[Levi POV - Auclair Family Hospital]
The sun poured through the tall windows of the hospital's private wing. It was the kind of light that made everything seem softer.
I stepped into the room and found him awake, seated upright in bed, wearing his glasses and scribbling something on a legal pad.
He didn't look up as I entered. "You're late."
"I'm two minutes early."
"Exactly. You should've been here five minutes ago."
I rolled my eyes, stepping closer. "You're sounding like yourself again."
"I'm trying." He muttered. "They've limited my scotch, and I'm still here. I suppose that's a win."
I stood beside the bed, hands in my coat's pockets. "Are you sure about this?"
He looked up, eyes sharp beneath those heavy brows.
""I wouldn't have called Jacques if I wasn't."
As if on cue, the door opened, and Jacques Delune, grandfather's long-time attorney and once my mother's most trusted legal advisor and attorney, entered with a leather briefcase and a composed smile.
He gave me a polite nod. "Mr. Ackerman."
"Jacques." I replied, nodding back. "Thank you for coming."
He placed the briefcase on the table, pulled out a folder thick with documents, and handed it to my grandfather.
"All the paperwork is prepared. Per the instructions. Full transfer of shares from the former chairman to Mr. Levi Ackerman with an addendum clause granting discretionary transfer rights thereafter."
My grandfather opened the folder, flipping each page slowly.
"I want this to go to Levi now," he said. "And he'll be the one to decide who inherits after him. Not his father. Not the board."
Jacques nodded. "Understood. We've also included the conditions surrounding the Ackerman Fashion, in accordance with your late daughter-in-law's will."
I turned my gaze towards him at the mention of my mother.
"She'd always planned for you to take over the brand when you turned thirty." Jacques said softly. "But it was never forced. It was a gift."
"And now?" I asked.
He looked at me with the same gentleness I used to hear in my mother's voice.
"Now it's yours, young master Levi. All of it. The brand. The rights. The legacy she protected."
My grandfather tapped the pen on the signature line.
"She wanted you to have the freedom to create," he said. "Not just follow."
I sat down across from them and took the pen.
It didn't feel like taking power.
It felt like letting go.
I signed.
One page. Then another. And another.
With each stroke, I felt the weight of something loosen in my chest.
When it was done, Jacques gathered the pages, nodded respectfully and left the room to begin filing the documents.
I looked over at my grandfather. He watched me with a strange expression, something between pride and relief.
"So," he said. "What now?"
"I hand the rest to Louis," I said. He'll make a better heir than any of us expected. And the engagement still stands."
My grandfather narrowed his eyes slightly. "You mean the one to the Fontaine girl?"
"Yeah, but not to me." I said. "To Louis. They love each other, after all."
He blinked, then leaned back against the pillow with a quiet laugh. "You clever bastard."
"Had to be done."
"You'll deal with the consequences?" He asked, looking straight in my eyes.
"I'll deal with everything." I said, voice steady. "I just need to get him back."
"You mean Haruka Charles Auclair?"
I nodded.
My grandfather's eyes softened. "You're more like your mother than you know."
I looked at the city beyond the window. My fingers tightened slightly on the armrests.
"I'm not chasing legacy anymore." I said. "I'm chasing what I can't lose."
And this time, I was ready to do it right.
//SKIP//
-Chris' Office-
Chris stood by the window, arms crossed, as I placed the envelope gently on his desk.
It felt heavier than it should've. But maybe that was because everything I hadn't said was sealed inside.
"He won't talk to me," I said quietly. "Ray won't let me near him. I know Haruka asked for space. I'm not trying to break that."
Chris looked at the envelope. "What is this?"
"The only thing I can give him right now." I replied. "A letter. The truth."
He walked over and picked it up. He turned it once in his fingers.
"He hasn't opened his phone in days. He won't eat unless I leave it at the door." Chris looked up at me. "He's hurting more than you think."
"I know." I said, barely managing to breathe. "I just need him to know everything. No more secrets. No more silence. If he still wants me gone after reading this, I'm sorry I couldn't just disappear. I'll keep fighting for him."
Chris studied me for a moment longer.
Then, without a word, he tucked the letter into his coat.
"Alright. I'll give it to him."
I nodded, stepping back.
"Thank you."
With that, I left his office.
//SKIP TO HARUKA POV//
I was still wrapped in the blanket, legs tucked under me on the couch, trying to read the same paragraph of a book for the third time.
The words didn't stick.
My chest still ached.
Every minute felt like it passed twice.
The door creaked open, and Chris stepped in quietly, holding something in his hand.
He didn't say much. Just crossed the room and knelt beside the couch.
He placed an envelope on the coffee table in front of me. No name written on it. No fancy paper. Just white. Clean. Sealed.
"From Levi." He said gently.
I didn't reach it.
"I didn't read it." He added. "But… you should."
I stared at it like it might burn me if I touched it.
Chris gave me a small, understanding smile. "You don't have to decide anything right now. But don't keep pretending you still don't want to know."
He stood and left the room.
And I was alone again.
Just me.
And the letter.
I stared at it in silence.
Then slowly…
I reached out.
And I stared at the envelope again.
My name wasn't written on it.
There were no markings. No attempt to dress it up.
Just his handwriting. Just Levi.
I hesitated.
Part of me wanted to throw it into the fireplace and walk away.
The other part… the one I hated right now… wanted to clutch it to my chest and never let go.
'You don't have to decide anything right now.'
Chris' words echoed in my mind.
But my fingers were already pulling the flap open.
The paper was thick. Smooth. Folded once.
I took a breath and began to read.
Haruka,
I know I'm the last person you want to hear right now.
And I wouldn't blame you if you tore this letter apart before finishing it. But I still needed to try.
Because you deserve the truth. Not excuses. No silence. Not distance.
Just the truth.
My hands trembled slightly.
I gripped the edge of the paper tighter and continued to read.
The engagement article you saw… wasn't a mistake.
But it wasn't real either.
It was a move. A shield. A lie dressed as a strategic decision, and it was meant to protect you.
Not to hurt you.
But I realise now that by hiding it from you, I did the one thing I swore I'd never do.
I made you feel like you didn't matter.
And that's something I'll regret for the rest of my life.
My eyes stung.
I tried to blink it away, but tears had already blurred the ink on the page.
I kept reading.
I'm giving up everything this week, Haruka. The Ackerman legacy. The shares. The name. The seat at the table. The empire everyone thought I was born to control.
Because none of it meant anything compared to you.
You are and have always been the only thing I've ever wanted to fight for.
I know I don't deserve your forgiveness.
But I still love you. More than I have words for.
And if there's even a part of you, even the smallest part, that wants to see me again…
I'll be here.
Waiting.
Always yours,
Levi.
My vision has blurred completely now.
I read the letter again. And again.
Every word. Every breath between the lines.
You are the only thing I've ever wanted to fight for.
I pressed the letter against my chest, eyes squeezed shut as tears slipped down silently.
He still loved me.
And even after everything…
I still loved him too.
But I didn't know yet if that love was enough to cross the distance between us.
Not yet.
So I sat there.
Holding his words like they were the only thing keeping me from falling apart again.
And for once, I didn't try to stop the tears.
The letter rested on my lap, its edges wrinkled from my grip.
I read it again.
Every word, every line, burnt into my memory like ink on skin.
It wasn't a letter full of excuses. It wasn't written specifically to win me back alone. It was him. Broken, honest and raw.
It hurt more than anything else because I could feel him in it.
I pressed my fingers to my eyes, trying to stop the ache. But it didn't help.
I didn't move. Didn't speak. I just…couldn't.
Ray was still stationed outside the door like a quiet guardian. Chris had gone back to the hospital. And I was glad.
I reached for my phone. It was still off.
I stared at the black screen for a long time… thumb hovering over the power button.
But I didn't press it. Not yet.
Because even now, after everything… I didn't know what I would say if I saw his name light up my screen. Or worse… if it didn't.
I folded the letter carefully, almost reverently, and tucked it back into the envelope.
Then I set it on the nightstand next to the couch and stood slowly.
I walked to the window.
Paris looked soft and cool beyond the glass.
I loved him.
Even now. Even after all of it.
But I wasn't ready to give him my heart back. Not yet.
Because this time…
If I gave it back, it had to be forever.
TO BE CONTINUED!!!