Chapter 21

Orana’s Point of View

He promised that he would be here.

Vaughn was never late.

My gaze flicked to the door and then to the clock, and then back to the chair again.

Minutes passed, then an hour.

I inhaled slowly, reaching for my phone under the table. My thumb hovered for half a second, hesitating to call him. I knew I could handle this, but somehow I still wanted him here.

Was I going crazy cause my boss wasn’t here or something else?

I pressed the call button, and it rang. No answer.

I called again, and no answer again. A small crease formed between my brows. I ended the call and tried again, my leg bouncing faintly under the table.

He didn’t pick, but once everyone was looking at the project, I moved from the table to the corner and called him again.

This time, he picked up.

“What?”

I straightened. “You’re late.”

Silence stretched between him and me.

“Vaughn,” his name was like a plea on my lips.

“Start without me.”

My grip on the phone tightened. “That’s not like you. What’s going on?”

A pause, then a woman’s voice came. I could hear it from here. “Vaughn, who…”

My stomach dropped before I could stop it. What the fuck was happening to me?

“Not now.”

The line went dead. I stared at the screen, my reflection staring back at me as if I didn’t quite recognize it. For a second, I just stood there.

Then I exhaled slowly, locking my phone and lifting my chin before turning back toward the meeting room.

“Orana.”

I stopped, closed my eyes briefly.

When I turned, Callahan was already there, his presence filling the space in a way that made it hard to breathe.

“I’m not in the mood today,” I said, brushing past him.

His hand closed around my arm.

I stilled, my pulse kicking once, hard, before I turned my head to look at him. “Let go.”

He stepped in front of me, forcing me to face him fully. His grip shifted slightly, not loosening, as if he had no intention of letting me go anywhere.

“I just want us to meet.” He said. His voice was lower than usual. “Let’s talk… please.”

I searched his face, something sharp flickering in my chest. “You don’t do that,” I said.

His jaw tightened. “Do what?”

“Say please.”

For a second, something unreadable passed through his eyes, and then it was gone.

“I’m saying it now.”

I pulled my arm back, forcing space between us. “Well, too bad. I have no business with you.”

I held his gaze anyway.

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair before stepping closer again. “I’ve been looking for you.”

I smiled before sarcastically shrugging, “You found me. Congratulations.”

His eyes darkened. “That’s not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be.”

“We still must talk about us. Our son,” he said finally.

A small laugh slipped out of me. “Our Son? Cal, you have no son. Remember? You told me to get rid of it.”

His hand flexed at his side. “It was a mistake.”

I tilted my head slightly, meeting his gaze without hesitation. “A mistake? You told me to do it fast. You have no right to ask about our child!”

His expression hardened, the softness from earlier gone as if it had never existed.

“You’re going to talk to me,” he said, his tone dropping into something colder. More familiar. “Or I might end up doing something worse.”

I let out a quiet breath, stepping closer instead of back this time, close enough to see the flicker of surprise in his eyes.

“Then do it,” I said.

His gaze snapped to mine, but I didn’t flinch.

“Go ahead,” I continued, my voice steady. “Do whatever it is you think will scare me into listening.”

My heart was pounding hard enough to feel in my throat, but I didn’t let it show.

“You don’t get to control me,” I added. “I’m not that fucking girl who settled for whatever you threw in her direction.”

“No, you are not,” he retorted, looking as if it was painful to even say it.

“Good. Now stay the fuck away from me.”

I stepped around him, this time without his hand stopping me, and walked straight back toward the meeting room.

Orana’s Point of View

“Did you even read the report?” He snapped, his voice cutting across the table.

Edward stiffened, but held his ground. “I did. I just don’t agree with…”

“Then read it again.”

I watched Edward’s jaw tighten, the flicker of irritation in his eyes before he looked away, choosing not to push further. It didn’t stop Callahan.

He leaned back in his chair, gaze sweeping the table as if he owned not just the room but everyone in it.

My fingers curled slightly against my notebook.

This wasn’t going anywhere.

“Let’s reschedule,” I said, my voice cutting through before he could start again. “Tonight. If everyone’s available.”

A few heads turned toward me, and then Callahan’s gaze followed, slower. I blinked back.

“I’m sorry. But you expect us to drop everything and show up because of your people’s incompetence?” Marissa snarled, leaning forward.

I scoffed. “Forgive me, it’s hardly incompetence if we can’t agree on terms. What Vaughn suggested still stands.”

“Vaughn? Not Mr. Carson?” She smirked, and that earned her a glare from Callahan.

“This isn’t helping. We have made no progress since morning. This would help us,” I said.

Before anyone could question it, I stood, gathering my things. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning.”

“No. We don’t have time,” Marissa responded.

“Let’s reconvene tomorrow morning,” Callahan said, and my eyes met his briefly before I gathered my things and made my way out the door. I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

**

The faint scent of perfume lingered in the air. I moved through the aisles, letting my fingers brush against fabrics. I came out to shop, trying to shake off the weight that had followed me out of that room.

“Running away again?”

I stilled.

Closed my eyes for a second before turning.

Callahan stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, looking entirely too comfortable, as if he hadn’t just spent the last six hours making people look incompetent.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than stalk me?” I asked.

He stepped closer. “No.”

His gaze dropped to me with a smirk on his face. “You’re the better thing I want to look at.”

My stomach tightened, but I kept my face straighter. “I don’t have any business with you.”

“I disagree.”

I let out a quiet breath, glancing around the store before stepping aside.

“What exactly do you want, Callahan?”

“I told you. I want you back.” He said casually, walking around to stand in front of me.

“And I said, no.”

“Why?” he asked as if he didn’t really understand why I was acting like this.

I held his gaze. “I’ve moved on. I have a life, and I am happy.”

Something in his expression stilled. “With him?”

“This has nothing to do with Vaughn. Have you forgotten what happened between us? Or how you asked me to do it fast because you wanted to start a family with Marissa?” I snapped.

I took a deep breath, stepping back.

“You can be with Marissa,” I added, my voice steady. “Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

He let out a quiet huff, something between a laugh and disbelief.

“That’s what I thought,” he said.

My brows pulled together. “What does that mean?”

His gaze didn’t leave mine. “It made sense then.”

“And now?”

“Now…” He paused, studying my face. “I found you.”

“You want to talk?” I asked him, and he nodded like he was ready to do anything.

“Why did you marry me?” I asked.

He suddenly froze, his eyes lingering on my face, and then that mask was up again. I knew the reason, but I didn’t want to push it. For so long, I hoped it wasn’t true until I found out from Sienna.

“Orana,” he whispered,

My phone lit up before he could respond. The screen brightened between us, and the picture of our daughter was there.

Liorah.

My chest softened, my thumb swiping to answer without thinking. “Hi, baby.”

Her voice filtered through, small and giggly, telling me about her nanny. I turned, softening without meaning to. She was my world and what grounded me. I couldn’t move because Callahan was there.

“I just called to say goodnight, Mama.”

“Oh, thank you, Bunny. I miss you too much,” I retorted, warmth spreading around my chest. “Goodnight and kisses”

“Hugs,” she replied before she gave the phone back to her nanny.

When I ended the call, the silence followed, and Callahan was staring at the screen.

At her picture.

Something in his expression cracked, just enough to notice.

I grabbed my things, stepping back. “I need to get back to the hotel.”

“Orana.”

I paused.

“We have a girl?” He asked, his voice almost cracking, and I swallowed hard before meeting his gaze. For the first time since I came back to this city, I saw something that I never thought Callahan was capable of. Regret.

I turned my head, just enough to look at him over my shoulder.

“I have a girl. Yours died the day you asked me to get rid of it,” I retorted, then walked out of that place, dumping everything I wanted to buy on the way out.