Just Give Me A Chance
22: CHAPTER 22 Raine, Please.
Just Give Me A Chance Raine
Monday morning arrived too quickly.
I was already at my desk by seven-thirty, my second cup of coffee going cold beside my laptop while I stared at the compliance folder without reading a single word of it.
My mind kept pulling me back to the mall.
To Kordell’s face when he looked down at my boys.
To the way he didn’t say it out loud but didn’t need to.
He knew they belonged to Miguel.
The question twisting a slow, ugly knot in my stomach wasn’t whether he knew.
It was how long he had been sitting on the information and what exactly he had been doing with it.
Also, why did he help me?
I pressed two fingers to my temple and forced my eyes back to the screen.
Focus.
You have an audit at nine.
But then the heavy double doors of my office suddenly opened, breaking my train of thought.
I expected to see Miguel walking in with his usual cold smile, ready for our corporate audit.
But instead, it was Kordell.
He was dressed in a dark blue suit, looking sharp, but his eyes were full of nerves as he stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind him.
Sarah wasn’t at her desk outside to stop him; she had gone down to the mail room just a few minutes ago.
I instantly sat up straight, my back turning stiff.
I pulled my cold boss mask tightly over my face.
“Kordell.
What are you doing here?
This is a private corporate office.
You can’t just walk in without an appointment.”
Kordell took a few steps forward, stopping right in front of my desk.
He didn’t look angry or arrogant, he just looked desperate.
Which made my gut feeling let out a warning sign.
“I needed to see you, Raine,” he said, his voice quiet and thick with emotion.
“I couldn’t sleep all weekend.
Not after seeing you and the boys at the mall.
I had to come.” I let out a slow, sharp breath.
He had saved my kids on Saturday, so I forced myself to keep my voice calm.
Even though I didn’t want to be cruel, I still needed to set a firm boundary.
“I told you on Saturday that I am very grateful for your help,” I said, looking right into his eyes.
“You protected my children from Miguel, and I will never forget that.
But that does not mean we are friends, Kordell.
It does not give you the right to show up at my place of work.
I am running a company here.
What do you want?”
Kordell closed the distance between us, taking another step closer to the desk.
He reached out, his large hands resting on the smooth wood of my desk as he leaned forward.
“I want you back, Raine,” he said, the words bursting out of him like he couldn’t hold them in for another second.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat and I stared at him, completely surprised.
Has he gone nut?
“I never stopped loving you,” he continued, his voice shaking.
He looked around my beautiful, grand office, then looked back at me.
“Every single day since you left, I have regretted what happened.
I was a coward back then.
Every single day, I hate myself for not eloping with you that day.
I let your family come between us, and that was the biggest mistake of my life.” My eyes felt like they were about to leave it’s socket.
I made that decision years ago, I was the one that chose my sister over us years ago.
So why was he apologising for that incident?
“Kordell, stop…”
”No, please, just let me speak,” he pleaded, his eyes filling with a deep, crushing sorrow.
“I lost you once, Raine.
I watched you belong to someone else, and it nearly broke me.
I was never able to move on.
it made me realize I can’t lose you again.
I want to be there for you.
I want to help you hide from Miguel.
I want to protect you and the boys.” The room grew completely quiet.
I looked at him, feeling a strange mix of pity and absolute certainty.
Years ago, maybe after the divorce from Miguel, the family abandonment…
these words would have been everything I wanted to hear.
But looking at him now, I felt absolutely nothing.
The girl who loved Kordell or any man had died a long time ago, and the woman sitting in this chair didn’t need anyone to protect her.
Kordell had been the only one that has ever loved me genuinely before I broke his heart, I couldn’t deny that.
But, I’ve grown over the past years to let myself get into these messes again.
My past was my past and I’ll never go back to it.
Never.
Not to Kordell and never to Miguel.
I stood up slowly, keeping my movements deliberate and smooth.
I made sure I kept my face cool and calm so I wouldn’t completely break his heart, but I made sure my words were as sharp as it needed to be.
“Kordell,” I said softly, crossing my arms over my chest.
“The time for us to elope was years ago.
That girl is gone.
I do not have such feelings for you anymore and don’t think it’ll be nice to be with you for my selfish reasons.
Over the past few years, I’ve built this life, this company, and my family entirely on my own.
I do not need you to protect me from Miguel, I can protect myself the way I deserve to be protected.”
Kordell’s face went pale.
His hands dropped from my desk.
“Raine, please.
Just give me a chance to show you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the doorknob turned and the heavy office door swung open.
The thick, unmistakable scent immediately flooded the room.
Miguel stood in the doorway.
His dark eyes instantly swept across the space, locking onto Kordell, then landing directly on me.