Chapter 2The Last Lingerie Set Ends Ten Years

Genevieve didn't stoop to a petty, private spat like blocking me.

She sent a formal letter directly to Pierce Holdings, unilaterally announcing the termination of all joint ventures.

This was immediately followed by an Equity Redemption Notice.

The basis was an agreement I had signed years ago to give her peace of mind: I agreed that the Sinclair Group could, at any time, buy back the shares I held as collateral—shares I had acquired when the company faced a cash-flow crisis—at 30% below market price.

I had liquidated all my personal assets to keep the Sinclair Group afloat during her father's illness; the value of those shares had now multiplied several times over.

I never intended to profit from them.

That agreement was meant as a promise to her: Look, I will never use your vulnerability against you.

Now, it had become the knife she used to stab me.

"Ashton Pierce, you asked what a big deal was? Now you know," the text read.

"This is the price of your impulse. Enjoy it."

I stood blankly, my eyes blurring with tears.

Suddenly, I was transported back to that late night many years ago.

Her father had collapsed, and she, new to the corporate world, was terrified and called me, crying, completely out of her depth.

I postponed three vital meetings during my business trip and took a redeye flight to pick her up.

She was curled up in the passenger seat, eyes swollen, quietly asking:

"Ashton, will you always be this good to me?"

I said, "Yes."

She buried her face in her knees, her voice muffled:

"Then you can't ever leave me."

But the one who always left first had been her.

That promise…

I refused to keep it any longer.