Andrea walked slowly down the hallway leading to her office, her mind miles away. The shock still throbbed in her chest. She couldn't believe it that after four long years, she'd stood face-to-face with the same man who had destroyed her. The same man who'd made the world turn her into a joke.
The slap she'd given him wasn't enough. He deserved worse not in the face, but in the heart. The same place where she had been stabbed that day on the stage.
A voice suddenly echoed behind her, hurried and breathless, but Andrea didn't hear it , not really, until the person bumped gently into her side.
"Oh my God, Andrea!" the voice squealed. "You won't believe it! I just heard…the sexiest, most handsome man alive is in the building. Ethan. Ethan Darksire."
Eva's round face lit up like a Christmas light as she waved her hands in pure excitement, completely unaware of Andrea's frozen silence.
Andrea said nothing. Her arms hung loosely by her sides as she kept walking, lost in that same painful loop in her head. Eva trailed behind her, still gushing as if she'd just seen a god.
By the time Andrea reached her office, Eva was still going on and on, breathless. "Ah! I can't wait for him to step out so I can actually see him up close. Everyone in the hotel's saying he looks even better in person…my goodness!"
She pressed a hand to her chest dramatically. "Now I totally understand why he left that girl on the show"
Andrea froze. That line hit home….she was that 'girl' who was foolishly blinded by Love….
Eva kept talking, twirling a strand of hair. "I mean, he can't just belong to one person. A man like that? No way. He's…he's meant for everyone."
Andrea slowly turned her head and looked at Eva for the first time in minutes. Then, without a word, she rolled her eyes and turned back to her desk…
Eva kept ranting until it hit her. She'd been rambling for almost five minutes, and Andrea hadn't said a single word. Her neck jerked slightly as she blinked in realization.
"What the fuck….Paloma, don't tell me you're already head over heels in love with him!" Eva said, her eyes widening as she stared at Andrea.
"Head over heels, my foot! To hell with him!" Andrea snapped, picking up the same pen she'd been holding earlier and stabbing it hard into her desk.
"To hell with him! To hell with him!" she repeated, her voice trembling with anger. Then, realizing she was overreacting.. Quickly, she let go of the pen, exhaled deeply, and tried to calm her nerves.
"I'm not interested in him," she muttered finally with a softer tone. "He isn't someone of my kind."
Eva just stood there, staring in shock, as Andrea swallowed hard and reached for a file on the desk, pretending like the outburst had never happened.
"Someone definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Eva muttered, her lips twisting into a teasing pout. She spelt it out slowly, "S–A–D." Then, with a shrug, she added, "Anyway, I'm just glad we decided to come to the hotel for work today."
She paused mid-thought, her eyes widening, then asked Andrea if she'd met the new boss yet…
Andrea lifted her head from the files, her brows knitting together in confusion. Her face clearly said, What boss?
Before either of them could say another word, the shout from earlier came again louder this time…
Eva whipped her head toward the door. "Oh my God...I'm sure….it's him. Ethan Darksire. He's coming this way!"
She jumped up from where she stood and rushed to the door just as it swung open. Ethan Darksire strode past with a tight jaw.. For a second, everything slowed with the crowd outside gasping and pushing for a glimpse. Eva's mouth dropped open as he passed just inches from her. Her eyes followed him all the way down the hall until he disappeared around the corner. Then, turning back toward Andrea, she pressed a hand to her chest dramatically.
"He is so hooOOt," she breathed out like her breath was taken away. "Oh my God…his skin looks like it's made of silk." Her voice trembled, and she actually teared up.
Andrea didn't react, clearly unbothered.
Eva blinked, realizing she was fangirling alone. "Okay," she said quickly, grabbing her phone. "I need a picture.", she rushed out of the office, leaving Andrea sitting there in the heavy silence as her her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the desk.
The moment Ethan slipped into the black Mercedes-Benz parked outside the hotel, the anger he'd been holding in erupted. He slammed his fist against the seat in front of him, muttering curses under his breath. Fury rolled through him….how dare they treat him like that, like some nobody? He was Ethan Darksire, and he deserved respect.
As the engine started and the car eased forward, he turned to the tinted window, staring out. He didn't bother acknowledging the crowd still screaming his name outside. His eyes were fixed only on the hotel's name glowing in the distance. His jaw tightened as the car pulled away, that name burning itself into his mind like a mark he wouldn't forget.
The next few hours at the hotel didn't feel like a normal day. Everything seemed heavier for Andrea.
Now parked at her apartment's car lot, her forehead rested against the steering wheel. She still couldn't believe she was feeling the same miserable as she'd felt years ago. She thought she had outgrown it…that after all the years of composure and distance, the pain would've dulled. But seeing him again brought it all back, the anger, the humiliation, and something else she wasn't ready to name.
Slowly, she stepped out of the car and dragged herself up to her apartment. The lights flicked on automatically as she entered her three-bedroom home, but the glow felt cold. She walked straight to her room, shut the door behind her, and leaned against it, breathing hard.
She could still feel his touch on her face earlier that morning, the way his hand brushed her cheek like he still owned her. The thought made her stomach twist.
Annoyed at herself for letting him get that close, she rubbed her hand harshly across her cheek, as if trying to wipe the memory off her skin. The makeup smeared, staining her fingertips.
Her frustration boiled over and she stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes were burning with anger… until the anger cracked and the tears finally fell…They mixed with the streaks of mascara and concealer, turning into black trails that ran down her cheeks.
She stood there watching herself fall apart, the image of a woman she no longer recognized.
With a sudden tug, she pulled off her wig, revealing her short, soft curls underneath. The glossy perfection vanished instantly. Her hands trembled as she peeled away the thin facelift tapes hidden beneath her hairline, the ones that had shaped her baby face into someone else's.
Then, with one last motion, she reached for her eyes. Slowly, she removed the colored contact lenses, blinking as her true deep brown eye color finally came into view.
The woman staring back at her wasn't Paloma Moon, the composed manager everyone admired. It was Andrea Winters…the girl the world had humiliated, the heartbroken woman she'd buried years ago.