Chapter 13 - The Shadow of the PastDespite our new triumphs, healing was not a straight line.
On a rainy Tuesday afternoon, while Arianne was reviewing quarterly budget reports in her corner office at Apex headquarters, her assistant knocked on the door with a nervous expression.
"Ms. Thorne," her assistant said hesitantly, "there's a man waiting in the lobby. He insists on seeing you. He says his name is Roger Vance."
Arianne’s hand froze mid-air over her pen. The name alone made her chest tighten with a brief ghost of the old fear. But she took a deep, steady breath, smoothed her suit jacket, and looked up.
"Show him in," she said calmly. "And call security to stand outside the door."
A minute later, Roger Vance walked into her office.
The once-arrogant billionaire was completely unrecognizable. He wore a scuffed, ill-fitting coat, his hair was gray and messy, and his hands trembled as he held a worn leather briefcase. Since the bankruptcy of Vance Logistics and the foreclosure of his mansion, he had been living in a small rented apartment, surviving on a depleted private pension.
Roger stopped a few feet from her desk, looking down at his shoes, unable to meet Arianne's eyes.
"Arianne..." Roger stammered, his voice dry and hollow. "I... I came to apologize."
Arianne remained seated behind her massive mahogany desk, her expression unreadable. "An apology, Roger? After two years?"
"I didn't know how bad it was," Roger choked out, tears welling in his eyes. "I knew Derek had a temper, but I didn't know... I didn't see what Bertha was doing. I was selfish. I cared more about the company than my own daughter-in-law."
He set an envelope on her desk.
"These are Derek's remaining personal items from the house—old childhood photo albums. I thought... maybe someday Gideon might want to know where he came from. I'm leaving the state tomorrow. I won't ever bother you again."
Arianne looked at the envelope, then at the broken man standing before her. She didn't feel rage anymore. She felt only a profound, liberating pity.
May you like
"I accept your apology, Roger," Arianne said quietly, her voice firm and free of bitterness. "I hope you find peace. But Derek is dead to us. Gideon already has a father figure—his grandfather. And that’s all he will ever need."
Roger nodded slowly, wiped a tear from his cheek, and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.
