Chapter 10: The Woman He Could No Longer Control

The following week passed without Hollis appearing at my door again.

He still called.

I simply stopped answering.

At first, there were only a few messages.

[Can we talk?]

[I won't bring Gianna.]

[Just give me ten minutes.]

Then the messages became longer.

[I know I handled everything badly. I know saying it was just a cake was wrong.]

[I shouldn't have let Gianna take your place.]

[But I never thought you would actually leave.]

I read that last message several times.

There it was.

The truth he'd never admitted before.

He hadn't valued me because he believed I would always stay.

I deleted the conversation.

***

My company was busier than it had ever been.

The new hotel contract required an entirely new production line, so I spent most mornings at the bakery and my afternoons meeting suppliers.

I hired twelve new employees within a week.

For the first time since Gianna returned, I felt like myself again.

No one asked me whether Hollis approved of a decision.

No one compared me to Gianna.

No one introduced me as someone's fiancée.

I was simply Willa Cross.

And that was enough.

One Friday afternoon, my father walked into my office with a serious expression.

“We received another proposal.”

I looked up from my paperwork.

“From whom?”

He placed the document on my desk.

“Vale Hospitality.”

I recognized the name immediately.

It was the same company that had contacted me earlier.

My father tapped the folder.

“They're offering you a long-term partnership and investment.”

I frowned.

“Investment?”

“A substantial one.”

I opened the proposal.

The numbers made me pause.

It was an amount large enough to expand my bakery into three states.

But there was something else.

The proposal was personally signed by Adrian Vale.

I remembered his calm voice from our previous call.

“What do you think?” my father asked.

I closed the folder.

“I want to meet him.”

***

The meeting was scheduled for the following Monday.

Adrian Vale arrived exactly on time.

He was in his early thirties, dressed in a charcoal suit, with an easy confidence that didn't feel arrogant.

After exchanging greetings, he sat across from me.

“I've heard good things about your work.”

“From whom?”

He smiled.

“Everyone who has tasted your pastries.”

I laughed softly.

“That's a better introduction than anything my former fiancé could have given me.”

Adrian's expression changed slightly.

“You mean Hollis Lombardi?”

I nodded.

“Yes.”

He didn't ask for details.

Instead, he opened the proposal.

“I don't want your company because you're connected to the Lombardi family.”

“I want it because your numbers are excellent.”

“That's all?”

“That's all.”

For some reason, those three words made my chest tighten.

No hidden conditions.

No family politics.

No obligation.

Just business.

I extended my hand.

“Then let's work together.”

He shook it.

“Deal.”

***

The news of our partnership spread quickly.

By that evening, Hollis had already heard.

He was sitting in the Lombardi study when his cousin dropped the news casually.

“Looks like Willa found herself another powerful ally.”

Hollis's eyes lifted.

“Who?”

“Adrian Vale.”

The room went silent.

Hollis's fingers tightened around the glass in his hand.

“They're partnering?”

“Looks that way.”

His cousin smirked.

“You should probably stop assuming she'll come crawling back.”

Hollis glared at him.

“Get out.”

The cousin raised both hands and left.

Hollis remained alone.

He opened the article on his phone.

There was a photograph of Willa leaving the Vale headquarters.

She was smiling.

Not the polite smile she had worn beside him during business dinners.

Not the careful smile she had given him whenever he disappointed her.

A real smile.

Hollis stared at the picture for a long time.

Then another notification appeared.

Gianna.

[Hollis, can we talk?]

He didn't answer.

A second message arrived.

[I think the Rossi family may arrange my engagement soon.]

Still nothing.

Then she wrote:

[You won't just forget me, will you?]

Hollis looked at the screen.

For years, that question would have made him rush to reassure her.

This time, he simply locked his phone.

***

That night, I returned home late.

My mother was waiting in the kitchen.

“You look happy.”

I smiled.

“I had a good meeting.”

She poured me tea.

“With Mr. Vale?”

“Yes.”

She studied me for a moment.

“Do you like him?”

I nearly choked on my tea.

“Mom.”

She laughed.

“I didn't ask if you were in love with him.”

“I asked if you like him.”

I thought about Adrian.

He had listened when I spoke.

He hadn't interrupted.

He hadn't compared me to anyone.

And when I disagreed with him, he hadn't made me feel guilty for it.

“He's a good person.”

My mother smiled.

“That's enough for now.”

I looked out the window.

For the first time, the future didn't feel like something already decided for me.

It felt open.

And somewhere across the city, Hollis was finally beginning to understand what that meant.

He had spent years believing I was part of his life because I had chosen him.

He was only now realizing that I could choose something else.