Chapter 3

Chapter 3

LUCAS’ POV 

I didn’t want to attend that meeting, but I was glad I did. 

Apparently, I had a new personal assistant. Not that I needed one, but mother insisted. 

But when she walked in and I got just a glimpse of her, my whole world stopped. 

It was a face I hadn’t seen in years, and never imagined I’d ever see. 

I didn’t even know her name. 

All I knew was, I fell in love with her five years ago at a random club and never got the opportunity to see her again. She completely disappeared. 

“Mr King?” I heard Tom call out for at least the third time.

I quickly turned to him. Only then did I realize I was staring, hard. 

“You had something to say?” 

“Uhhh,” I looked around the table trying to remember. I was completely thrown off by her that I lost track of what I was doing. 

“Remind me what this meeting was about again?” I asked. 

“It’s about the new product we’re advertising. You had something to say about it.” 

I still couldn’t concentrate. “Why don’t we leave that to the advertising team? We can pick up from wherever they stop some other time.” 

“Oh but today’s Mrs Hart’s first day, and—”

“Miss,” she corrected. 

“My apologies.” Tom looked back at me. “This meeting was supposed to be her welcoming.”

“We can do that another time Tom.”

I stood up and walked out. 

I pulled out my phone and called the only person I could talk to about this. 

Ethan. 

“Ethan, meet me in my office.”

“Who said I was in the company?”

“I don’t care where you are, meet me in my office now. This is important.”

I ended the call before he could reply. 

I looked back at her talking to the others. She was smiling. I longed to see that smile for years, and now I was staring at her but I couldn’t bring myself to even stay in close range with her. I had no idea what to say or how to act. 

I turned around before she could notice me and headed to my office. Ethan was already there. 

“I thought you weren’t in the company.”

“Speak to me like that again and I’ll show you why you never won our wrestling matches when we were kids.” 

He sat down. 

“Natalie is here.” 

“Who’s Natalie?”

“The girl I had a one night stand with five years ago.”

“You mean the one you’ve been searching for? She’s here?” 

“Yes!”

“What? How?”

“Our mother decided I needed a personal assistant and hired one. I hadn’t met her before this, I just agreed to it when she told me she found one.” 

“Okayyy, how do you even know it’s her?” 

I sat down across from him. “I’d never forget her.” 

“Come on Lucas, it's been five years, you really can’t still be in love with her.” 

I stayed quiet, because I was. 

“Are you? Lucas it was a one night stand, you’re supposed to forget her.” 

“I can’t. There’s just something about her I can’t shake off.” 

He took a deep sigh. “Well what do you want me to do? Set up a nice dinner for you two?” 

“Can you be serious? I’m fucking freaking out.” 

“Woah, okay, relax.”

“I need a background check on her. Can you ask Emily to do it?”

“You want a background check on your personal assistant? Just ask her.”

“I can’t, okay!” I took a deep breath. “But I do want to speak to her.”

“She’s supposed to be here isn’t she?”

“It’s her first day, Tom’s probably forcing her to say hi to everyone.” 

He cackled so loud I almost sent him out. 

I turned my chair around, backing Ethan. 

For five years I searched for her nonstop. I spent everyday wondering what I did to make her disappear without a trace. Heck, I even thought she was married but apparently not. 

She was all I could think about for a whole year, and even after that she still came to mind often. Especially when my mother tried to force me into another marriage. I somehow kept wishing it was her. 

I didn’t even know her name or where she lived, or anything at all. But her presence just took away all the sadness I kept hidden for years in seconds. 

“Speaking of the devil,” Ethan said in a devilish voice. 

I heard my door open. 

I spun my chair back around and there she was. 

“Miss Hart,” I said, standing up. 

“I know how unprofessional this is, and I know this could ruin my chances of keeping this job, but please, I have to go.”

“Go where?” 

“I have a relative that’s…” her voice shook. “It’s an emergency, please.” 

It sounded like she was about to cry. 

“So you do know how unprofessional it is?” 

“I do, and it won’t happen again I swear but this is the only family I have.” 

“I don’t suppose offering you a ride would be unprofessional as well?” 

She straightened. “Thank you, but it would. I can get there myself.” 

“I insist,” I started to walk over. “Is it a sibling?”

She took a step back. 

I paused, instantly understanding what she was doing.

“No. It’s my daughter.” She looked away.

“Oh. Then we shouldn’t argue about this. Think of it as a favor from an old friend.” 

“I don’t understand what you mean.” 

I felt a heart drop to my stomach. 

She was obviously trying to act like she didn’t know me. 

“Oh. I shouldn’t waste your time then. You can go, take as much time as you need.” 

“Thank you so much. Thank you.” 

She ran out of the room. 

I stepped back, almost losing balance. 

“Are you sure that’s her?”

“Positive.”

“It looks like she saw you as a regular one night stand to me. You should do the same.” 

“That’s impossible, we had a connection.” 

“You were drunk, man, get over it.” 

I leaned over at the table and placed a hand over my mouth. 

“She has a child.” 

“Please don’t tell me you think it’s yours.” 

“No, of course not. But what if?” 

“This is insane Lucas.” 

“I need that background check Ethan.”

“If it means getting over it, sure? I’ll handle it.”

“Thank you.”

Ethan headed for the door and I sat again. 

She gad a daughter. It shouldn’t have surprised me. 

Of course she had a life after me. Of course she moved on. 

But why did it still hurt?