Chapter 5

Three years later…

Jules stared into the mirror as she clipped on the crystal earrings and necklace in place. She smoothed down her blazer before then took one last look at her reflection in the body-length mirror.

She wore a black blazer and matching pants, her raven hair falling in sleek waves over her shoulders. Her lips, painted a deep red, curled into a faint smirk as she took in her reflection.

She’d grown into the kind of woman she used to admire.

In a few minutes, she was ready to leave.

There was a lot of work to do today. But as usual, she came whenever she wanted—yet she was never late.

Her phone lit up on the bed as she turned around.

It was another text from her assistant giving her updates on the meeting she was to have today—an impromptu meeting which she just got to know about the previous day.

Taking a glance at the time, she packed into her bag all her essentials and headed for the door. But then she paused, her eyes dropping to her left fingers where a carefully crafted diamond ring sat.

She bit her inner cheek in thought, pulled it off, and slipped it into her bag before heading out.

*****

The car rolled to a stop in front of the towering glass building, and as Jules stepped out, her eyes lifted to the bold letters at the top:

HARTLINE.

The company she'd built from the ground up, and one reason she got up every morning.

“Good morning ma’am." The receptionist greeted with a smile as Jules strode through the lobby, heading towards the elevator which would get her to her office grounds.

Jules just waved in return and smiled at the other workers who weren't too busy to greet her.

Ding! The elevator door slid open to reveal Zee, her assistant holding a clipboard, her lips pressed in a thin line the way it always was when she was down for business.

She was in a fitted black skirt, a white shirt, and had a white cloth knotted loosely around her neck. Making her almost look like an air hostess.

“Good morning, ma'am,” she greeted, as the elevator closed shut, heading for the sixth floor.

“Any important work today?" Jules asked, her head forward.

Zee scrolled. "No, not really. Only the meeting in which the entire board, alongside the CEOs of our partner companies, would be in attendance.”

Jules sighed. At the mention of the board, she already knew who'd called for the meeting. “When?"

"In a few minutes.”

The elevator door opened, revealing a long hallway whose floor was lined with a black rug.

She pushed open her office door as soon as she got to it, her eyes catching sight of the pile of documents she had to sort out if she survived the unnecessary scolding from the board about taking “personal decisions” for the company.

Like she wasn't the founder and CEO.

“Oh—and you're supposed to meet with that investor from France.” She added and lifted her eyes to Jules, who had placed her bag on the table and drawn open the floor to ceiling window.

Jules stared at the city below, her thoughts spiralling.

Today marked exactly three years since she moved away from the life she was used to.

With nothing but hurt in her heart, she'd sold the only thing she'd known as life and began afresh, threading paths she never imagined she would.

But in the end, she was glad she did.

“Should I schedule it for another day?" Zee asked, partially trying to check if she and her boss were still on the same page.

Finally, Jules let out a sigh and turned around. “Yes. Let's head to the conference room." She announced, taking up a few things and headed out the door.

In no time, Zee pushed open the conference room doors, announcing their presence. And as Jules scanned the few faces at the large table, she could tell a few people were missing.

“Nice of you to join us,” one of the senior board members, a stern-looking man in a gray suit, greeted, his voice cold as his keen eyes watched her take her seat at the head of the table.

“Thank you, George." She replied with a small smile, which portrayed her composure. “I would have prepared earlier if I was duly informed that there would be a meeting. And from what I can see at this table, I'm not the only one who was affected."

The man shifted in his seat a bit. “That was a mistake on our part.” He said, more of a statement than an apology. "But if you must know, this meeting was fixed because of a change in power of one of our major partners.”

Zee, who was standing beside her, leaned forward and whispered. “I forgot to tell you, our tech partners impeached their old boss, and got a rebrand.”

Jules scoffed. ‘Impeached.’

Before she could say another word, her phone vibrated with a message from her nanny: “He's refused to come with me again. I don't know what to do."

A frown formed on her face, and she sprang up from her seat, her phone in her hand.

Zee followed behind like a fly.

All eyes turned to her as she walked towards the door. “Where are you going?" Another man asked, but Jules didn't look back.

“I'll be back when everyone is seated and ready." She replied.

The most important person in her life needed her attention.

This was not the first time she was getting this kind of text. And each time, she'd abandon everything she was doing, no matter what it was.

She stepped out of the building and headed for her car, which thankfully wasn't yet parked in the lot.

The door was open for her, but suddenly, she paused. The sight of two black cars driving into the premises.

As soon as the cars came to a halt behind hers, the back door of one car was opened, and out came the one man whom she never thought she'd see till she died.

Her heart skipped a beat and pounded in her ears. “It's not possible." She whispered.

With her eyes unable to leave the sight, she signaled to Zee. “What did you say was the name of the rebranded company?”

Zee scrolled quickly, then glanced up.

“Cross tech, ma’am."