Chapter 206

For a moment, Sloane didn’t move. The bright lights of the hotel entrance, the rows of uniformed staff, the bowed heads, all of it blurred slightly in her vision, as if time had folded back on itself. This place… She had once stood here in worn-out shoes, her hands rough from work, her body thin from exhaustion. Back then, she had moved quickly, quietly, afraid of making mistakes, afraid of slowing down. And still. She had been scolded. Not once. Not twice. But she had never taken it to heart. Compared to the life she had escaped, the mountains, the violence, the suffocating fear, those sharp words had meant nothing. In fact… Her gaze softened slightly as she looked at the foreman in front of her. After every harsh reprimand, he had always left food aside for her. Sometimes even clothes. Clumsy kindness. But real. She had never resented him. Not once. Her thoughts were abruptly cut off. “Sloane.” Damon’s voice was cold. “If you still haven’t forgiven him, just say the word.” His gaze s