Emilia's heels clicked sharply against the marble floor of the downtown office lobby. Each step echoed, loud enough to remind her that today was important, far too important to waste energy on distractions. She glanced at her watch for the third time in two minutes. The client presentation she had worked on for weeks was today, and she could not afford a single misstep.
"Deep breaths, Emilia," she muttered under her breath, adjusting the strap of her leather bag. "You've got this."
Just as she was about to step into the elevator, a voice, smooth, confident, infuriatingly familiar, stopped her cold.
"Well, well… look who's here."
Her entire body stiffened. Slowly, she turned. And there he was. Adrian.
Tall. Impeccably dressed. That infuriatingly charming smile that had haunted her dreams for months, years was fixed squarely on her.
Her mind instantly flashed back to the argument. The betrayal. The nights she had spent crying over someone she thought she could trust. And now, after all this time, he was standing here, untouchable as ever.
"Adrian…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the effect he had on her. "I see my reputation precedes me."
She clenched her fists, forcing her composure. "I don't have time for this. I'm late for a meeting."
"Oh, of course," he said, stepping aside but not before his gaze swept her from head to toe. "Still the same Emilia. Gorgeous as ever."
Her cheeks burned, but she forced herself to walk past. Not today. She could not let him see that he still affected her.
The elevator ride felt endless. Each ding of passing floors made her heart pound faster. How was she supposed to focus on the client presentation when Adrian was already filling her thoughts? She reminded herself: he had betrayed her once. Not again.
The office floor buzzed with activity. Emilia walked briskly to the conference room, ignoring curious glances from colleagues who had probably already noticed the tension in her expression.
"Morning, Emilia," her assistant, Mia, greeted, handing over the final client report. "You look… tense."
"Tense?" Emilia forced a smile. "Just excited. Big day."
Mia raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Uh huh. Sure. Is it about… him?"
Emilia's stomach twisted. "Mia!"
"You can't hide it, Em. I saw him this morning. He's everywhere."
She groaned. "Why now? Why today of all days?"
Mia shrugged. "Maybe fate has a sense of humor."
Emilia took a deep breath and forced herself to focus. Slides checked. Charts perfect. She could not let him ruin this day.
The client arrived five minutes later. Emilia greeted them with a professional smile, shaking hands firmly, and guiding them into the conference room. For twenty minutes, she delivered her presentation flawlessly. Each statistic, each chart, each point flowed naturally. Her voice was confident, her posture commanding. She was a model of professionalism.
But every time the door opened, every shadow that fell across the room, her mind flicked back to that morning encounter. Adrian's smile. His piercing eyes. That casual comment about her appearance.
By the end of the meeting, the clients were smiling, shaking hands, and thanking her for her time. Emilia let out a small sigh of relief. She had survived.
Packing up her laptop and notes, she tried to push thoughts of Adrian aside. She needed coffee. She needed fresh air. She needed anything that didn't involve him.
Her phone buzzed.
A message. Unknown number.
"We need to talk. Meet me at the rooftop at 6 PM. Don't be late."
Her heart stopped. She knew that number. She knew the handwriting. She knew the sender.
Adrian.
Emilia stared at the screen, mind racing. Why now? After all these years, why had he appeared in her life again?
Instinct screamed, ignore it. Delete it. Pretend he didn't exist. But another part, the part she hated admitting, fluttered. Curiosity. Excitement. The spark she had buried for years stirred reluctantly.
She shoved her phone into her bag and exhaled slowly. "Focus, Emilia," she muttered.
Later that afternoon, she tried to lose herself in work, answering emails, arranging meetings, and reviewing documents. But every ping of her phone made her heart skip a beat. She couldn't concentrate.
Mia noticed. "Em, you're distracted again. Is it"
"No," Emilia cut her off, a little sharper than intended. She immediately regretted it. "I'm fine. Really."
Mia didn't press further. She just gave Emilia a knowing smile and walked away.
By 5 PM, the office was quieting down. Emilia gathered her courage and made her way to the rooftop. The city skyline stretched out before her, bathed in the golden light of sunset. It was beautiful, calm… and terrifying.
And then she saw him. Adrian, leaning casually against the railing, hands in his pockets, eyes on the horizon. He turned as she approached, and for a moment, the air between them felt electric.
"You came," he said simply.
"I had to know why you sent that message," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.
He smiled faintly, a hint of mischief and something softer she hadn't expected. "You've always been curious, Emilia. I know you better than you think."
She shook her head. "Stop talking in riddles. What do you want, Adrian?"
He stepped closer, the wind teasing strands of her hair. "I want to explain. And maybe… I want a second chance."
Emilia's heart raced. She had dreamed of this moment, but not like this. Not after everything.
"You can't just walk back into my life after what you did," she said, voice trembling despite her efforts.
He looked down, and for a second, the charming arrogance was gone. "I know. And I'll do whatever it takes to prove it. But you have to hear me out." The city lights began to twinkle as the sun dipped below the horizon. Emilia felt a pull she couldn't deny, even though every rational thought screamed at her to walk away.
The first chapter ended not with answers, but with questions: could she forgive? Could she trust him again? And more importantly… what would happen next?