CHAPTER 278: I’M NOT SORRY

Georgia’s POV

Thank God there was a small powder room connected to the home theater. After we cleaned ourselves up and fixed our clothes, we stepped out, pretending nothing had happened.

My heartbeat still hadn’t settled by the time we returned to the living room—only to find Reagan, Sarah, and Vicky still there together with their father. Everyone else was gone.

"Where are the others?" Nick asked, his tone calm but cautious.

"Duh? Where do you think? It’s already late. The maids have been looking everywhere for you two," Vicky shot back, arms crossed, her tone filled with sarcasm and mischief, playful and teasing.

Nick didn’t flinch. "W-We... I toured Georgia around the estate," he said, his voice even. "Maybe they missed us while we were walking."

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling.

"Really?" Vicky arched a brow, the corner of her lips curving into that knowing smirk. Her tone and smile tell us that she knew what we did.

Nick didn’t bother to answer this time. His glare said enough.

"Liam has already left to send Ella home. Sarah’s parents went home too. Oliver had work, so he left early. Violet’s upstairs," Benjamin said from the armchair. His expression was unreadable, the kind of serious that meant this wasn’t just small talk. "Sit down."

The command was subtle, but firm. Nick obeyed, pulling me gently beside him.

Benjamin glanced at Vicky, urging her to speak up.

"Reagan and I already made up. We talked, apologized, and cleared things out. I won’t stand in their way anymore. But I told Sarah she still has to earn my trust," Vicky said.

I turned to Nick, curious how he’d take that. But his expression didn’t change—his face was a blank wall, poker face.

"And?" Nick finally said. "Why did you have to wait for us to tell us that? I was never against their marriage to begin with."

"Yeah, but you two fought because of me," Vicky said flatly, her tone carrying that edge only siblings could use against each other.

Nick exhaled slowly, but his voice stayed controlled. "So what do you want me to do, Vicky? Make peace with Reagan just because you two already forgave each other? I won’t." His gaze was cold, unwavering. "I don’t tolerate men who lay their hands on women. He did it once. He can do it again."

The air felt heavier after that. I glanced at Benjamin. He was sitting back in his chair, calm on the surface, but the tension in his jaw said he was letting them hash it out, for now.

Reagan leaned forward slightly, his tone careful but defensive. "Nick, look. I already apologized to Vicky while you were gone. We talked. I didn’t mean to hit her that hard. I just... wanted to snap her out of it. I swear it won’t happen again." He paused, his voice tight. "And if it does, you can hit me back. I won’t fight back."

Nick’s expression didn’t soften. Not even a flicker. "Okay," he said, voice calm but cutting. "Whatever makes you sleep better at night. But don’t expect me to trust you again that easily. And don’t expect me to apologize for what I did, because I’m not sorry."

He leaned forward slightly, his tone turning sharp as glass. "I would do it again—gladly. Do whatever you want with your life, I don’t care, but you will never, ever hurt my sister again."

Silence. The kind that makes your throat feel tight.

Reagan clenched his jaw, nodded once. "Understood."

"That’s enough for me," Benjamin finally said, standing up with a tired sigh. "As long as you’re not going to fight over the same issue again, then we’re done here. You can all go now."

He was already heading for the stairs when Nick spoke up. "Hold on."

Everyone turned to him.

"I just want to give everyone a heads-up," he said, his tone all business. "Since Georgia and I are now legally married, I’ll be bringing her company into mine. It’ll be converted into an in-house recruitment team under Knight Fleet Maritime. So, Sarah, that means I won’t be renewing your parents’ contract."

Sarah blinked, clearly caught off guard. "But Nick, our company has an exclusive contract with Knight Fleet Maritime. You can’t just bring in another firm without our approval."

Nick’s lips curved slightly, that calm confidence of his slipping back in. "Actually, I can. The contract states that if a company is under a family member’s name, it can be brought into the Knight Group as a separate entity or merged with an existing one. I’m merging it with mine. So, we won’t be needing your services anymore. The other two providers will be dropped as well."

Sarah’s shoulders fell. She tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. I could feel a little sympathy—business was business, but family ties always made it messier.

Reagan gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Hey, don’t worry. I’ll help your parents figure something out. The contract still has two years left, plenty of time to find a new client."

Benjamin nodded, his voice softening again. "Alright, we’ll deal with that when the time comes. For now, everyone, go home and rest. We all have work tomorrow."

We all stood up and began walking toward the door. I thought that was the end of it—until we reached the driveway and saw Benjamin’s car waiting, his driver already standing by the door, and Benjamin was behind us, apparently.

"Where are you going?" Nick asked, confused.

Benjamin turned with a small smile. "To your house, of course. Your mother texted me—she’s introducing Katie to me tonight. Since you’re adopting her soon, that makes her my granddaughter. They’re having fun over there, and I’m not missing that chance. Now move, before she falls asleep without meeting me."

He didn’t even wait for a response. He just brushed past us and got into his car.

My jaw literally dropped as we watched him drive off. I glanced at Nick, who looked just as stunned.

"Well," I muttered, "so much for ending the night quietly."

"Let’s go. Katie will be busy with my parents, so it means we have all night to ourselves," Nick said.

I frowned and crossed my arms. "And what do you mean by that?"

He just smirked and opened the car door for me. "Get in. You know what I mean," he said with a wink.