Winds Carry Lost Promises by Asa Holt Vale 17 Summary
In Chapter 17 of “Winds Carry Lost Promises,” Marina finds herself in a tense interaction with Daron, who takes her phone and dismisses her gaming skills with a skeptical attitude. The brief physical contact ignites a mix of confusion and excitement in Marina, but Daron’s indifferent demeanor quickly cools her enthusiasm. As she nervously suggests she could help him in the game, she realizes she has uninstalled it, leading to a moment of embarrassment that Daron seems to find amusing. This ignites her irritation, but she tries to maintain her composure and downplays the situation.
Marina’s determination shifts as she reveals her true purpose for visiting Daron: to sell him her shares in the Ross Group. Despite her resolve, Daron’s dismissive attitude and references to their complicated past create a barrier between them. Memories of their shared history and the fallout from their families’ engagement loom over the conversation, making Marina anxious about her proposal. She recalls how her past decisions led her to this moment, feeling the weight of her choice to sever ties with the Finley family and the implications it had on her relationship with Daron.
As she attempts to negotiate, Marina struggles with her confidence in the face of Daron’s cold demeanor. She passionately argues the business advantages of acquiring her shares, emphasizing the opportunity it presents for Daron’s company. However, his response reveals a deeper resentment tied to their past, as he brings up the concept of grudges and the emotional weight of their broken engagement. Marina’s attempts to downplay their history are met with resistance, and she feels a mix of frustration and vulnerability.
The tension escalates as Daron questions her approach to business, insinuating that her visit is more about personal grievances than a legitimate proposal. Feeling cornered, Marina confronts Daron about his lingering feelings regarding their past relationship, asserting that she does not regret her decision to end the engagement. This admission leads to a charged exchange, where both characters grapple with their emotions and the unresolved issues between them. The chapter concludes with a palpable sense of conflict, as Marina contemplates leaving, but not without a final attempt to assert her agency in this fraught encounter.
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**Winds Carry Lost Promises** by Asa Holt Vale
**Chapter 17**
Daron reached out, his hand deftly taking the phone from Marina’s grasp. His fingers, long and elegantly tapered, brushed against her palm, sending an unexpected shiver coursing through her. The brief contact felt electric, stirring a mix of confusion and excitement within her.
He quickly withdrew his hand, adopting a cool, indifferent expression as his eyes flicked down to the screen. With a swift tap, he selected [confirm] beneath the word “defeat,” closing the game with a decisive gesture.
Marina bit her lip, a nervous habit that betrayed her thoughts. She paused, gathering her courage before she spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper, “If you’re interested, I could carry you in the game.”
Daron raised an eyebrow in skepticism. “Carry me?”
His tone dripped with doubt, and his deep-set eyes narrowed as they locked onto hers, unblinking, as if he were scrutinizing her very soul for any sign of weakness.
That intense gaze ignited a competitive spark within her, and without a moment’s hesitation, she pulled out her own phone. “I’m a beast at jungling; I’ve got national recognition on tons of heroes.”
With determination, she unlocked her screen and began scrolling through her apps, her heart racing with the thrill of proving herself to him. But as she swiped through her home screen, panic set in when she realized the game icon was nowhere to be found. A sinking feeling washed over her; she’d uninstalled the game ages ago.
His heated gaze remained fixed on her, and when he saw her search yield nothing, a soft chuckle escaped his lips.
Though there was no outright mockery in his laughter, it still stung, igniting a flash of irritation within her.
Marina inhaled deeply, forcing herself to maintain composure as she opened the app store to download the game on the spot. “It’s just a game; redownloading won’t take long at all.”
She buried her embarrassment beneath a facade of nonchalance, striving to keep her tone light and breezy.
Daron’s brows furrowed slightly as he slipped his phone into his pocket. “If you’ve already stopped playing, don’t feel obligated to reinstall it. I know Ms. Finley has never been one to push herself.”
His words struck her like a cold wind, and she froze for a moment, ready to argue that it was no hassle at all. But Daron had already averted his gaze, turning away from her. He grabbed a cigarette from the pack resting on the table, standing up and making his way toward the balcony.
Marina pressed her lips together, suddenly reminded of the real reason she had come here today.
Watching him walk away, she hesitated before speaking up, her voice tentative. “Mr. Zamora, I heard you’re looking to acquire shares in Ross Group. That’s why I’m here. I’d like to sell you the ones I own.”
She cut straight to the chase, and Daron halted in his tracks, turning to face her again. “Heard?”
Marina nodded, feeling a surge of determination. “Yes. I hold 51% of Ross Group’s shares, and I’m willing to sell them all to you. I just need you to agree to one condition.”
He pinched the unlit cigarette between his fingers, a wry half-smile curling at the corners of his mouth. “Given our history, what makes you think I’d even consider doing business with you, Ms. Finley?”
Sicester was just beginning to ease into the warmth of early summer. Even at midday, the sun cast a gentle glow, but Daron stood at a distance that felt insurmountable, his standoffish demeanor unmistakable.
Her chest tightened as the implications of his earlier words sank in, bringing with them a wave of anxiety.
Back then, when she had stubbornly anchored herself in Sicester, cutting ties with the Finley family and insisting on being with Lavern, she had vowed never to force herself into anything again.
Daron had been groomed to be the Zamora family heir from the very beginning, living a life filled with luxury and constant admiration. The rejection by a fiancée he had never even met was likely the first significant blow to his ego.
Marina recalled how, right after the engagement between the Finley and Zamora families was dissolved, Elnora had warned her that she had caused the Zamora family to lose face, leading them to sever all ties with the Finleys.
With such baggage between them, discussing business felt like a precarious balancing act.
She dropped her gaze, mentally scolding herself for her rashness today.
She should have verified whether Daron was genuinely interested in acquiring Ross Group before showing up, or better yet, she should have let Elnora handle the share sale.
That would have smoothed things over significantly. After all, the two of them had been classmates back in high school.
Marina was adept at crafting plans and proposals, but sitting across from Daron at a negotiation table? That was an entirely different beast.
But here she was, and there was no turning back now. She couldn’t just retreat without at least trying.
She remained seated on the sofa, while Daron stood a short distance away, looking down at her with an air of superiority that made her feel small.
Determined not to appear intimidated, Marina took a deep, calming breath, rose from the sofa, and met his gaze with newfound resolve.
“The Zamora Group is eyeing expansion into the Sicester market. Building from the ground up would consume an enormous amount of time. And for someone like you, Mr. Zamora, time is money, isn’t it?”
Daron remained unmoved, his expression unyielding.
Marina exhaled softly, feeling the weight of the moment. She was skilled at brainstorming strategies and pitches, but actual deal-making at the table? That was her Achilles’ heel.
With a mindset of “what the hell, I’m already here,” she pressed on.
“Ross Group ticks every box; it’s the perfect shortcut for the Zamora Group to dive right into the Sicester market. I can’t imagine you’d let a golden opportunity like this slip away over some petty grudge from the past.”
“Petty grudge?” He echoed her words, rolling them around in his mouth as if savoring their taste. The end of the cigarette in his fingers began to crumple under the pressure of his grip.
Marina nodded firmly, bracing herself for his response.
By the time the engagement with the Zamora family had come to light, she had already moved back to Sicester with Kathy. Even when she had cut ties with the Finley family and insisted on breaking things off, she and Daron had never once crossed paths in person.
There were no emotions involved; if it weren’t for that arranged marriage their families had concocted, they would be complete strangers. To her, it hardly constituted a major issue.
The cigarette in his hand finally snapped, scattering bits of tobacco onto the floor.
He chuckled lightly, a sound that sent a shiver down her spine, and then he posed a question that caught her off guard. “Ms. Finley, do you know the three biggest grudges a man can hold in his lifetime?”
Marina blinked, puzzled, and shook her head. “No idea.”
Daron turned his back to her, his voice dropping to a low, deliberate tone. “Killing his father, stealing his wife, murdering his child.”
Marina was left speechless, the weight of his words hanging heavily in the air.
“We never got married,” she finally replied, her voice soft and tinged with unease.
“A fiancée counts as a wife,” he shot back, his words flat and icy, slipping under her skin like a chilling draft.
Marina fell silent, her gaze dropping as she avoided his intense stare. What was she supposed to say? Apologize?
Deep down, she didn’t believe that ending the engagement had been a mistake. They had no real connection; after all, to her, Daron was practically a stranger.
The air between them thickened, creating an awkward tension that felt almost palpable. Marina pursed her lips, and eventually, she broke the silence. “Sorry to have bothered you.”
If this door was going to slam shut, she would find another way in.
With that thought, she spun on her heel to leave, but Daron’s expression turned noticeably frostier. “Is this your idea of doing business, Ms. Finley?”
Marina halted mid-step.
Daron fixed his gaze on her for a solid ten seconds, his smirk dripping with irony. “I figured the Ms. Finley who had bragged about carving out her own path in Sicester would excel in negotiations. Instead, it seems like a pop-in to annoy me, followed by a hasty exit?”
His jab left Marina momentarily speechless, her mind racing for a retort that wouldn’t come.
It wasn’t her first experience feeling this embarrassed around him, so she decided to rip off the Band-Aid.
“I get it, you never had real feelings for me, Mr. Zamora. You’re just still grappling with the blow to your ego from getting dumped. If you’re determined to rub my face in it, why would I stick around for more of your insults?”
Conclusion
In this climactic moment, Marina stands at the crossroads of her past and present, grappling with the weight of her decisions and the lingering shadows of her history with Daron. The electric tension between them is palpable, each word exchanged a reminder of the unresolved emotions and unspoken grievances that linger like ghosts in the air. As she confronts Daron, she sheds the remnants of her insecurities, revealing a fierce determination to assert her worth in both business and personal realms. This confrontation, charged with vulnerability and defiance, marks a pivotal moment in her emotional journey, where she chooses to embrace her identity rather than retreat into the shadows of past mistakes.
Daron, too, is caught in the whirlwind of their shared history, his icy demeanor cracking just enough to reveal the turmoil beneath. The remnants of their past engagement hang heavily between them, a haunting reminder of expectations and disappointments that have shaped both their lives. Yet, as Marina stands her ground, challenging the notion that their past defines them, Daron is forced to reckon with his own grudges and the implications of his choices. In this charged exchange, both characters inch closer to understanding that the winds of their past may carry lost promises, but they also hold the potential for new beginnings. The chapter closes with a sense of unresolved tension, leaving the door open for growth, reconciliation, or perhaps a deeper rift, as they navigate the complexities of their intertwined fates.
What to Expect in Next Chapter?
In the next chapter of *Winds Carry Lost Promises*, readers can expect the tension between Marina and Daron to reach a boiling point as their unresolved past collides with their present ambitions. Daron’s icy demeanor and sharp words have already set the stage for a confrontation that could very well redefine their relationship. Will Marina’s determination to prove herself in the business world be enough to break through Daron’s emotional barriers, or will his grudges from the past overshadow any potential for collaboration? As the stakes rise with the potential sale of the Ross Group, both characters will have to navigate their feelings and ambitions, leading to explosive revelations that could change everything.
Moreover, Marina’s unexpected proposal has opened a Pandora’s box of emotions and conflicts that neither of them anticipated. With Daron’s skepticism and Marina’s fervent desire to forge her own path, the negotiation table may become a battleground for more than just business. As secrets from their shared history begin to surface, readers will be left wondering if Marina can truly secure the deal she so desperately wants, or if Daron’s past grievances will prove too great an obstacle. The chapter promises to delve deeper into their complex dynamic, revealing the layers of ambition, regret, and longing that have defined their relationship thus far. Prepare for a whirlwind of emotions as the winds of change begin to stir, carrying with them the lost promises of their past.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
