Chapter 214: Drawing The Clear Line
Gideon was already waiting inside the meeting room, leaning against the back of his chair with both arms crossed. His expression remained calm, but anyone who knew him well would immediately notice he was in a terrible mood.
The fact that Jade had specifically requested a private meeting was enough to tell him what this conversation was about, and honestly, it was the last thing he wanted to deal with after everything that had happened.
Jade had eventually changed her approach.
Bringing her men into every negotiation had only made things worse. Gideon barely spared them a glance and rejected almost every proposal Freebound presented, not because the agreements were unreasonable, but because he no longer trusted the people making them.
It frustrated Jade’s subordinates to no end, yet none of them dared voice their dissatisfaction. They knew better than anyone that their Pathmadre had no intention of turning this disagreement into an open conflict between the two factions.
Besides, Cinder Dusk was no longer the small territory it had been only a few days ago.
It had become sturdier, armed guards patrolled every corner and dozens of workers tirelessly building the Safe Zone with almost unnatural efficiency. It slowly drove out Jade’s men inside this territory as he didn’t need them anymore.
They carried out every order without complaint or hesitation, moving with such precision that even Freebound’s veterans found them unsettling.
Whether they liked it or not, Cinder of Dusk was growing at a frightening pace, and Freebound could no longer treat Gideon as the leader of a minor settlement.
Jade quietly cleared her throat. "I’m sorry for taking your time—"
"Then get to the point." Gideon cut her off before she could finish. "I still need to interrogate that zealot before something bad happens to my territory... or yours."
He hesitated ever so slightly before saying the last two words.
Jade noticed. Her fingers slowly tightened until her knuckles turned white.
"I know you’re angry with me," she said quietly. "But you shouldn’t involve my entire faction in a problem that’s between you and me."
Gideon raised an eyebrow before letting out a quiet laugh.
"Really?" He leaned forward slightly, finally looking directly into her eyes.
"Tell me, what makes you think the two can be separated? You’re the Pathmadre of Freebound. Your decisions represent your faction whether you like it or not. If you crossed the line while acting as its leader, then why shouldn’t I treat this as a problem between two factions?"
Jade frowned. Only now did she realize how badly she had underestimated the consequences of her decision.
Or perhaps... How much she had underestimated how deeply she had hurt him.
"I have no excuse," she admitted after a long silence. "What I did was wrong. I took advantage of your kindness, and... I assumed you’d forgive me because of our bedroom relationship."
She forced herself to continue."I thought our relationship was close enough that you would overlook what I did."
For the first time since the meeting began, Gideon’s posture relaxed.
"I know and that’s exactly why I’m disappointed." He sighed before rubbing his forehead.
"The problem isn’t whether I can forgive you, Jade. The problem is that I don’t know where the line is anymore. If I forgive you this time because we’re close, what’s stopping you from making another lie behind my back the next time you think it’s necessary?"
"I won’t. I’ll never do something like this again. If I ever cross that line another time..." She took a shaky breath before meeting his eyes again. "You can kill me."
Gideon couldn’t help letting out a short laugh. "That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?"
"I know how much Freebound has helped Cinder of Dusk, and I’ve never forgotten that. I owe your faction more than most people realize."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "But because of what happened, I don’t think I can treat you the same way anymore."
"I think it’s better if we keep our relationship professional from now on. Clear boundaries and responsibilities. Just like you do with every other faction you cooperate with."
Jade bit her lower lip. She had expected him to be angry or to yell at her. Instead, he was calmly pushing her away and somehow that hurt even more.
Looking at the man who had always welcomed her with warm eyes now speaking with such careful distance made her chest tighten until it almost became difficult to breathe.
After several seconds, she finally forced herself to speak again.
"Do you want me to kneel?"
Gideon gazed at her without saying a word.
"If that’s what it takes for you to forgive me..." Her voice had become noticeably softer than before. "I’ll do it."
Jade suddenly stood up, the movement so abrupt that Gideon instinctively rose as well. He stopped halfway, however, when she slowly lowered herself onto both knees in front of him.
Her hands came to rest quietly on her thighs, her back perfectly straight, her head bowed without the slightest hesitation.
"Are you able to forgive me now?"
For the first time since she entered the room, Gideon was genuinely caught off guard. He had expected another argument, another negotiation, another apology, but never this.
The woman kneeling before him was the same Pathmadre who had always carried herself with absolute confidence.
Jade was known for never lowering her head. Yet now she knelt without hesitation, as though her pride no longer mattered.
"Stand up, Jade."
She slowly lifted her gaze to meet his.
"I won’t."
"Don’t be ridiculous."
"I won’t stand until you forgive me."
Gideon let out a long sigh, rubbing his forehead as disbelief settled in. He couldn’t believe she was actually doing this.
The same woman who once got him drunk simply because she knew he would never willingly climb into her bed, the same woman who had patiently broken down every wall around him until he trusted her enough to let her into his bed.
Looking back now... how much of it had been genuine?
"So this is about Freebound, then." Gideon looked at her for a long moment before quietly shaking his head.
"I was wondering how long it would take before the Pathmadre started negotiating instead of Jade. Tell me... did you kneel because you regret lying to me, or because you can’t afford to lose Cinder of Dusk right now?"
For the first time, confusion appeared on Jade’s face. Not the confusion of someone caught lying, but of someone who had just been deeply hurt. Her hazel eyes fixed on him as disappointment gradually replaced every other emotion.
"Is that really how little you think of me?"
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