Lina's heart pounded so loudly she was certain Adrian could hear it.
"You were my first mistake."
His words lingered in the air like something dangerous that refused to fade.
For a moment, Lina couldn't speak.
Couldn't breathe.
Ten years.
Ten long years she had tried to bury that night deep in her memory.
And now the man responsible was standing right in front of her, acting as if time itself had simply paused and resumed.
Adrian walked back to his desk calmly and sat down.
His expression returned to the same cold professionalism he had shown when she first entered the room.
Almost as if the moment between them had never happened.
"Please sit, Miss Moyo."
Lina hesitated.
Her instincts screamed at her to walk out of the office.
To leave the building.
To run as far away from Adrian Kade as possible.
But this was no longer the past.
He was the CEO.
Her boss.
Ignoring him was not an option.
Slowly, she sat down across from him.
Adrian opened the file in front of him and flipped through a few pages.
"Accounting department," he said.
"Yes."
"You've worked here three years."
"Yes."
"You've never been promoted."
Lina frowned slightly.
"I suppose not."
Adrian lifted his gaze and studied her carefully.
His eyes were sharp.
Calculating.
It felt less like a conversation and more like an inspection.
"That's interesting."
Lina felt uneasy.
"What do you mean?"
Adrian closed the file.
"I mean someone with your qualifications should have moved up by now."
His voice was calm, but something in his tone made her uncomfortable.
"Yet you've remained exactly where you started."
He leaned back in his chair.
"That suggests something."
"And what would that be?" Lina asked carefully.
"That you prefer to stay unnoticed."
The words struck closer to the truth than she liked.
Lina's chest tightened.
After that night ten years ago, she had promised herself something very simple.
Stay quiet.
Stay safe.
Stay invisible.
Attention only brought trouble.
But Adrian seemed to see through that strategy immediately.
"With respect, sir," Lina said firmly, "my work habits are not a problem."
Adrian's lips curved slightly.
"Oh, they aren't."
"Then why bring them up?"
"Because from today onward…"
He paused deliberately.
"…they will concern me directly."
Lina frowned.
"I don't understand."
Adrian pressed a small button on his desk.
The office door opened almost instantly.
The secretary stepped inside.
"Yes, Mr. Kade?"
"Prepare a transfer notice."
The secretary nodded.
"Which department?"
Adrian's gaze returned to Lina.
"My office."
Lina felt as if the floor beneath her had shifted.
"My… what?"
"Miss Moyo will work directly under me starting today."
The secretary blinked in surprise but nodded politely.
"I'll arrange it immediately."
The door closed again.
Silence returned to the office.
Lina stared at Adrian.
"That's not necessary."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Not necessary?"
"I'm perfectly fine in my current department."
"I'm sure you are."
"Then why move me?"
Adrian folded his hands on the desk.
"For efficiency."
"That's not convincing."
Adrian stood up slowly.
His tall frame made the room suddenly feel smaller.
More suffocating.
He walked around the desk toward her.
Step by step.
Until he stood beside her chair.
Lina immediately stood up as well.
She refused to let him tower over her.
"Mr. Kade—"
"Adrian."
She froze.
"What?"
"When we're alone," he said quietly, "you may call me Adrian."
"That would be inappropriate."
Adrian leaned slightly closer.
His voice dropped lower.
"Inappropriate?"
His eyes locked onto hers.
"Miss Moyo… if you remember that night as clearly as I do…"
"…you should know we passed inappropriate a long time ago."
Heat rushed to Lina's face.
"That night was a mistake."
The amusement disappeared from Adrian's expression.
Now his eyes were darker.
Sharper.
"A mistake?"
"Yes."
She lifted her chin stubbornly.
"A mistake I would rather forget."
Adrian stared at her for several seconds.
The silence between them was heavy.
Then he stepped closer again.
So close Lina could hear his breathing.
"That's unfortunate."
"Why?"
His voice became quieter.
More dangerous.
Because the next words he spoke sent a chill down Lina's spine.
"Because that night wasn't a mistake to me."
Lina's heart skipped.
"What?"
Adrian watched her reaction carefully.
"Ten years ago," he said slowly, "a girl disappeared before I could even learn her name."
Lina felt her hands tremble.
"The next morning she was gone."
Her mind flashed with memories she had tried so hard to forget.
The rain.
The empty street.
Running away before sunrise.
Adrian continued calmly.
"I searched for her."
Lina shook her head slightly.
"You're lying."
Adrian's expression didn't change.
"For a long time, I didn't even know where to start."
He reached out and lightly touched the file on his desk.
"Until recently."
Lina's chest tightened.
"What do you mean?"
Adrian's gaze deepened.
His voice dropped into a quiet, deliberate tone.
"I mean…"
"I've spent ten years trying to find you."