Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 988

The door opened swiftly.

Ryder stood at the threshold.

Seeing Agnes, he didn't seem surprised at all.

He turned and said, "Come in."

His tone was chillingly cold.

Agnes felt as though he had become a completely different person.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

Ryder took a couple of steps and then turned around. "What brings you here?" he asked.

"I didn't think you would actually do it," Agnes said.

Ryder suddenly laughed. "Didn't think I'd do what? Didn't think I'd oust Uncle James from the board and take the position of Chairman of Tim Group? But Agnes, I told you everything. You broke your promise."

Agnes began, "Yesterday was—"

She faltered, unsure of what to say. She wanted to explain, but she wasn't even sure why she had come today or what she intended to tell Ryder.

Ryder suddenly moved closer and grabbed her hand. "I'll give you one more chance, Agnes. If you agree to leave with me, I'll give everything back to Uncle James. We can leave right now if you want."

Agnes hesitated, then pulled her hand away. "Ryder, I can't go with you."

To be honest, Agnes reflected, if Jared hadn't shown up, maybe she really would have left with Ryder. But the mere thought of it sent shivers down her spine. She would have regretted it, she knew.

But as things stood, she was filled with regret anyway. No matter what choice she made, it seemed wrong.

"Unexpected," Ryder mused, his voice low. "I was upstairs. If you had glanced at me, even for a second, I would have thrown caution to the wind. But tell me, Agnes, if I had come down then, would you have stayed?"

Agnes remained silent.

Ryder smiled sadly. "I knew it. From the moment Uncle James appeared, I lost—completely. I offered you the world, and still, you wouldn't leave. Everything I had couldn't outweigh a single word from him. I guess I'm just a failure."

Agnes spoke softly, "But Ryder, there's no winning or losing in my heart. Would you have won if I had left with you? I don't understand why you won't let go, why you cling to this obsession, this pain. Why won't you just let go?"