CHAPTER 13 — THE LAST CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT
Three weeks had passed since Victor Hale’s arrest.
The world moved on quickly.
It always did.
A new headline replaced the old one.
A new scandal replaced the previous scandal.
But inside Montrose Global Headquarters, Isabella knew some things didn’t disappear simply because the world stopped talking about them.
Pain.
Regret.
And unfinished conversations.
Especially with Damian Cross.
The company had changed.
Not just on paper.
Not just in financial reports.
The culture had changed.
Employees who once feared making mistakes now felt comfortable sharing ideas.
Executives who once competed for power now worked together.
The empire no longer existed to impress people.
It existed to create something meaningful.
And that was exactly what Isabella wanted.
Her grandfather had built a company.
But she wanted to build a legacy.
One morning, Isabella received an unexpected message.
Not from Damian.
From one of the former Cross employees.
Ms. Montrose, I know this may not be my place, but Damian has been helping former employees who were affected by the investigation. He refused public credit. I thought you should know.
Isabella stared at the message.
She read it twice.
Then placed her phone down.
She didn’t know what to feel.
Because Damian had changed.
But change after losing everything was complicated.
Was it real?
Or was it simply regret?
That afternoon, Damian arrived at Montrose Headquarters.
But unlike before…
He didn’t ask for Isabella.
He didn’t demand a meeting.
He waited.
The receptionist informed Isabella.
“Mr. Cross is here.”
She looked up from her documents.
“Did he say why?”
“No.”
She thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
“Send him in.”
Damian entered quietly.
No expensive suit.
No designer watch.
No symbol of status.
Just a simple dark jacket.
He looked different.
Older.
More honest.
“Isabella.”
She nodded.
“Damian.”
The distance between them was obvious.
A distance created by years of things left unsaid.
He looked around the office.
“Everything looks different.”
“It should.”
He smiled faintly.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“Because you are different.”
He sat across from her.
“I’m not here to ask for anything.”
Isabella studied him.
“That’s new.”
He accepted the criticism.
“I deserve that.”
Silence.
“I spent years thinking an apology would fix everything.”
“It won’t.”
“I know.”
He nodded.
“That’s why I’m not here to ask you to forget.”
Isabella remained quiet.
“I just wanted to tell you the truth.”
“What truth?”
“That I was wrong.”
The words were simple.
But heavy.
“I thought being powerful meant making people follow me.”
He looked down.
“I thought being respected meant being feared.”
A pause.
“But I was never powerful.”
“I was just protected.”
Isabella looked away.
Because that was the first time Damian had admitted it without blaming anyone else.
Not his mother.
Not Vanessa.
Not circumstances.
Himself.
“I read your grandfather’s letter,” Damian said.
Isabella looked back.
“What letter?”
“The one about loyalty.”
She became still.
“How?”
“Your father allowed me to read it.”
Damian smiled sadly.
“It explained everything.”
“What did it explain?”
“Why someone like you could walk away from everything.”
A pause.
“And why someone like me couldn’t.”
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Damian asked:
“Do you ever think about what we could have been?”
The question was dangerous.
Because Isabella had asked herself the same thing many times.
She answered honestly.
“Yes.”
Damian looked surprised.
“But not because I want the past back.”
His expression changed.
“Why?”
“Because I miss the person you were before you became someone who needed everyone to prove your worth.”
The words hurt.
But he didn’t argue.
Because they were true.
That evening, Isabella attended a charity event hosted by Montrose Foundation.
A room filled with influential people.
Executives.
Leaders.
Public figures.
But unlike Cross family events…
Nobody cared about appearances.
They cared about impact.
During the event, Isabella noticed someone standing alone.
Damian.
He wasn’t surrounded by people.
He wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
He was simply helping.
Carrying supplies.
Speaking with employees.
Listening.
Not performing.
Actually listening.
Her father approached.
“You noticed.”
Isabella looked at him.
“Noticed what?”
“That he’s different.”
She sighed.
“Maybe.”
Alexander smiled.
“You still care.”
Isabella didn’t answer.
Because the truth was complicated.
She didn’t hate Damian.
She didn’t love the man he became.
But she still remembered the man he once was.
Later that night, Damian found her outside.
The city lights reflected below them.
“I’m leaving tomorrow.”
Isabella looked at him.
“Leaving?”
“I accepted a position with a nonprofit organization.”
She was surprised.
“Doing what?”
“Helping rebuild businesses damaged by financial crimes.”
A pause.
“I want to fix something.”
“You can’t fix everything.”
“I know.”
He looked at her.
“But I can stop making things worse.”
For the first time in a long time…
Isabella smiled slightly.
Not the powerful smile she showed the world.
A real one.
“That’s a start.”
Damian looked at her.
“Does that mean you forgive me?”
She thought carefully.
Then answered:
“I forgive the person you are trying to become.”
His eyes softened.
“But I won’t forget the person you were.”
He nodded.
“I understand.”
As Damian walked away that night…
Isabella realized something.
Forgiveness was not about returning to the past.
It was about finally releasing the weight of it.
But neither of them knew…
One final secret remained.
A secret hidden inside the original Montrose succession documents.
A secret that would force Isabella to make the hardest decision of her life.
May you like
Because the future of Montrose Global…
Was not supposed to belong to her alone.
