Page 64 of My Cruel Billionaire

He took my hands and looked deep into my eyes.

“I’m truly sorry, from the bottom of my heart.”

“Okay, apologies are good,” I said, still reeling from this sudden unexpected development. “But normally, people tell you what they’re apologizing for.”

“I’m sorry for so many things, Jenna. I’m sorry that I was wrong and you were right and I wouldn’t admit it.”

My jaw fell open. He was actually going through with it, he was actually apologizing. And he was just getting started.

“I’m sorry I ever thought you were incompetent,” he went on. "And I’m sorry that I didn’t recognize how brilliant you really are until it was too late. I’m sorry that I ever let you go five years ago, I’m sorry for not trusting you… I’m sorry for everything.”

I opened my mouth, closed it, and then shook my head. I kept looking in the sky to see if a meteor was about to hit, because surely this was the end of the world. I had dreamed of Michael saying something like that to me, but never dared to hope it would actually happen.

“Michael,” I said, shaking my head. “I… I don’t know how I should respond, I… this is so overwhelming—”

And with that, he kissed me, stealing away my words and my breath. And maybe, my heart.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jenna

They say that all’s well that ends well.

The bad actors had been identified and dealt with. It turned out Polnaraff and Trent were both working for different unnamed entities trying to sabotage us. They didn’t even know about each other.

The merger was all but a done deal. All that remained was for the final meeting where we would sign the documents and it would be official.

I walked into the lobby, Damon tightly gripping my hand. He couldn’t wait to ride in the glass-walled elevators. We stepped onto the express and rode all the way to the top.

“Mom, can we get ice cream?” Damon asked.

“Of course we can,” I said. “In fact, being as the big merger is about to go through, I think ice cream might be mandatory.”

“Mandatory?” Damon asked.

I squatted down in front of him and straightened his jacket.

“It means it has to happen.”

“So we have to have ice cream?” his mouth was a big O while he digested this particular nuance of our culture. “I wish it wasmandy torryto have ice cream every day.”

I laughed, and led him into the lobby of Michael’s main office. Sherry, his secretary, looked up and smiled at us as we entered.

“Just hang out and color in here,” I said to Damon. “And don’t give Miss Sherry any trouble. I’ll be right back. I just have to take care of some business.”

“You’re going to sign the merger?”

I nodded, then kissed him on top of his head.

“I’m going to draw me and you, and Michael too,” Damon said as he whipped out his Crayola pack.

With that, I headed through the second door and into his office proper.

The scene on the inside was a stark contrast to the first press conference I’d hastily arranged after the merger leak. This time, there were only a handful of hand-picked journalists present, and less of a circus atmosphere.

No DJs, no colored lights. After all the fanfare involved with the merger, including several raids by the IRS and an act of theft and corporate espionage, we all agreed that the shareholders needed some assurance that things would return to normalcy.

We wanted to project an air of stability and harmony. Thus. Evan Jones, my boss, and Michael, my… what? Boyfriend? Baby Daddy? We would have to sort that out soon, but first I had some major news to drop on Michael.

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