Emily's POV
Emily paced the small project room, clutching her notes. The sun was barely past noon, but she already felt drained. She had been summoned for a private strategy meeting—with Ethan.
She hated how her palms were damp. She hated how her pulse quickened at the thought of seeing him alone. She had spent years convincing herself she was over him, that she could handle this.
Focus on the work, she told herself. Not the man.
The door opened.
Ethan stepped inside, closing it quietly behind him. His cologne drifted faintly in the air—subtle, familiar, devastating.
"Emily," he greeted, voice cool. "Shall we begin?"
She nodded sharply, pulling herself tall. "Of course. I have the proposal draft here."
Ethan's POV
He watched her set the documents on the table, her hands trembling just slightly. She wore a simple blouse and skirt, her hair pinned back, but she was radiant, fierce.
He forced himself to stay detached, to focus on the project. He had built walls around his heart for a reason.
"Your numbers look solid," he said, flipping through the pages. "But the timeline—I'm concerned it's too aggressive."
Emily lifted her chin. "We can handle it. My team knows what's at stake."
Their eyes clashed. For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick and charged.
Emily's POV
"Why didn't you tell me?" she burst out suddenly. "When you saw my name on the contract. Why didn't you warn me you were the client?"
Ethan froze. His expression flickered, then hardened.
"It wouldn't have changed anything," he said flatly.
Emily's throat tightened. "You let me walk back into this blind."
"You walked in on your own," Ethan snapped, his voice sharper now. "I didn't force you."
Ethan's POV
He hated the bitterness in his own tone. But seeing her again, hearing her voice, stirred up everything he had tried to bury.
"Emily," he said more quietly, "this is business. Let's keep it professional."
Emily laughed softly, bitterly. "Professional? Between us? Do you really think that's possible?"
Their gazes locked again, heat simmering beneath the words.
Emily's POV
She forced herself to look away, gathering her papers. "Fine. Let's keep it professional. But don't think I've forgotten everything, Ethan."
He stepped closer, and for a moment, she thought he might reach for her.
But instead, he simply said, "Neither have I."
Her breath caught.
Then, with a brisk nod, Ethan turned and walked out, leaving her standing alone, heart pounding, hands trembling.
Ethan's POV (later, in his office)
Ethan closed the door behind him and leaned back against it, exhaling shakily.
He should have been stronger. Colder. But seeing Emily again, hearing the edge in her voice, the fire in her eyes—it was unraveling him.
His phone buzzed. A message from Lexi: Dinner tonight? Don't forget.
Ethan closed his eyes briefly, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on him.
He was a married man, bound by duty, by contracts, by family.
And yet, one look from Emily, and his carefully built world was already beginning to crack.