A Familiar Stranger

He looked so…different.

It was expected. Seven years was a long time, but it was shocking to see.

He was taller, broader, and his eyes seemed to bore into my soul. But it was his expression that shocked me the most.

“I…” A lump formed in my throat I couldn't get rid of. What on earth could I possibly say?

“Damian-”

“Look who's here? The Landon heiress. Although can you really call yourself that anymore?”

It felt like I'd been struck. I blinked, trying to process his words. Disbelief flooded me as I looked at him.

His eyes were cold and hard. He looked at me with a mixture of disdain and curiosity, his gaze piercing through me like a knife.

There were so many times I'd imagined meeting him again, but never had I expected him to be so harsh, so unfeeling.

“I need to talk to you,” I said, fighting my emotions back. I needed to address what happened earlier, why he had taken my family's company. But before that there was so much I needed to say, starting with the truth of why I left.

“You need to talk?” he said, his voice dripping with disdain that made me flinch. A smirk grew in his face,

“I don't have time to listen to someone like you. There are better things to deal with than those below me.”

It was like a punch to the gut.

As I looked at him, there was no pain or emotion in his eyes. Just like that he'd shattered the hopes I had.

I'd thought that maybe, just maybe, he still had feelings for me. But I know now that that was just a foolish dream.

“Damien?” A second voice called out, I looked behind him and it was like a knife to my heart.

A blonde woman emerged from his office wearing a silky green dress. She latched onto Damien intimately, her hands wrapping around his arm. He didn't push her off, merely replicated the gesture. That was when I noticed the ring on her hand, matching his.

I recognized her. Lisa Davis, the daughter of a new money socialite. I could recall how my father laughed about them, how her father was desperate for alliances with big companies. The last I'd heard,

She was recently engaged. Now it was clear I knew who she was engaged to.

“Let's go,” Damien said, pulling her close to him, before smiling at her. It only served to twist the knife further.

I was frozen in place as he led her away without sparing a glance in my direction. Tears bit my eyes against the florescent lights with only one thought in mind.

Too late.

….

I made my way home, still reeling with thoughts of Damien and Lisa. Earlier before, my mother had given me directions to what was supposed to be our new home. They'd moved into it in our absence as my mother bitterly complained about. They'd lost everything, it seemed, except for this tiny house they'd bought on a whim.

When I arrived, I found that said home was small. Entering inside I was immediately crowded by their expectant stares after I'd told her during the call of where I'd gone.

“Well, did you talk to him?” my mother asked, her eyes eager. "What did he say?"

The memory sent a pang through me. I shut my eyes tightly.

“He didn't say anything, Mother. He didn't even bother talking to me.”

The place seemed to turn silent, with tension so thick it could be cut. When I opened them again, I found that my father's face turned red with anger.

“What do you mean he didn't bother talking to you? You're his... he's supposed to be familiar with you.”

“That means nothing to him. Not anymore. He's made that very clear.” I said, a pang ran through my chest at the reminder.

The closeness he had with her. The cold way he looked at me. Full of cruelty…hatred.

He hated me. This must have been twisted revenge for him for back then. He thought I'd abandoned him.

And it was too late. He was with someone else and everything was gone.

“So he's taken everything and you couldn't even convince him?” My mother cried out, her expression turning ugly,

“You should have used your past relationship to pressure him. If you'd just tried harder to convince him…How could he be so cruel?”

"How could he care about this family after what you did?” I bursted out, all my anger, my heartbreak boiling over.

“You're the ones who shattered the relationship between us. You're the ones who forced me to leave him behind. You made me break his heart.”

And in turn, they also broke mine.

My parents were taken aback by my outburst, but they quickly recovered.

“We did it for your own good,” my father said, his voice cold. "We did it to secure your future."

I laughed, bitterness filling me.

“Secure my future? You didn't do it for me mom, dad, you did it for yourself and for what? We've lost everything.” I said

The silence that followed was tense and uncomfortable. I knew I'd spoken the truth, but it didn't make the situation any easier to bear.

I stormed out, entering the small hall until I found my new room filled with all my belongings before slamming the door behind me.

Laying on my bed, I closed my eyes, memories of him filling me. The way he used to smile at me, the way he used to hold my hand…

The way he'd looked at me today, with such coldness and disdain.

Tears streamed down my face.

I still loved him. I loved him despite the years that passed and I still loved him now despite what he'd done to my family and I, despite the words he'd said.

I loved him and it was too late.

I cried myself to sleep, feeling like a living ghost.

…

Weeks passed and nothing was ever the same.

Everything had changed now that my family had been cast out and shamed. In a flash all of the connections, the friends and partners had cast them away leaving us with nothing. We were humiliated, and the only person who was still standing was me. The only stable thing I had left was my job.

But even that wasn't enough to distract me from thoughts of Damien. He'd moved on, gotten his twisted revenge, and yet I was still stuck in the past, still in love with him.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even notice the Director standing in front of me until he cleared his throat.

“Mr Coleman,” I rushed out, anxiety filling me.

"Follow me Miss Landon,” he asked, his voice firm but polite.

I nodded, anxiety filling me. As I followed him, my heart pounded in my chest.

I'd tried my best to focus on work despite the mounting stress. Had I slipped up? Was it about his son?

As he led me into his office, I stepped in without question only to stiffen at the sight.

Standing in the middle of his office, I was face to face with Damien again.