CHAPTER 4

EMILY

~Flashback to Six Years Ago~

“Hey, four eyes!”

Troy, Cole’s best friend, called from behind, and laughter erupted from their group.

Even Cole was laughing.

“Please, Troy.” I said quietly, keeping my eyes down as I walked faster. “I’ve told you to stop calling me that.”

But the seven of them surrounded me like a pack of predators, blocking every escape.

“Aw, don’t be shy now,” one of them sneered. “You love the attention, don’t you?”

“Maybe if you stopped stuffing your face, we’d actually see your eyes behind those glasses,” another added.

I swallowed hard.

“Please, Troy. Stop.”

“But I’m not lying, you smelly, fat girl,” he mocked, pouting dramatically.

More laughter followed.

My throat tightened painfully, but I refused to cry.

Not again.

“I’m not doing this with you,” I muttered, trying to move around them. “I have a chemistry class.”

Before I could take another step, something yanked me backward.

“Not so fast, fatty.”

Troy gripped my backpack tightly.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I told you, I have a class.” My voice trembled despite my effort to steady it. “Please let me go.”

“Emily, Emily…” he taunted. “Trying to be feisty?”

Then he ripped my glasses off my face.

My world instantly blurred.

“Please, Troy,” I begged, panic rising in my chest. “I need my glasses. I can’t see without them.”

Sneakers scraped against the tiled floor as they circled me.

“Maybe she doesn’t need them,” someone snickered.

“Yeah. She probably just hates looking at herself.”

The first tears slipped down before I could stop it.

“Please,” I whispered again. “Give them back.”

“Report me then,” Troy scoffed. “Oh wait, you can’t.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You’re here on a scholarship in my grandfather’s school, remember? One complaint and it disappears.”

My stomach dropped.

“Alright, enough.”

Cole finally spoke.

His voice was calm, but firm enough to make the others quiet down.

“Give her back her glasses. We’re going to be late for Jules’ party.”

Troy sighed dramatically. “Fine. Since our captain says so.”

He tossed my glasses onto the floor, making them skid across the hallway.

“Can’t believe we wasted time on her.”

Their laughter faded as they walked away.

I quickly grabbed my glasses and pushed them onto my face before hurrying down the hall.

I didn’t stop until I burst into the girls’ restroom.

My breath was uneven, my vision blurry all over again, this time from tears.

I barely noticed someone walking out before I slammed straight into them, sending us both to the floor.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” I babbled, scrambling up immediately.

“Emily?”

I froze at the familiar voice.

Relief hit instantly.

“Lillian.”

She looked at me with wide, worried eyes.

“What happened?”

And that was all it took.

I broke down completely.

Lillian wrapped her arms around me without hesitation, rubbing my back while I cried into her shoulder.

“You’ll be fine, Emily,” she whispered softly, cupping my face once my tears finally slowed. “I’ll always be here for you, okay?”

I nodded weakly. Hoping she was right about everything getting better.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~Present day~

I missed Lillian.

She had always been there for me, and it’s been years since we last spoke. Part of me wondered if I’d run into her now that I was back in New York.

“Earth to Emily.”

Annie’s whisper and the light kick under the table snapped me out of my thoughts.

I blinked quickly. “What?”

“It’s your turn to introduce yourself,” she whispered back. “And just a heads up, everyone’s looking at you. Including the boss.”

My stomach dropped.

I glanced down at my trembling hands.

You’ve got this, Emily.

Don’t let him ruin this for you too.

I slowly stood, smoothing my damp palms against my dress.

“Uh…” glanced up, and froze the second those dark hazel eyes locked onto mine.

“Go on,” he said smoothly.

The sound of his voice sent an unwelcoming shiver down my spine.

“My name is Emily Carter,” I began, forcing a polite smile. “And it’s an honor to work with such brilliant minds.”

“Brilliant minds?” Someone muttered from the back. “What is she, fifty?”

Laughter rippled across the room.

My fingers curled tightly beneath the table.

Don’t cry.

Don’t shrink.

You’re not that girl anymore.

“That’s enough.”

Cole’s voice cut sharply through the laughter.

The room immediately fell silent.

His expression remained unreadable as his gaze swept across the room.

“This is a professional workspace.” His tone hardened. “Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir,” everyone chorused.

“You may sit, Ms…”

“Carter. Emily Carter.”

I lowered myself back into my seat, my pulse still racing.

He gave a curt nod before continuing.

“Now that introductions are over, we’ll move on to basics.”

He began talking about the company’s vision and future goals, but I barely absorbed a word.

My thoughts were spiraling.

Was it really him?

Cole Calloway.

Does he recognize me?

No.

I forced myself to stay calm.

He wouldn’t recognize me

Not after six years.

Not when everything about me has changed.

Eventually, he glanced at his watch and closed his laptop.

“I have another meeting to prepare for,” he said smoothly. “Any questions before I go?”

A few people raised their hands., and he answered each one with calm authority.

I just sat there, watching him.

Waiting.

Part of me prayed he’d remember me. Remember the girl he hurt.

Another part prayed he wouldn’t.

When he finally started towards the door, relief slowly loosened the tightness in my chest.

But then he stopped.

Slowly, his eyes found mine again.

“You,” he said, pointing directly at me.

My stomach dropped.

His gaze lingered a second longer than necessary.

“Follow me.”