before burying it somewhere deep inside my heart. Whenever my thoughts drifted toward him, they would be followed by a sense of worthlessness.

That is what he did to me.

He made me feel worthless. He humiliated me and broke my spirit. And the only reason he was able to do all that is because I let him. Because I trusted him.

Because I was naive.

I never thought our paths would cross again. Mary has never mentioned him to me, and I have never asked. In all these years, she never once spoke of him. I never looked him up. I couldn’t afford to. If I had, I would have sunk into a pit of dark despair. And my Mira did not deserve that.

Seeing him stand before me now, that seemingly cool look in his eyes, sends me back for a second.

Heartbreak.

Devastation.

A burning agony that still haunts me to this day. Blood is roaring in my ears. I can’t think.

The hint of surprise in his expression is what snaps me out of it. The next few seconds are going to decide the course of my life. I’m sure of it.

I feel icy cold. I’m breaking apart, but I can’t allow myself to do that. I have to keep it together.

I empty my mind. I dull every emotion within me. It’s something I’ve become good at. There are times when the loneliness and the pain wash over me, but I have learned to numb myself to them.

That is exactly what I do now.

As I hold Darian’s gaze, I feel my heart pinching shut, my mind focusing on the task ahead of me.

He’s not going to take away everything I’ve built. I’m not the same girl who was all alone in the world, the one he toyed with. I have a life now. I’m successful. I have someone to protect. I am no longer a victim.

“It seems that everybody is here,” I say in a clear voice, looking at Katherine. “Do you want to wait for my team or shall we begin?”

Katherine studies me. “Do you need them?”

Her voice is low, but I know that every wolf shifter in the room can hear her with their sharp hearing.

I infuse my voice with every ounce of confidence I can muster. “I don’t need them. I can handle this.”

I let Katherine take the lead. She steps forward, holding out her hand. “I’m Katherine Lockhart. You must be the CEO of Acme Intech Corporation.”

“Darian Wild.” Darian is shaking her hand, but he’s still staring at me.

I refuse to look away. Did he think I would cry or be overcome with emotion?

“Welcome to Pinnacle Group, Mr. Wild,” Katherine says pleasantly. “I can see you brought your legal department with you. This is Alice Lane.

She is one of the top corporate lawyers from Kalem and Sons. Our firm has had the pleasure of working with her several times, and she will be representing us.”

“A corporate lawyer, huh?” Darian murmurs, his voice so soft it only reaches my ears.

I don’t allow myself to get distracted. Pasting on my most professional smile, I greet him. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

His tone is odd, and I try my best to ignore it.

“Please take a seat.” Katherine gestures toward the table, and she waits for everybody to sit down before doing so herself.

I’m on her right, my eyes on the documents before me. My job is to intervene when she starts talking about the terms that need to be negotiated. I let her begin the conversation and listen as she discusses the products

Pinnacle Group is creating the need for the technology from Darian’s company.

As she dives into the terms of the contract, I wait for her to bring up the profit distribution. When she looks at me, I nod. “If you would all refer to the files in front of you, you’ll see that Pinnacle Group would like to negotiate the profit breakdown. Our first offer was for a twenty percent cut from the sales of the product, and that would be after you sell us the technology, not just the rights to use it.”

One of Darian’s lawyers speaks up. “We are not satisfied with twenty percent. As you saw in the document we sent you last week, Acme Intech wants forty percent.”

I smile sharply at him. “It seems to me that Acme Intech is under the assumption that they’re also producing this device. If you are seeking forty percent of the sales, should I assume that you will be giving us your technology for forty percent less?”

“Our technology is state of the art—”

“And you don’t have the formula for the device we are building,” I cut him off smoothly. “We are willing to increase your profit share to twenty-five percent but not above that. However, we will take it to forty percent if you sell us the complete rights to your technology.”

“Preposterous!” The lawyer bristles. “We already told you. The intellectual property is not for sale. You can buy the right to use the technology but not the technology itself.”

“Then we will give you twenty-five percent of the profit and nothing further.” I give him a bored look.

The man opens his mouth, but Darian chooses this moment to speak. “Done.”

He looks almost amused, and despite how hardened my heart is, I feel a hint of pain. That look is so familiar.

I want to claw his eyes out. I don’t want him to look at me like that.

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