Aaron's phone beeped. An email notification announced his delivery had been received and requested a service rating. He quickly gave it five stars—Keeley would have, to help the delivery person—then set his phone back on the table. She was probably eating her sandwich right now. This was the least he could do for her. He hadn't taken care of her properly in their first life. Nothing would stop him from catering to her every need this time, even though she despised him.

He hoped she would eventually cool down, but his expectations shifted the moment he learned she'd been reborn. Keeley had every right to hate him. She had been the light of his life, but he'd only brought her darkness. Dragging someone so pure and uncorrupted into his world had been unfair. He'd done it because he didn't want to be alone, completely disregarding her feelings.

His selfishness was unforgivable. He couldn't expect her to return to him. At best, he hoped for a friendly relationship when they saw each other.

Aaron sighed and double-checked the numbers before him. Despite all his business trips, he still lacked the power to topple his father by force. Was wresting away his shares, as originally planned, his only choice? He truly didn't have enough time for that. His father had grown increasingly impatient about his marriage.

He couldn't—wouldn't—consider getting engaged now, only to break it off later. Aaron refused to let his father wield that kind of power over him. Worst-case scenario: he'd disobey the engagement order, and his father would try to oust him from the company and cut him off. It wouldn't work; Aaron was secretly the second-largest shareholder.

He didn't want to expose that fact, but he would if necessary. The problem: it would reveal his true intentions to overthrow Alistair, making his father more wary and the task far more difficult. No one with good intentions would split their shares among multiple board members to gain more votes. His plan would be obvious once his father understood that.

Plotting a coup was exhausting. He sometimes wondered if it was even worthwhile anymore. He'd started it all to be with Keeley, free from his father's interference. With her seemingly out of the picture, he'd lost his drive.

Aaron had always been ambitious, but his ambitions weren't his own until she came along. Since birth, he'd been trained for his role in taking over the company. Everything—his speech, actions, dress, and time—was dictated. After meeting her, his ambitions changed. All he wanted was her.

He'd worked hard during their first few years of marriage, wanting his father to acknowledge his accomplishments, respect his choices, and accept his wife. After discovering the truth about the baby's death, he'd redoubled his efforts to dethrone his father. It was always for Keeley, yet his workaholism had contributed to her misery. Ironic.

His only remaining motivation was revenge on his father for hurting his wife, especially now that she remembered it. It wasn't the same as doing it for them to be together. He was tired and unsure if he could even succeed.

Cameron found him lost in thought, barging into the office. "What are the foreign holdings looking like?"

"Not enough," Aaron said wearily.

Cameron seemed alarmed by his boss's air of defeat. It was understandable; Aaron always maintained a cold, confident persona. But even powerful people experience burnout. Aaron was no exception.

"Hey…you'll figure this out. We're closer than we've ever been."

That might be true, but it wasn't close enough. Their current backers weren't powerful enough. A successful hostile takeover required foreign markets to drive down the stock value, forcing Alistair to sell.

To have full control, Aaron needed over 50% of the shares—27% more than he currently held, more than double.

"Cameron…is there even a point to all of this?" he asked helplessly.

Even if Aaron won this battle, his father still won the war. Keeley wouldn't forgive him. Alistair's victory in their last life seemed inescapable, regardless of his current actions.

Cameron sighed and hesitantly patted his friend's shoulder. "Of course there is. It's easy to lose sight of the big picture when you're exhausted. You've focused too much on work lately; why not do something fun this weekend?"

Fun? Nothing was fun without Keeley. Only she could make things fun for him.

"I think I'll pass."

"Keeley's going to be there," Cameron said teasingly. "Would you really miss cake and seeing your favorite person?"

He couldn't miss seeing his wife, but… "Cake?"

"Oh yeah, I should have mentioned that. We're cake testing for the wedding. She's the maid of honor, and Jen can't make a decision without consulting her. I feel sorry for Jen; she's stressed and taking it out on everyone, especially Keeley."

Aaron scowled, indignant. "She doesn't have time for that. She barely sleeps."

"I know; that's why I feel sorry for her. Maybe you can cheer her up this weekend."

Him cheer Keeley up? Laughable. She'd probably be furious. Still, even a little time with her might help Aaron. She had that effect on him.