CHAPTER 57
Nina sat in the soft leather seat of her car, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel as streetlights streaked past the windshield. Night wrapped the city in darkness, and the asphalt still gleamed from the recent rain.
Her head was still spinning from the shareholders’ meeting.
She’d done it.
She’d taken back what belonged to her family. Made it clear to those polished, self-important faces that she wasn’t going to fade quietly into the background. They’d thought they could push her aside? That after everything she’d been through, she’d just disappear?
They’d been wrong.
Nina tightened her grip on the wheel, a slow, steady sense of satisfaction spreading through her chest. Her father would have been proud. He would have said she was a true Osborne—that she hadn’t broken, hadn’t backed down, had gone all the way.
She’d spoken in front of the board. Shown them she wasn’t a puppet. Maybe she wouldn’t run the company the way Frank had, but from now on, no major decision would be made without her. They would have to reckon with her.
She was the heir to this company. Her family had founded it. Her father had built it up with his own hands. And she wasn’t about to let some self-absorbed manipulator who’d betrayed her destroy what had been created with blood and sweat.
Frank had done real damage to the company’s reputation—but that, too, could be fixed. Reputation was a fragile thing. Give it a year, maybe two, and the scandal would fade. The company would recover.
Nina exhaled slowly, drawing in a deep breath and letting it steady her. She’d done it. Taken back control. Taken back herself.
And maybe that was why she’d agreed so easily to meet Jasper. How else could she explain it?
A smile tugged at her lips. She really had said yes too easily. As if something inside her had been pulling her toward him, as if the day wouldn’t have felt complete without seeing him.
She checked her makeup in the rearview mirror, smoothed a few loose strands of hair, straightened her shoulders.
She was early.
Nina parked near the restaurant, passed the flower shop window, and went inside. The place looked exactly the same. She used to come here often, once upon a time.
The host recognized her, greeted her by name, and she asked for a table by the window.
She flipped through the menu without interest. She wasn’t hungry. Her nerves were still humming from the meeting. But she needed to relax. And eat. Or at least pretend to.
After all, she’d agreed to this dinner.
“Seared tuna salad and green tea, please,” she said without looking up.
Nina leaned back in her chair, smoothed the fabric of her slacks over her knee, and pulled out her phone.
Jasper hadn’t texted.
“Nina? Is that you?” a familiar voice suddenly broke into her thoughts. “I can’t believe it. What a coincidence.”
She turned her head slowly.
Margo.
One of those women who inserted herself everywhere, always knew everyone’s business—especially when it wasn’t hers.
“Hi,” Nina said with a brief nod, slipping her phone away. “That is unexpected.”
They’d known each other for years. Never close friends, but always aware of what was happening in each other’s lives.
“I’m honestly shocked,” Margo said, already sliding into the chair across from her without asking. Her gaze swept over Nina’s face, her figure. “I was sure you’d left the country. You know… after everything.”
“After what exactly?” Nina’s voice stayed even, though cold edged through it. Her divorce from Frank had become public spectacle, and it still infuriated her. “As you can see, I’m fine.”
“Yes, I can see that. You look incredible, by the way. Like all of this just made you stronger.” Margo leaned in, eyes glittering with curiosity. “But tell me honestly… how did you survive it? After what that bastard Garth did to you?”
Nina’s fingers froze against the tablecloth. She lifted her eyes to Margo.
The pause stretched.
She wasn’t shaking from fear.
Or pain.
She was shaking because, for just a moment, she’d forgotten: the past was always nearby. Waiting.
All it took was a stranger’s voice—and it came back like a slap to the face.
“What are you talking about?” Nina asked dryly, taking a sip of water.
Margo’s smile widened just a touch—she could tell she’d hit a nerve.
“Oh, come on,” she laughed, as if Nina were playing dumb. “That story. God, everyone was talking about it back then. It’s just… those things fade after a while. But I remembered it recently and thought—wow, you really went through hell. And you never said a word. Just kept it all inside.”
Nina straightened. Folded her hands in her lap. Looked at her directly.
“I’m sorry, Margo, but I didn’t come here to discuss other people’s speculation,” she said calmly, icily. “And you might want to be more careful about what you repeat from trashy gossip sites. That kind of thing can land you in trouble.”
Margo blinked. Froze. Then forced a tight smile.
“Of course, sorry. I just… so it’s not true?” She laughed, but Nina could see it clearly—she didn’t believe her for a second. “You’re holding up well after the divorce.”
“Thank you,” Nina said evenly. “But let’s not dig all that up again. Too many words have already been put in my mouth. I prefer to speak for myself now.”
“I get it,” Margo nodded. “I probably dumped all that on you at the wrong moment.”
“It’s fine,” Nina softened her smile slightly. “You’re not the first. It’s just not a topic I discuss over dinner.”
“Yeah, that was awkward,” Margo laughed again, glancing away. “But you really do look incredible. Like a woman who knows what she wants again.”
At that moment, a familiar voice cut in.
“Sorry I’m late. There was an accident—traffic was completely backed up.”
Jasper stood beside the table—tall, composed, wearing a dark jacket. His hair was slightly rumpled, keys and phone in hand. He gave Margo a brief, assessing look, clearly trying to figure out why she was there.
“Good evening,” he said politely.
Margo froze. The smile slid off her face as if erased. She looked from Jasper to Nina, her expression shifting as the realization slowly sank in.
“You… you’re together?” It wasn’t really a question—more an attempt to make sense of what she was seeing.
Jasper sat down beside Nina, and Nina suddenly felt something warm flicker in her chest. The situation was absurd. Watching Margo’s face cycle through confusion, embarrassment, and disbelief was oddly satisfying.
“We… run into each other a lot,” Jasper said calmly.
Margo blinked again. Understanding arrived in pieces. Her cheeks flushed. In her mind, assumptions, rumors, and half-baked theories collapsed all at once.
She forced a thin smile.
“Well… then I won’t interrupt,” she muttered. “Have a good evening, Nina.”
“You too, Margo,” Nina replied with such sincere warmth that she almost laughed. Margo’s discomfort was painfully obvious.
She left.
Jasper watched her go, then asked, “Do I know her? She looked at me like I was familiar.”
“I don’t think so,” Nina shrugged.
She took another sip of tea and laughed softly. The tension she’d been carrying all evening suddenly lifted. She hadn’t planned anything. She’d just come to dinner. And yet, simply by sitting here with Jasper, she’d erased piles of filth that had been thrown her way.
Let them think it was all Frank’s revenge, a hit piece from an ex-husband angry that his wife had left him for another man. A stronger one. A better one.
Jasper leaned in slightly, studying her face.
“What?” Nina asked.
He shook his head.
“Nothing. It just seems like you look… different tonight.”
Dinner turned out to be unexpectedly easy. Even… pleasant.
Nina caught herself realizing that she was genuinely interested in listening to him.
He talked about ordinary things—how Lynn had once rescued a puppy from a garbage truck, how a new resident at the clinic had mixed up a stroke with a pinched nerve. Simple stories. Nothing extraordinary. And yet Nina found herself smiling.
Really smiling.
And that frightened her more than anything else.
She didn’t notice time passing. Somewhere between her second cup of tea and dessert, it suddenly dawned on her that she didn’t want the evening to end.
The thought startled her—and something clicked inside her mind.
Jasper Garth split into two separate figures.
One was the man from her past, the one who came to her in nightmares.
And the other was this man sitting across from her now. Smiling. Adult. Intelligent. Attentive. Interesting. A man she was beginning to see differently.
He was slowly, quietly pushing the other one aside.
Without effort. Without force.
Just by existing.
She lifted her cup, took a sip and startled herself again.
What did this mean?
That she was ready to forgive?
Or that she was simply exhausted from carrying everything inside her for so many years?
“Thank you,” she said, lifting her gaze to him and sneaking a glance at the time, pretending she had somewhere urgent to be. As if at eleven p.m. she could possibly have pressing plans.
As expected, Jasper didn’t even let her reach for the check.
“This one’s on me,” he said calmly, taking out his card. “My invitation.”
She didn’t argue.
Tonight, she wanted to set her armor aside. Just for a little while.
They stepped outside. The air was warm, almost springlike. The street was quiet, peaceful.
Jasper walked beside her, hands in his pockets, his expression distant, thoughtful. Her car was only a few steps away—but she didn’t want to leave. Something tugged at her, thin and nearly invisible.
She stopped and turned to face him.
He stopped too, looking at her with an unreadable expression.
“So why did you really ask me to meet you?” she asked, keeping her voice steady. “It wasn’t just for dinner company. You wanted to talk about something, didn’t you?”
It felt that way. And yet he hadn’t brought up any of the obvious topics.