Alex POV
The atmosphere in the seminar hall crackled with possibility—bright LED lights casting a crisp glow over the sleek mahogany tables arranged in a horseshoe formation for breakout sessions. Two hundred pairs of eyes fixed on me as I wrapped up my talk on disruptive innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship. The space hummed with the energy of young minds eager to reshape the world, their notebooks filled with hastily scribbled ideas and dreams too big for their pages. I thrived here, drawing strength from their raw ambition and unfiltered enthusiasm. This was my element now—inspiring change, not playing trophy wife at cocktail parties.
Then the double doors burst open with a crack that felt like a gunshot.
The unmistakable rhythm of Italian leather shoes striking marble flooring echoed across the room—a sound I hadn't heard in five years but would recognize anywhere. My heart stumbled over its next beat, but my expression remained fixed in a practiced smile, the kind that had
