He Threw Her Away… Now She’s Untouchable

CHAPTER 7 — The Chase Begins

The room felt unfamiliar once she left.

Rafael didn’t move from his seat. His gaze stayed on the closed door, as if expecting it to open again—as if expecting her to walk back in and undo everything she had just said.

She didn’t.

She wouldn’t.

Her last words echoed in his mind, precise and unforgiving.

You’re late, Rafael.

The truth of it settled deeper than he expected. He had always controlled the timing—of deals, of decisions, of people. But this… this was something he couldn’t adjust, couldn’t renegotiate.

For the first time, he was the one who had missed his moment.

“Sir?”

Daniel’s voice broke the silence.

Rafael exhaled slowly before speaking. “Redo the proposal.”

Daniel blinked, caught off guard. “Sir?”

“Everything,” Rafael said, sharper now. “Terms. Structure. Control. I want a new version.”

“That would give Hayes Group significant authority,” Daniel replied carefully.

“I’m aware.”

There was no hesitation in his tone, only decision.

Daniel straightened. “Yes, sir.”

He turned to leave, then paused. “The board may push back on this.”

Rafael gaze hardened slightly. “Then I’ll make them agree.”

Daniel nodded and left.

Silence returned, but it no longer felt empty. It felt… exposed.

Rafael leaned back, eyes falling to the document still resting on the table—the one she had rejected without even a flicker of doubt.

His fingers brushed the edge of it before stopping.

For three years, he had never considered losing her. Not seriously. She had always been there—quiet, unobtrusive, constant. Easy to ignore. Easier to forget.

Now she was gone.

And the absence didn’t feel like relief.

It felt like something had been removed from his life without warning, leaving behind a space he didn’t know how to fill.

“…Find out everything,” he said quietly.

This time, it wasn’t about her identity.

It was about her.

What she had been.

What she had done.

What he had missed.

Across the city, the car moved steadily through traffic.

Evelyn leaned back against the seat, watching the shifting lights reflected across the window. The city looked the same, but it no longer felt like something she had to endure.

Now, it belonged to her.

“Miss Evelyn,” Arman said from the front, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. “The meeting is already making waves.”

“Of course it is,” she replied calmly.

“Knight Group has requested a follow-up.”

So soon.

A faint smile touched her lips.

“They’re adjusting faster than I expected.”

“They’ve also involved their board,” Arman added. “There’s internal pressure building.”

“Good,” Evelyn said softly.

That meant Rafael had felt it.

Not just the negotiation.

But the shift.

She turned her gaze back to the window, her reflection faint against the glass.

Five years ago, she had waited—for attention, for acknowledgment, for something that never came.

Now, he was the one reacting.

And she had no intention of making it easy.

“Schedule the next meeting,” she said.

Arman hesitated. “Immediately?”

Evelyn shook her head. “No. Let them wait.”

A brief silence followed.

“As you wish, Miss.”

Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment, not out of fatigue, but clarity.

The balance had already shifted.

And she intended to push it further.

Back at Knight Group, night had settled, but Rafael's office remained lit.

The door opened quietly.

“Sir.”

Daniel stepped inside, placing a new file on the desk. “The revised proposal.”

Rafael didn’t look at it right away. His gaze remained on the city beyond the glass.

“Leave it.”

Daniel hesitated. “There’s something else.”

Rafael finally turned. “What?”

Daniel exhaled slowly. “We’ve gathered more information about Miss Evelyn.”

A pause.

“About the past three years.”

Something in Rafael's expression shifted.

“Go on.”

“She wasn’t just living there quietly,” Daniel said. “She handled internal household operations—staff management, financial inconsistencies, even minor business matters connected to the family.”

Rafael's hand stilled on the desk.

“She was stabilizing things,” Daniel continued. “Without recognition.”

The words landed heavier than expected.

For three years, Rafael had believed everything around him ran smoothly because it always had.

He had never questioned it.

Never looked deeper.

“She also declined multiple offers from her own family,” Daniel added. “Opportunities that would have placed her far above her position at the time.”

Rafael's gaze darkened slightly.

“…She stayed.”

The word echoed.

Not forced.

Not obligated.

Chosen.

Rafael looked down at the file, but didn’t open it.

He didn’t need to.

“…Why?” he asked quietly.

Daniel didn’t answer.

He didn’t have to.

Because the answer was already there.

Rafael leaned back slowly, something unfamiliar settling in his chest.

Not anger.

Not frustration.

Something far worse.

Regret.

For the first time, the past didn’t feel irrelevant. It felt… unfinished.

And irreversible.

Because the woman who had once chosen him—

Had already walked away.

And this time—

She wasn’t coming back.