Chapter 5

Ariana

"Are you sure we shouldn't report this man for sexual harassment?"

Matt's voice followed me as we stepped inside the apartment.

I closed the door behind us and kicked off my shoes, trying to ignore the fact that my heart was still pounding far too hard.

Not from fear. At least that's what I kept telling myself.

Tessa walked out of the kitchen holding a cup of coffee.

"Who is reporting who?" she asked, immediately sensing something was wrong.

I didn't answer. Instead, I made my way to the couch and practically collapsed into it.

Matt and Tessa exchanged a look before joining me.

"What happened?" Tessa asked.

Matt sat down in the armchair opposite me.

"Some guy was talking to her outside."

His jaw tightened. "Talking is putting it nicely. The bastard had his hands on her." If only he knew what will cost him if he was to say it to Damien's face.

Tessa's eyes widened. "What? Who is that Ariana?"

I stared at the floor. The truth was, Damien had the wrong impression. He thought Matt was my husband. Or boyfriend. Or Lily's father.

I should have felt relieved. Instead, all I could think about was how close Damien had been.

I could still feel his hand on my wrist. Still feel the heat of his body. Still hear the low sound of his voice when he offered me a job.

Work for him.

I hated how my body remembered him. Hated how my breathing had betrayed me.

"Earth to Ariana."

Tessa's voice pulled me back.

I blinked. Both of them were staring at me now.

Concern written all over their faces.

The worst part wasn't Damien finding me. It wasn't losing my jobs. It wasn't even the threats hidden beneath his words. The worst part was realizing that somewhere beneath all my anger...

Tessa sat beside me. "Ariana, talk to us."

I swallowed. Then finally lifted my eyes.

"It was Damien."

Matt frowned. Tessa's expression immediately hardened.

"Wait...What? What did he want from you now?"

I laughed bitterly. "What do you think?"

I looked down at my hands. "He offered me a job. At his company."

Tessa looked ready to commit a crime.

"He what? After asking you to be his mistress. Is he seriously okay in the head!?"

Matt eyes widened. "Mistress! That's stupid."

A humorless smile touched my lips. "Apparently that's what he thinks of me now."

Tessa shot to her feet. "That arrogant, disgusting piece of—"

"Tess."

"No!" she snapped. "Absolutely not. Six years later and he's still acting like a dumbass?"

Matt looked equally horrified now.

"Wait. That is Lily's father?"

I nodded. He dragged a hand down his face.

"Okay. Wow. Now I understand why there was tension between you two."

A tired laugh escaped me. "Join the club."

"I swear if he shows up here again—"

"What?" I looked at her with a small tired smile. "You'll attack a mafia boss with a kitchen knife?"

"If necessary."

Typical Tessa. She stopped pacing and pointed at me.

"Listen to me carefully. That man does not get to walk back into your life and start making demands."

"No. He doesn't." Matt pitched in.

"You survived without him for six years.You built a life."

Yeah. A small one. A messy one. But mine.

"And he's not taking that away from you."

Matt nodded.

"She's right. You lost two jobs. That sucks. But it's not the end."

Easy for him to say. As if sensing my thoughts, he smiled.

"I got rejected from twelve different jobs before landing my current one."

"Twelve?" I asked lifting a brow. Tessa never mentioned that.

"Twelve."

Tessa snorted and slapped his arm. "It was actually fifteen."

Matt pointed at her.

"Traitor."

"You'll find something," Matt continued. "You're smart. You're hardworking. And you're stubborn enough to annoy an entire city."

"That's true," Tessa agreed.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks. I think."

Tessa sat down again squeezing my hand.  "We'll figure it out."

We.

The simple word made emotion rise unexpectedly in my chest.

I swallowed hard. "Thank you both of you."

Tessa frowned. "Don't do that."

"What?"

"That grateful thing."

I laughed. "You literally help raise my child."

"And?"

"You let us live here."

"This house is yours too." She nudged my shoulder.

Matt wrapped a hand around his girlfriend's shoulder. "Tessa is right. By the time I swept her off her feet you can have this house all to yourself."

"Please," I scoffed. "You two can't go five minutes without acting like you're in a romantic comedy."

That earned me matching offended looks. Which only made me laugh harder.

I gave Matt an apologetic look. "Sorry about Damien thinking you're my boyfriend."

"Oh, so that was why he looked like he wanted to kill me."

Tessa immediately slid closer to him and wrapped her arms around his.

"I actually liked it."

"You what?"

She smiled innocently. "It means my man is attractive enough to make people jealous."

Matt looked ridiculously pleased by that. I made a face.

"Oh my God."

Tessa kissed his cheek. Matt kissed her forehead.

I cleared my throat loudly. "Go get a room."

Both of them laughed.

Shaking my head, I stood. "Goodnight." I waved at them and headed to Lily's room.

This is the reason why I am already grateful to Tessa. Because Lily was able to have her own separate room.

I walked over and sat beside my daughter who was fast asleep.  A few strands of hair had fallen across her face.

Gently, I brushed them back. Then I leaned down and kissed her forehead. She stirred slightly but didn't wake.

For a long moment, I just sat there watching her.

My daughter. My heart. My reason for everything.

And suddenly one thought wouldn't leave me alone. Why had I let Damien affect me again?

Six years should have been enough. Enough to hate him. Enough to forget him.

Enough to stop my heart from stumbling whenever he got too close.

Yet standing in front of him today...Part of me had felt seventeen again.

And that terrified me. Because history had already destroyed me once. I couldn't survive letting it repeat itself.

**

"Sorry, dear, but we're fully staffed at the moment."

The elderly woman behind the bakery counter gave me an apologetic smile.

"If a position opens up, we'll reach out."

The smile on my face felt practiced by now. This was the second rejection today.

The first had been at a small convenience store three blocks away. Now it was a family-owned bakery. Both had ended exactly the same way.

I accepted the paper she'd handed back to me.

"Thank you for your time."

She smiled kindly. "I hope you find something soon."

"So do I."

A few minutes later, I stepped outside.

The busy street stretched before me. Cars passed. People hurried along the sidewalks. Life continued moving forward.

Whether I was ready or not. I exhaled deeply and adjusted my bag on my shoulder.

"You can do this," I whispered to myself. Because giving up wasn't an option.

My phone vibrated in my hand. I pulled it out and saw that it was Tessa calling.

I slid my finger across the accept button and lifted the phone to my ear.

"Hey."

"Tell me you got a job."

I shook my head as I continued walking along the sidewalk. "You're way too optimistic."

"Damn it." I could practically hear her disappointment. "Well... it's their loss."

A small smile tugged at my lips. "How's Lily?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"She's fine. Matt picked her up."

Relief instantly loosened something inside my chest.

"Good."

"She's currently trying to convince him that dinosaurs still exist."

A chuckle escaped me. My sweet Lily and her obsession with dinosaurs.

"Poor Matt."

"Exactly."

For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then Tessa spoke again.

"Ariana."

"Hm?"

"Just know you'll pull through this. Come home soon."

My throat tightened unexpectedly.

"I will."

The line went dead shortly after. I slipped my phone back into my bag and continued walking.

Just as I passed by a nearby restaurant, my stomach grumbled making me stop mid step.

I glanced through the glass doors. There's no harm in taking a small break.

It was already past lunchtime anyway.

With a quiet sigh, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The restaurant wasn't crowded. Soft music played in the background while people sat scattered around enjoying late lunches.

I chose a small table in the corner and dropped my bag and folder of documents onto the empty chair beside me.

A young waiter approached almost immediately.

"Welcome, ma'am."

"Thank you."

He handed me a menu. I opened it and scanned through the options.

Most of them were far above what I was willing to spend.

Eventually, I pointed at one of the cheaper meals.

"I'll have the Chicken Parmesan."

The waiter nodded.

"And a bottle of water."

"Of course."

He scribbled it down. "It'll be ready shortly."

"Thank you." I handed the menu back.

Once he left, I reached for my phone loading my inbox. One by one, I checked the emails that had come in over the past hour.

Nothing.

My eyes landed on a response from Crestline Media Solutions.

"Unfortunately, after careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with other candidates."

I didn't bother reading the rest.

A heavy sigh escaped me. Another one.

I rubbed my forehead. Then a notification appeared.

I*******m.

Without thinking much about it, I tapped it. The app opened directly to a new post.

Vanessa Crawford. Damien's fiancée. The photo had been posted an hour ago.

It was taken inside what looked like an expensive boutique.

The picture only showed Damien from behind.

Black shirt. Broad shoulders. One hand tucked into his pocket. Even from the back, I recognized him immediately.

My eyes went down to the caption.

Counting down the days until forever. Every fitting feels more real when it's with the man you're going to spend your life with. #FutureMrsValmont

Something unpleasant twisted inside my chest.

Maybe it was resentment. Maybe it was the bitter reminder that while I had spent years struggling to rebuild my life, Damien had moved on completely.

He was engaged. Planning a wedding. Building a future with someone else. And somehow still finding time to walk back into my life and turn it upside down.

The irony almost made me laugh. He wanted me to be his mistress.

While planning a wedding. Typical Damien. A man who wanted everything while sacrificing nothing.

I locked the screen and tossed it onto the table.

I didn't want to think about him. Didn't want to think about his fiancée. Or his wedding. Or the fact that seeing that picture hurt more than it should have.

Thankfully, my food arrived before my thoughts could spiral any further. The waiter placed the plate in front of me with a smile.

"Enjoy your meal, Ma'am."

"Thank you."

I pushed every thought of Damien Valmont out of my head, picked up my fork, and dug in. For now, surviving today was enough.

I wiped my mouth with a napkin, the warmth of the food finally settling in my stomach. For the first time all day... I actually felt a little energized.

I gathered my things, stood up, and walked to the counter to pay.

A small line had formed. I stepped in quietly behind a young man whose perfume screamed expensive.

When he was done, I moved forward and handed over my card.

I completed the payment, collected my receipt, and turned to leave when my eyes landed on a card on the floor.

I bent down and picked it up. My gaze flicked toward the entrance.

The man who had just paid before me was walking out.

Tall. Well-dressed.

That had to be his.

Without thinking too much, I rushed forward.

"Excuse me—sir!"

My voice carried just enough urgency. He had one foot already outside the door when he stopped.

I caught up to him, slightly breathless, and lifted the card between my fingers.

"I think you dropped this."

He looked at me. Then at my hand. Then slowly reached into his pocket.

"Oh," he muttered. "Right."

He took it from me.

"I thought I had already put it back. Thank you."

His tone was calm. Polite. Young

I gave a small nod. "It's no problem. You're welcome."

I turned around and walked away, ready to continue the rest of my day's job hunt.