He had barged into her life, blackmailed her, used her, and dragged her off to China for purely selfish reasons.
No, there wasn't much about the last week that he was proud of.
What had this trip been like for her? He could only imagine and, once again, admire the strength of her character. He remembered her saying that she hadn't traveled outside of the states before. But she had done it for him without complaint. She'd accepted being deposited at a hotel in a foreign country with bodyguards who were little more than strangers to her.
She must have been terrified when she'd overheard the guards discussing their surveillance of him; unable to trust the very people he'd told her to rely on. Why hadn't she come to him when she'd heard? What had she said? She'd wanted one more night of intimacy with him before breaking the bad news.
He couldn't fault her there, either. Hadn't he been the one who had repeatedly reminded her that what they had was temporary? He'd thought that by saying the words he could gain some control of his emotional response to her. Instead, it had held her silent when she most needed someone to talk to.
From what he'd been able to gather from Scott's team before he'd sent them packing, Abby had met with Zhang for the first time yesterday. Scott had admitted telling Abby that he'd seen no harm in the meeting. He also detailed their next day's outing into a rural community for the sole purpose of showing Abby China's educational needs. At the time, Dominic had dismissed his words as part of their web of lies, but now he considered them. Someone like Abby would have been easy to manipulate. Once she'd seen the need and been told that Dominic's livelihood relied on her taking action, Abby would have done what she thought was right. Especially, if as she said earlier, she'd fallen in love with him.
He groaned.
Each of her decisions made sense when he asked himself what a good, moral, loving person would do. Nothing she had done was in contradiction of the way she had lived her life. She protected those she cared about. She sacrificed for those who needed her. She risked for the causes she thought were important.
He had done nothing to prepare her for the situation he'd thrown her into; one that she'd navigated with remarkable confidence considering the challenges which had arisen. There would probably never be a way to know for sure if he could have closed the deal without the contract addendum, but Stephan's presence was testament to the forces working against him. No one could deny that the scholarship provision had closed the deal.
Five percent profit from a company as large as Corisi Enterprises would hardly be missed and the global boost to his company's international standing due to that charitable donation was priceless.
The more he thought about how Abby had met each challenge, the more he admired her. She'd gloriously marched up to China's Minister of Commerce and handed him the paperwork as if it were something she'd done a hundred times before. She couldn't have known for sure if that act would see her heralded as a hero or a criminal, but she had risked herself for the sole purpose of saving his company. And how had repaid her? Vicious accusations, kidnapping, and more insults.
She was right; he wasn't good enough for her. She deserved someone who knew how to treat her like the precious gift she was. His gut twisted painfully at the thought of her being with another man.
There had to be a way to fix this.
His cell phone rang with Jake's familiar tone. He flipped the phone open and held it to his ear. He deserved whatever his friend was about to unleash on him.
"Are you insane, Dom? Have you finally lost your mind?" Dominic held the phone away from his ear. Jake had put aside his normal cool and was unabashedly yelling into the receiver. "Turn the plane around and drop Abby off in Boston before this becomes an international scandal that not only nullifies our contract with China but also lands you in jail."
"I love her, Jake." Dominic said and slumped in his chair as he made the admission. "But I screwed up."
Jake sputtered before saying, "You think?" and continued to let off steam at an unusually high volume. "Abby called Zhang in tears. Now you've got one very pissed off Asian woman who is galvanizing what looks like military support for Abby on at least two continents. The press is all over this. Even Murdock couldn't squash the story. They know the truth behind the amendment to the contract and they know you forced Abby to go with you. You can thank Stephan for that. Abby has become an instant folk hero globally: the teacher who made higher education possible for women all over China. The jury on you is still out. The press is calling you either a romantic or a madman. You've got to bring her back. "
Dominic ran a hand through his already wild hair. "Jake, are people destined to repeat the sins of their parents? I think I've become my father."