Chapter 405

"You want to start over?"

Evelyn arched a brow, her lips curling into a mocking smile as she studied Dominic's desperate expression.

Dominic mistook her silence for consideration, his voice dripping with false sincerity. "I know I was wrong before. I took you for granted, and I regret every moment of it. Just give me one more chance—I swear I’ll make it right this time."

The sheer audacity of his words made Evelyn shift in her seat, crossing her arms as she regarded him with cold amusement. "Oh? And how exactly do you plan to do that? What could you possibly offer me that I don’t already have?"

Dominic, blind to her sarcasm, leaned forward eagerly. "If you come back to me—to DR Holdings—I’ll give you everything. My connections, my resources, my influence. I’ll make you the most renowned perfumer in Veridia and beyond!"

Evelyn let out a soft, derisive laugh. "Funny. Wasn’t it you who told me I wasn’t good enough? That I should stay hidden in the lab, lest I embarrass myself in front of the industry?"

Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the table, each click a reminder of his past cruelty.

Dominic flinched. "I—"

"You said I was inexperienced," she continued, cutting him off. "That even if Veridian City knew my name, it wouldn’t matter in the international scene. That I should be content with mediocrity." She tilted her head. "So tell me, what changed in these few months? Or is it just that my success is now too visible for you to ignore?"

Dominic swallowed hard, his face flushing. "Evelyn, please—"

She didn’t let him finish. "And let’s not forget your little lecture on humility. How I should focus on formulas, not fame. How vanity would ruin me." She smirked. "Tell me, Dominic, do you even hear yourself?"

His words had been arrows once. Now, they were boomerangs, striking him right back.

Dominic, ever the coward, tried to brush it all aside. "Evelyn, can’t we just move past this? Forget the past and start fresh?"

Her laughter was sharp. "Fresh? You think I should just erase everything because it’s convenient for you?" She recoiled when he reached for her hand. "Or are you too spineless to even own up to your own words?"

"I’m not denying anything!" he protested, desperation creeping into his voice. "I’ve admitted my mistakes. It was Vanessa—she manipulated me, poisoned my mind. But I see clearly now. I was horrible to you. Yell at me, hit me, do whatever you want—just forgive me, please!"

Pathetic.

Even now, he was blaming Vanessa, just as he had once blamed Evelyn.

"Regret doesn’t erase what you did," she said, her voice icy. "And forgiveness? You haven’t earned it."

Dominic’s confidence wavered as her expression darkened. He had come prepared to grovel, but she wasn’t budging.

Before this meeting, he’d hired a private investigator to dig into her life—only to hit a wall. The Hawthorne family’s influence shielded her, but one detail had caught his attention.

Evelyn wasn’t just backed by her family.

Someone far more powerful stood behind her.

Someone from Celestia Group.