Because he felt remorse

Gina's eyes probably widened as Shawn uttered his request. "Cancel all my plans for tomorrow," he'd said, his voice flat and devoid of its usual confident tone.

"But Mr. Donnelly," she stammered, obviously taken aback. “You have that crucial meeting with the investors from Silicon Valley..."

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. Not that she’d see it anyway. "Adjourn it, Gina. Reschedule everything. I need tomorrow free."

He knew it was out of the blue but Gina didn't know. She didn't know at all.

Gina knew better than to argue. “As you wish, Mr. Donnelly. All your plans for tomorrow will be rescheduled.”

“Thank you, Gina.” Shawn heaved into the phone and hung up.

He spent the rest of the day in a state of restless meditation. His office where he had grown accustomed to felt suffocating. He considered calling Serenity.

Her vibrant energy had become a light to his troubled soul, surprisingly. He never knew a woman whom he had barely known could stir something that had been in slumber