The boardroom was filled with the low hum of negotiation, but Ava Hale could barely hear a word.
Her eyes kept drifting toward Elena, who sat across the table like she owned the room. The same Elena who used to trail behind her like a shadow… now sat tall, legs crossed, red lips curling with subtle amusement, and a glint in her eyes that screamed untouchable.
Ava hated it.
Everything about Elena was different, sharper, colder, more elegant. Even the way she scribbled notes or leaned back in her chair made her seem untouchably confident. And the men noticed. Oh, they noticed. One of Hale Corp's senior partners had already tried flirting, and Elena had shut him down with a single arched brow.
Ava clenched her jaw, pretending to focus on the presentation. But when Elena leaned over to whisper something to one of her colleagues, Ava caught the soft laugh that followed.
She couldn't take it anymore.
After the meeting ended, Ava followed Elena to the hallway under the pretense of asking a "follow-up" question.
"You really think dressing like that will distract the board?" Ava said, her voice sugary but brittle.
Elena turned slowly. "No, I came prepared, something you used to be good at."
Ava blinked. The jab hit harder than she expected.
"You've changed," Ava said coldly.
Elena smiled faintly. "No, Ava. I've just remembered who I am."
That night, unable to let it go, Ava paced her penthouse like a cat ready to pounce. Something wasn't right. Elena's confidence, her new job, her aura of secrecy, it was all too perfect.
Out of restless paranoia, she opened her tablet and searched for Elena's name.
A headline popped up in the business gossip column:"Blackwood Corp CEO Spotted With Mysterious Woman at Luxury Lounge"
Attached was a photo. It was blurry—but recognizable. Elena. Sitting across from Damian Blackwood, deep in conversation. Her fingers toying with a wine glass. His gaze fixed on her face.
Ava's blood ran cold.