Maddox couldn't stop thinking about her.
The quiet, calculating way Cambria had carried herself detached, yet so close. There was a subtle power she exuded now, something he hadn't seen when they were first together. She was no longer the fragile, broken woman he had betrayed. She was an enigma, a force that moved in the shadows of his life, always present but never quite graspable.
The days since their encounter on the terrace had been filled with a kind of tension that Maddox had never experienced before. Cambria was always there, watching him, studying him in a way that made him feel exposed. She no longer played the meek wife. She had become the woman he had once feared the woman who had more power over him than he had ever realized.
And tonight was no different.
The charity gala was in full swing, the ballroom sparkling with the usual opulence, every detail carefully curated to impress the city's elite. Maddox had been forced to attend, his presence a necessity in maintaining the illusion that all was well with Raye Media. The media was watching. The investors were watching. And his family? They were waiting for him to fail.
But tonight, his gaze was fixed on one person: Cambria.
She had entered the ballroom with effortless grace, her appearance causing a stir as always. The deep emerald dress she wore clung to her figure, the slit at the side daring enough to catch the eye but subtle enough to retain the air of sophistication she had mastered. Her dark hair, styled in loose waves, framed her face perfectly, but it was the look in her eyes that held the most power.
She was the center of attention, and for the first time in his life, Maddox found himself standing on the sidelines, watching her command the room with a presence he couldn't ignore.
"Is everything alright, Maddox?" Evelyn Stone's voice broke through his thoughts as if, by instinct, he turned to find her standing beside him.
She had been a fixture in his life for years his fiancée before everything fell apart. Evelyn was stunning in her own right, the kind of woman who used her beauty and charm as weapons, but tonight, Maddox couldn't bring himself to care.
Evelyn's smile was tight as she followed his gaze. "Cambria," she said, her voice dripping with a mix of disdain and curiosity. "Isn't it nice to see her back where she belongs?"
The words stung, more than Maddox was willing to admit. He glanced at Evelyn, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "She's not part of my world anymore, Evelyn."
"Isn't she?" Evelyn's eyes flicked to Cambria again. "I'm surprised she hasn't done more damage already."
Maddox gritted his teeth. "You have no idea what you're talking about."
Evelyn tilted her head, as though analyzing him. "Of course, I do. She's been gone for three years, and now she's back, more powerful than ever. And you're just... letting her walk back in."
He turned away from Evelyn, trying to focus on the crowd, but his attention was still locked on Cambria. She was speaking with some of the wealthiest business tycoons in the city, laughing with a softness that made them all want to lean in closer. Yet, every time Maddox's eyes met hers, she gave him nothing. Just a cold smile that was more mocking than affectionate.
He felt a pang of frustration claw at him. Why was it so hard to read her? What had happened to the woman he once knew? To the woman who had once cared for him, who had looked at him with such trust?
"Stop it," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He couldn't afford to let her affect him like this. Not now.
But she did. And he couldn't stop it.
Later that night, as the gala wound down, Maddox excused himself from a conversation with a few investors. His mind was clouded, distracted by the memory of Cambria's eyes and the way they seemed to pierce through him like she could see all of his flaws, all the cracks he'd hidden for so long.
As he made his way through the hall toward the elevator, he found himself face-to-face with her again.
"Cambria," he said, his voice tight, yet somehow betraying a hint of something deeper.
She didn't turn around immediately. Instead, she lingered near the window, looking out over the city with an air of contemplation. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the edge in it.
"I've been thinking about what you said," she began, her back still to him. "About how I'm not the same woman you once knew. You're right. I'm not."
Maddox's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't looking at him, but he could hear the pain in her words, the layers of unspoken history wrapped up in them. He stepped closer, though he wasn't sure why.
"No," he said, his voice rough, "You've changed. But not in the way I expected. You're not the same woman who... who left me."
There was a brief silence, and for a moment, he thought she wasn't going to respond. But then she turned, and her eyes locked onto his, hard and unyielding.
"Did you think I would stay the same, Maddox? Did you think I would just... let it go?" Her words were biting, each one a reminder of how deeply he had wounded her. "I'm here because I'm not done. I'm not finished with you yet."
Maddox opened his mouth to protest, to say something anything to explain himself, but the words caught in his throat. He wasn't sure if it was the weight of her gaze or the truth behind her words, but in that moment, he felt the walls around him crumbling.
And then she spoke again, quieter this time, but the words felt like they were meant for him alone.
"You don't understand, Maddox. This isn't just about business. This is personal."
Before he could respond, the door to the ballroom swung open, and a figure stepped into the hallway Victor Harrington. His smirk was unmistakable. The one man who had been Maddox's closest friend, now his greatest rival. The one man who had been the architect of Maddox's downfall.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to talk," Victor said, his eyes glancing between Maddox and Cambria with calculated indifference.
Maddox froze, his pulse quickening. This wasn't good. Not at all.