Chapter 2

Harrison saw me still sitting at the table, the food I'd promised to bring him untouched in front of me.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Celeste was the one who made the introduction for this partnership. Taking her to dinner was the least I could do. And don't bother eating that now that it's cold. Just throw it away."

I gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment and canceled another contract on my laptop. "Got it."

Harrison glanced at me. My reaction didn't seem to be what he'd expected.

After a pause, he added, "I'm taking Celeste to Lumière tomorrow as a thank-you. Do you want to come?"

Lumière.

Suddenly, I remembered the hardest period of our lives seven years ago.

I'd been trying to cheer myself up, so I'd Photoshopped a picture of Harrison and me kissing beneath the Tower of Clouds.

I'd laughed and asked him if it looked real.

Instead of laughing with me, he stared at the obviously fake background for a long time. Then he suddenly pulled me into his arms and made me a solemn promise. Once he had money, the first thing he would do was take me to Lumière so we could recreate that exact photo for real.

Years passed. Harrison's business grew, and eventually, Knightwell Group went public.

However, when I brought up that old promise again, he frowned. "Serena, we just went public. You know how busy I am every day."

After that, he'd stopped bothering with excuses altogether. "I'm busy. No time."

He wanted me to understand how much pressure he was under and how little time he had.

So I did.

In the end, the dream we'd shared seven years ago was finally going to come true—with his ex-girlfriend.

I smiled faintly and calmly opened another client's email. "I'm not really interested anymore. You two should go."

For some reason, Harrison seemed relieved to hear that. "All right. I just came back to grab something, then I'm heading out. Take care of lunch yourself. We'll have dinner together tonight."

He paused before adding, "Also, this partnership is crucial to Knightwell Group's international expansion. I've invited the press to a launch event next Monday. You've always wanted to stand beside me publicly, haven't you? Monday's your chance. Be ready..."

He stopped, his expression turning serious. "Don't worry. This time, I'll introduce you properly to everyone."

I looked up at him.

Eight years ago, when Harrison and Celeste broke up, he'd gotten so drunk at a bar that he'd cried like a child.

The next day, when I'd brought her up, he'd acted as if he'd never even known her. Calmly, he'd told me he'd misjudged her and that it was all in the past.

A year later, he confessed his feelings for me, and we started dating very publicly. He posted about our relationship everywhere, making absolutely sure Celeste would see it.

But once he started Knightwell Group, our marriage became a secret.

Now, eight years later, he was finally willing to let me stand openly beside him in front of everyone at Knightwell Group as compensation for Celeste.

He claimed he'd moved on, but every kindness he showed me still bore her fingerprints.

Still, maybe this was for the best.

Canceling the Westerland partnership would take a few days to process. Announcing it at the launch event sounded like perfect timing.

That evening, I arrived at the restaurant early, as usual.

Harrison's schedule was always packed. After seven years together, showing up early and waiting for him had become second nature.

While I waited, an international call came in.

It was Kevin Crawford, a senior colleague from my university days—and the man I'd faced across the negotiating table just days ago.

His voice was warm, with an unmistakable note of caution.