CHAPTER FOUR
The boardroom gleamed with quiet authority, tall glass windows overlooking the city, a polished mahogany table stretching like a battlefield between power and ambition. Directors murmured among themselves until the doors swung open.
Two figures entered.
Alix, confident and sharp in his suit. And beside him… her.
She moved with the grace of someone who belonged there, back straight, chin high, every step measured. Five years had reshaped her into a woman of steel and elegance. A faint scar traced the side of her face, enough to divert recognition. Her hair was styled differently, her aura utterly transformed. She was no longer Alina Rivers.
She was someone else entirely.
"Gentlemen," Alix's voice carried across the room as he pulled out a chair for her. "Allow me to introduce our firm. We're here today to discuss partnership opportunities with RIVERS Corporation."
Whispers rippled through the room as the directors flipped through the sleek proposal packets.
Alina sat gracefully, her file placed neatly on the table. Her new name was printed boldly across the cover. She had practiced this moment for years. This was her first step back into the Blackwood empire and no one here would dare link her to the girl they believed was long dead.
At the head of the table, Aidan leaned back in his chair, sharp eyes fixed on her. There was something… unsettling about her presence, though he couldn't place it.
"And you are?" His voice was low, measured, and curious.
Alina met his gaze, calm, unwavering, though fire smoldered beneath her composure.
Alina Rivers is gone, she reminded herself.
Out loud, she said with a faint, poised smile
"My name is Elena Ward."
A beat of silence stretched across the room. The directors shifted, intrigued.
Aidan studied her for a long moment, his instincts gnawing at him. Something about her eyes… something he couldn't quite name. But he brushed it off, masking suspicion behind cool professionalism.
"Very well," he said finally, clipped and cold. "Show us what you've come to offer."
The meeting began.
The projector hummed to life as Alix presented. "RIVERS Corporation is strong," he said steadily. "But every empire needs fresh pillars to grow. Our firm has spent the last three years building a network across Asia, bringing in key investors and untapped markets."
Slides of figures, charts, and maps filled the room. Numbers spoke for themselves, rising profits, sustainable models, and expansions already in motion. The directors exchanged impressed glances.
Then Alina rose.
She didn't need to raise her voice, quiet command sharpened every word.
"Expansion means nothing without innovation," she said, her scar catching the light. "Your competitors are already adapting. If RIVERS stands still, it risks being outpaced. That's where we come in. We don't just bring investors. We bring vision. A partnership with us ensures not only survival but dominance."
The room fell silent. Directors leaned in. One of them finally asked, "And what do you ask in return?"
Alina's lips curved in a professional smile. "A seat at the table. Influence in decision-making. And the chance to prove we offer more than numbers on a page. We want to grow RIVERS together."
Murmurs rippled through the room. Several directors nodded, visibly impressed.
But Aidan's eyes never left hers. He couldn't shake the uncanny familiarity.
When the meeting adjourned, Alix exchanged firm handshakes while Alina gathered her papers with measured precision. She was halfway to the door when Aidan's voice cut through.
"Ms. Ward."
She froze. Slowly, she turned back, caught in his gray gaze. For a fleeting second, the years between them dissolved, and her heart stuttered painfully.
Then she saw it.
The gold band gleamed on his left hand.
Her breath faltered. She clenched her papers tighter against her chest, as if the weight of them could steady her trembling heart. The ring burned in her vision, proof that he had moved on, claiming a life without her.
What was she thinking, Aidan was never meant to be hers.
He was nothing but a devil who would do anything to get what he wanted.
Aidan's expression was unreadable, but his words cut deep. "You argue like someone with a personal stake in this company. Tell me, why RIVERS?"
For the briefest heartbeat, the past threatened to unravel her composure. But she forced it down, tilting her chin with quiet defiance.
"Because RIVERS deserves to be more than a legacy," she replied smoothly. "It deserves to be the future."
Of course, this concerns her deeply.
It's her father's company and she would do anything to help bring the company to light.
And with that, she walked out.
The door clicked shut behind her, but Aidan's suspicion only deepened. Immediately, he called his assistant. "Find out who Elena Ward is. Everything."
He couldn't shake it, that twitch in his gut when their eyes met.
Meanwhile, Alina rushed into the restroom, dropping her mask at last. Her pulse thundered as she pressed both hands to her waist and paced in tight circles.
Married. He's married.
Anger slipped through, he prayed for her to die.
She promised he would feel the same pain.
The words cut sharper than she expected. His gray eyes, cold as ever, had flickered with something dangerously close to longing and it shook her.
She splashed water on her face, forcing her heart to slow, then left quickly, searching the hall. Panic flared when she realized her son wasn't by Alix's side.
At the reception, she asked hurriedly, "Excuse me, have you seen a little boy, five years old?"
The receptionist smiled kindly. "Children are in the kids' department. So they don't go missing."
Relief loosened her chest. "Thank you."
She hurried to the elevator, her steps quick, her heart still heavy. She knew this building like the lines of her hand, it was her father's empire, after all.
At the children's department, she spotted him immediately. Her little boy, Eidan, was laughing as he played with another child.
"Eidan," she called softly, but urgency cracked through her voice. He turned, and with a joyful cry ran into her arms. She lifted him, pressing a kiss into his hair.
"Having fun?" she asked, forcing a smile.
"Yes," he said simply.
Her eyes swept the room, nearly nine children scattered in playful chaos but all she saw was her son. Her anchor. Her reason.
She carried him out quickly.
"Alix," she called, and he appeared, relief washing over his features. He took Eidan gently, and together they headed to the car.
Alina's hand lingered on her son's back as they drove off. She had faced Aidan again after five long years, but it wasn't revenge that haunted her tonight.
It was the sight of the ring.