The Pursuit

Victor's POV Three months without her, and I've forgotten how to breathe properly. The boardroom blurs around me—my father's voice droning about quarterly projections, shareholders, responsibilities—and all I can see is Amelia's face as she walked out of my life. The devastation. The finality. The way she looked at me like I was exactly the monster I'd always feared becoming. "Victor, are you even listening?" My father's tone sharpens. "The Chen merger—" "Is over." The words come out flat, emotionless. "I ended it." The room goes silent. Twenty executives stare at me like I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. "You what?" My father's face reddens. "That engagement was worth billions—" "I don't care." I stand, gathering papers I haven't read. "This meeting is adjourned." I walk out before anyone can respond, before my father can launch into the speech about duty and legacy and becoming the man he raised me to be. I don't want to be that man anymore. That night, I do something I haven't done i