He grabbed Elias by the shoulder roughly.
“You still have a chance because she’s still single. But if you keep sitting here feeling guilty instead of fighting for her, then one day you’ll lose her for real.”
Elias stayed silent for a long moment.
Pain, guilt, and fear filled his eyes.
But more than anything, the thought of losing Amara forever—of her never being his again—made something dark and restless tighten inside him.
His jaw clenched.
“I’ll bring her back home.”
***
“Mr. Creed?”
Felix’s trembling voice came from the doorway of the CEO office as he cautiously stepped inside.
The sharp tapping of Elias’s pen stopped.
Elias lifted his head from the pile of documents spread across his desk. His cold gaze landed directly on Felix, heavy enough to make Felix’s throat tighten instantly.
For a second, the entire office fell silent.
Felix forced his legs to keep moving even though every instinct in his body was screaming at him to turn around and leave.
Ever since Elias had discovered that Felix had placed Amara’s messages into the restricted list, Felix was living in constant fear. The worst part was that Elias still hadn’t punished him.
That silence was more terrifying than anger.
It felt like Elias was deliberately dragging it out, carefully deciding what kind of punishment would hurt the most before finally delivering it.
Felix felt like he was walking around with a blade hanging over his neck.
He swallowed nervously and approached the desk, holding the file tightly enough for his knuckles to pale.
“This…” Felix cleared his throat before speaking again, trying to steady his voice. “This is the restaurant chain Mrs. Creed wanted to acquire.”
Elias said nothing, his expression unreadable.
Felix quickly continued before the silence suffocated him.
“They were facing financial and operational issues, but I negotiated a new offer this morning. They accepted and agreed to tonight’s meeting.”
Elias finally lowered his eyes to the file.
His fingers lazily flipped through a few pages before he leaned back in his chair. Without another word, he picked up his phone and called Amara.
The moment she answered, her annoyed voice came through immediately.
“Yes?”
Elias leaned back comfortably, one arm resting on the chair as he spoke calmly.
“You want the Magnolia’s restaurant chain, don’t you?” he said as he adjusted the cuff of his sleeve before glancing at her. “There’s a business dinner tonight for its acquisition. The owners will be there. Come with me. They’ll sign on your terms.”
“No.”
