THE RETURN

The sound of her heels echoed through the marble lobby, sharp, confident, and nothing like the soft footsteps of the girl she once was.

Liana Hayes paused in front of the glass doors of Blackwell Enterprises, her reflection staring back at her. Same eyes, warm brown, but colder now. Same lips, once trembling from heartbreak, now painted with silent power.

It had been five years since she walked away from this building… and from the man who made her believe love was forever.

Now, she was back.

And this time, she wasn’t here for love.

The receptionist’s eyes widened slightly when she gave her name. “Ms. Hayes? You have an appointment with Mr. Blackwell at ten.”

“Yes,” she said simply. Her voice was steady, calm, almost too calm for the storm brewing inside her.

As the elevator doors slid open, she took a deep breath and pressed the button for the top floor. Every floor that passed brought her closer to him, to Adrian Blackwell, the man who’d once promised to love her through every lifetime, and then kissed another woman while her heart broke in silence.

The elevator chimed.

The doors opened.

And there he was.

Adrian stood by the wide glass window, the city stretching out behind him. He turned when he heard her heels click against the floor, and for a second, time folded in on itself.

He looked the same, yet different. The boyish charm had been replaced by sharp confidence. The soft smile that once melted her heart was gone, replaced by a guarded expression that cracked the moment his eyes met hers.

“Liana,” he breathed, as if saying her name hurt.

“Mr. Blackwell,” she replied smoothly, stepping forward. “It’s been a while.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Five years. You disappeared.”

She smiled faintly. “You made it easy.”

Silence. Only the hum of the city outside filled the room.

He looked at her, really looked, as if trying to find traces of the girl he once loved. But that girl was gone. In her place stood a woman who had learned that even broken hearts can be rebuilt with a little fire.

“I heard you started your own company,” Adrian said finally, his tone low. “And now you’re proposing a partnership?”

“That’s right,” she said, sliding a file across his desk. “Your new expansion needs what my firm offers. I thought it was time our paths crossed again.”

He didn’t take the file. Instead, his gaze lingered on her face, his voice softening. “Is that really the reason you’re here, Liana?”

She tilted her head slightly, lips curling into a knowing smile. “What other reason could there be?”

Adrian’s eyes darkened. “Maybe you came back because you missed me.”

For a heartbeat, her breath caught, memories flashing like lightning: his hands on her waist, his whispered promises, his betrayal. She straightened her spine.

“Miss you?” she said quietly. “I came back to finish what you started.”

He froze, confusion flickering in his expression.

Before he could speak again, she turned to leave. “I’ll have my assistant schedule a follow-up meeting,” she said over her shoulder. “Good day, Mr. Blackwell.”

The elevator doors closed behind her with a soft chime, and Adrian was left standing there — staring at the woman who once loved him more than life, now walking away like he was nothing but a stranger.

But deep down, she could still feel his eyes on her.

And even deeper, buried under pride and pain, she could still feel her heart, traitorous and alive, beating to the rhythm of his name.