Naya woke to the kind of silence that felt heavy rather than calm. The blinds cut pale stripes of sunlight across the bed. Her body ached in places she didn't want to think about. Liam's side of the bed was already empty, the sheets cold.
She sat up slowly, the faint smell of his cologne still clinging to the air, mixed with stale coffee. Out in the living room, the TV murmured with the morning news. She quickly went under the shower as if to wash off all the exhaustion from the night before.
In the mirror, she built the version of herself she needed for the day: a crisp blouse tucked into black trousers, hair pulled neatly back, makeup just enough to hide the shadows under her eyes. She moved like clockwork. Shower, coffee, door, keeping her mind busy so it wouldn't slip into last night.
By the time she reached Evercrest Solutions, she had her smile in place, the one that made her look composed no matter what.
She'd barely put her bag down when Caldwell Florence appeared in the doorway of her office, heels clicking softly against the tile.
"Naya," Florence said, her voice carrying a rare note of urgency. "Come with me. I want you to meet someone."
Naya followed her toward the executive meeting room. As they stepped inside, her gaze caught on the man standing near the window. Tall, broad-shouldered, perfectly put together in a charcoal suit. His eyes flicked to hers for the briefest second, unreadable.
Recognition jolted through her, she'd seen him. The parking lot. Last night. The memory was so sudden she almost missed what Florence was saying.
"Mr. Hale," Florence began, her tone carrying more respect than Naya was used to hearing from her, "this is Naya Ellison. She'll be working directly with you on the Merigold lifestyle branding rollout."
Naya blinked. Mr. Hale? The name landed like a weight in her mind. And then it clicked — Adrian Hale, CEO of Merigold Industries. A man so influential she'd only ever read about in business features and seen in glossy magazine spreads. The man who could make or break a company's reputation with a single decision.
And the man who had been standing in her building's parking lot last night.
For a split second, her stomach dropped. She felt the heat climb up the back of her neck, but she locked her expression into place. Whatever reaction she had, it would not show here.
She extended her hand. "Mr. Hale. It's an honor to meet you."
---
Adrian
The last person he expected to see walk into the room was her, the woman from last night, the one whose sadness had lingered with him long after she disappeared.
Up close, she looked different. Polished, composed, her voice steady. But her eyes… he still caught that flicker of something unspoken.
"Adrian Hale," he said evenly, taking her hand.
Her skin was warm, her grip professional, but there was the faintest hesitation before she pulled away. He held her gaze for a moment longer than necessary, not enough to be inappropriate, but enough to see her shift slightly, as if the weight of his attention was too much.
Florence continued, "Mr. Hale will be personally overseeing this project. It's a rare opportunity, Naya, and I know you won't waste it."
Adrian gave a small nod. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do." His tone was calm, but inside, he was already turning over the unlikely coincidence, or whatever it was that had put her here, in front of him again.
Florence excused herself, leaving the two of them in the quiet meeting room.
"Please," Adrian said, gesturing toward the table. "Have a seat so we can go over the project."
She took the chair opposite him, opened her notebook, and began outlining her ideas. He listened at first, but after a few minutes, his attention wasn't on the words, it was on her. The way her hands moved when she spoke, the calm cadence of her voice.
"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly, cutting across her mid-sentence.
Her mind skipped, and she looked up at him, caught off guard. "I don't understand."
"About last night," he said, his gaze steady, "are you—"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Hale," she interrupted, polite but firm. "And I'd appreciate if we keep this strictly business."
A faint pause. Then he leaned back slightly. "I'm sorry. Please… continue."
She picked up where she left off, her tone even, and as she spoke, he realized she was good, really good. Her approach to the campaign was sharp, innovative, and grounded in strategy. Every point she made was clear, and by the end, he found himself genuinely impressed.
When they wrapped, he stood and signaled to someone at the door. His assistant stepped in, and Adrian introduced them. "You'll all be working together for the duration of the project."
Then, to Naya: "I'll be in touch for more. Good work today."
He gave her one last long look before leaving with his assistant in tow.
The door closed, and the quiet rushed back in. Naya slumped into her chair and let out a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"What a crazy coincidence," she murmured to herself.