CHAPTER 5: WE MEET AGAIN

Six years had slipped by as if the past never happened, but for Nathan the years had been anything but kind.

He had escaped Calgary, but he could never escape the cold grip of life itself. Landing in Toronto had forced him to face reality head-on: he needed to finish school, get Annabelle back into classes, and find treatment for her recurring illness. So he worked—relentlessly, painfully—taking every job he could find. Salesman in a crowded mall, delivery driver racing through rain and traffic, cashier standing for hours until his legs screamed, night shifts when the seizures threatened to drop him.

His weak leg throbbed constantly, his body shook with warning tremors more often than he admitted, but he pushed through because there was no other choice. After sponsoring himself through community college, he finally landed something stable: department manager at a multi-million-dollar tech company with branches spanning the globe. The title sounded impressive, but the paycheck barely covered rent, Annabelle’s school fees, medical bills, and the endless small emergencies that never stopped coming.

He still saved what little he could, but the responsibilities weighed heavier every day. And then his deadbeat father had reappeared the moment word spread about the steady job—showing up at the apartment, asking for “loans,” lingering like a shadow Nathan couldn’t shake.

Nathan stood in front of the small mirror by the door, tightening the knot of his tie with careful fingers. He picked up his briefcase, the leather worn smooth from years of use. “Annabelle, I’m off!” he called toward the hallway.

A sleepy teenage girl shuffled out of her room still in her nightie, rubbing her eyes. “Is it morning already?”

Nathan smiled softly, setting the briefcase down and limping over to her. He bent to her level—slowly, wincing as his knee protested—and ruffled her hair gently. “I don’t want you going in late today, okay? Dress up, shine bright, and make sure you’re the center of attention at school. You’ve got this.”

She gave a small, tired shrug. “But I’m not the brightest.”

“That’s only because you spend way too many hours scrolling TikTok instead of reading books,” he teased lightly, standing up with another quiet wince.

“I prepared breakfast—it’s on the table,” he added, turning back toward the door.

“Thank you, Nathan,” she said, waving with a sleepy smile that made his chest ache.

He smiled back, hand on the doorknob, when her voice stopped him again.

“How’s your knee?”

He paused, glancing down at his leg. The pain was sharp today, a deep, throbbing burn that radiated up his thigh, but he forced a casual tone. “It’s… not great, but I’m fine.”

“I know you’re lying.”

The words hung between them, soft but piercing. Nathan turned fully to face her, seeing the worry in her young eyes—the same worry he tried so hard to hide. He stepped closer again, resting a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “I’m okay. Really. We’ve made it this far, right? One day at a time.”

Annabelle looked up at him, biting her lip. “You should buy a car. Then you wouldn’t have to take the bus or walk so much. It would help your leg.”

Nathan’s throat tightened. He wanted to laugh at how simple she made it sound, but the sound caught somewhere painful. “A car,” he repeated softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah… maybe one day. But right now, every extra dollar goes to your school, your doctor visits, keeping the lights on. We’re close, Annabelle. We’re so close to being okay. I just need to keep going a little longer.”

She nodded slowly, but the concern didn’t leave her face. “Promise you’ll tell me if it gets worse?”

“I promise.” He pulled her into a quick hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Now go eat before it gets cold. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

He stepped out, the door clicking shut behind him, and the smile faded the moment he was alone in the hallway. The pain in his knee flared with every step down the stairs, but he gritted his teeth and kept moving.

At the bus stop he leaned against the pole for support, breathing through the ache, watching the city wake up around him. The bus ride was the same as always—crowded, bumpy, every jolt sending fresh stabs through his leg—but he endured it, his eyes fixed on the window, mind already running through the day’s tasks.

When he finally reached the towering glass building that had become his workplace for the last three months, he felt the familiar mix of pride and exhaustion. He took the elevator up, the smooth hum doing nothing to calm the nervous flutter in his stomach. The moment the doors opened on his floor, he sensed it—the low buzz of whispers, heads turning, people clustering in small groups. Something was wrong. Office gossip always moved fast, but this felt heavier.

He made his way to his desk, nodding politely to a few colleagues who barely glanced back. That was normal, because he was still the quiet one, the guy who kept to himself, whose conversations never strayed beyond spreadsheets and deadlines. He dropped into his chair and opened his email, only for the subject line of the company-wide announcement to hit him like ice water.

Old CEO terminated due to financial mismanagement. New CEO from the chairman’s family assuming immediate control. Effective today.

Nathan’s pulse spiked. A new CEO meant new rules, new scrutiny, new risk. And the rumors had already started circulating: the chairman’s son was ruthless—brutal in boardrooms, unforgiving with underperformers. People said he fired entire departments without blinking. Nathan’s hands went cold. He couldn’t afford to lose this job, not now. Not with Annabelle’s upcoming exams, her specialist appointments, the rent due next week.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, as he collapsed back in the chair, adjusting his belt which suddenly felt like a rope, forcing slow with deep breaths to keep the panic from triggering anything worse—no seizure, not here, not today. His vision tunneled for a second, but he gripped the edge of the desk until his knuckles whitened, willing his body to stay steady.

The announcement came over the intercom: the new CEO had arrived and was calling an immediate all-department meeting in the conference room. Everyone was expected. No exceptions.

Nathan tried to ask a passing coworker what they knew, but the man just shrugged and kept walking. Another colleague brushed past without a word. Same as always—ignored, invisible. He was used to it, but today it stung deeper.

He stood, wiped his face with a tissue, smoothed his hair in the reflection of his monitor, straightened his tie one more time, grabbed his folder, and limped toward the conference room. His heart hammered harder with every step.

Inside, the room was already filling—people murmuring, speculating, tension thick in the air. Nathan found a seat near the back, folding his hands tightly in his lap to hide the tremor. The chatter continued until the door at the front opened.

The room fell dead silent.

A tall figure stepped in—confident stride, sharp suit, commanding presence that sucked all the oxygen from the space.

Nathan’s breath stopped.

It's Noah...

Noah Grayson!!

The same piercing eyes, the same dark hair now styled professionally, the same arrogant tilt to his mouth. Six years older, six years more polished, but unmistakable.

Their eyes met across the crowded room.

For Nathan, the world tilted. Memories crashed in like a wave—locker room shoves, bloody noses, forced kisses, empty apartments, running through the night with Annabelle in his arms. His chest squeezed so tight he couldn’t breathe. His leg throbbed in time with his racing pulse, a cold sweat breaking across his skin.

Noah’s gaze locked on him, recognition flashing instant and sharp. For a heartbeat, something unreadable crossed his face—surprise, maybe, or something darker—before his expression smoothed into cool professionalism.

But Nathan saw it.

Everything changed.

The past wasn’t gone.

It had just walked back into his life wearing a CEO’s title.

And the world stood still.