Chapter Four

Serena Pov

You know that phase that comes after a storm in your life? The phase where everything’s slowly starting to feel right despite knowing how horrible the end was?

That was the current phase of my life.

It has been three weeks since I signed away my name, my company, and my rights as Killian’s wife.

And today, I was finally unpacking the last box in my small but cozy old studio apartment.

“You sure you don’t want me to hire a moving crew?” Bella, a partner and best friend from my workplace, asked, her hands fixed on her lips, her red lips pouting as she shot me a concerned look.

“For the tenth time, I’m good, Bella.” I chuckled, flattening out an old business license with my name on it. “Manual labor has always been…therapeutic to me.”

“Therapeutic? "Girl, you’ve been at this all day, do you want to grow a hunch or something?” She shook her head with a disappointed sigh when I only rolled my eyes at her. “I can’t believe you’re back here though.”

I pressed my lips into a firm line as I tried to clean off some stains on the license. “I can’t believe it either, but here I am.”

“Alright, no more sulking and grumpy faces!” She said in a sing-song tone and snatched the plate from me, placing it on the shelf behind us, before grabbing a stool and sinking down like she was about to interrogate the life out of me.

I sighed, seeing where this was going.

“You can’t keep avoiding this topic, Serena. "You’ve been doing that for days now.” She frowned, staring up at me for a reaction.

I stared at her for what felt like minutes even though they were mere seconds, my stomach twisting in knots just trying to recall my last moments with Killian. Then, with a deep sigh, I gently dropped the box and crossed my arms, “Okay, fine. You have my attention now.”

“Good!” She clasped her hands and gave me a warm smile. “Now that you’ve divorced Satan himself, what’s the plan? We get drunk? Swipe right on all dating platforms until you get another person? Set up a dating profile with this vibe: ‘Hot wife turned ex, emotionally unavailable, up for wild nights and wealth rebound?’

Not bad.

“Pass.”

“Hey! "I saw the look on your face. "You liked my idea! "You can’t just turn your life into episodes of spreadsheets and tearful nights, Serena.” She frowned, standing up this time.

I exhaled deeply, “One, I’m doing just fine without men. And two,” I walked towards the window to our left, pointing at the street across the block. “See that building by the corner? The vacant lot?”

She followed my fingers and slowly nodded, “Yes? What about it?”

“Next month, it’s mine. "I’ve already spoken with the property manager.” I flashed her a grin, watching as her brows slowly rose up her forehead and chuckled nervously.

“WAIT. You’re like…starting over? "Like…rebuilding Calloway from scratch?” She tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she gasped.

“No,” I shook my head, my lips curling with a proud smile. “Something even better." And that’s not even all, there’s a three to this.”

As if on cue, there was a brief knock on the door, followed by shuffling of feet before an envelope slowly slipped through the mail slot underneath the door. Confused yet very curious, Bella turned to look at me in anticipation. I gave a small nod of approval, and she immediately dashed to the door, tugging at the envelope that had my name written in golden letters on the back.

I watched as she read the contents, her eyes growing wider and wider until she read the last statement in the letter out loud and then at me,

“You got an invitation to the Global Exchange Mixer?!”

***********

Flashing lights took over my vision, blinding me with each chance it got and making me silently curse inside for not wearing shades.

The crystal chandeliers above us dazzled from the effect as we stepped into the ballroom, pulling me back into the world of elites and wealth as I scanned the waiters in black tuxedos, the men with heavy colognes that passed by and the women with sweet, firm voices that talked in groups of men and women around each corner.

“Remind me again why I let you dress me like freaking Cruella?” I gritted through my teeth at Bella, forcing a sweet smile at the woman passing by.

“Well, because you’re done being so plain and invisible,” she said, smoothing my backless red gown before hooking an arm through mine and dramatically saying, “This dress says, ‘Look at me now, bitches! Get who’s—”

“Language Bella!” I immediately cut her off, apologetically smiling at the bouncer from to our right, glaring at us before dragging her into the crowded section, my breath getting caught at the back of my throat as I admired the aura of business and power oozing in the atmosphere.

Tonight wasn’t about Killian. I kept telling myself that. Even if I were to—God forbid that if I happened to run into him here, nothing was going to change the hatred I had for him.

Tonight was all about me and my chances of expanding my business further, and thankfully, Global Exchange Mixer—the most exclusive investment networking company in the world—made that dream come true. I mean, I might have used a sneaky way to reach out to them by using the last black card from Killian, which surprisingly wasn’t deactivated like the last ones, but hey, it wasn’t like I stole it or something.

A sharp buzz suddenly echoed through the speakers in the room, followed by a calm, commanding voice, pulling everyone’s attention, including mine, towards the spotlight shining on the stage, “Welcome ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for showing up at tonight’s event.”

A tall man stood confidently on the center stage, running his fingers through his ink-black hair, his blue eyes shutting briefly as though he was thinking of something and lips pursed as he flashed a smile at the crowd.

“You think that’s Damien Knight?” Bella whispered with a giggle in my ears, reminding me of her presence.

“Could be,” I mumbled. “Haven’t seen him in person, but he matches the description enough.” Mr.Damien Knight. The CEO of the Global Exchange Miller.

The man continued, “Tonight’s focus is innovation in shares, digital evolution, and, of course, asset mobility in the markets.” There was something about his tone that just caught my attention. Could it be the way he was saying each word with passion? With authority? Or the excitement that I was finally back to what I loved doing the most.

But as he spoke, I felt this nagging feeling that, somewhere across the room, someone was watching me. As delusional as that sounded, I couldn’t deny the boring feeling at the back of my head, which made me turn back a few times only to meet the confused eyes of the person behind me.

“Are you good?” Bella asked, and I nodded, but she shook her head with a sigh and said, “You look pale, like you saw a ghost. I’ll go get us some water or champagne, alright? Don’t. Move. An. Inch.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but she’d already disappeared into the crowd, making me sigh with disappointment.

“And now,” the man—Mr.Damien Knight said, snapping back my attention to him, “a question for the room.”

The cheers slowly hummed into a silence as everyone anticipated his response. Getting the cue, Damien continued, “When an enterprise loses 70% of its valuation post-merger, what’s the first move you make?”

My eyes grew wide at the similar number being called, and I clenched my jaws tight to remind myself that this was just a mere coincidence, nothing more.

The silence in the room immediately broke into mumbles and guesses as people tried to guess the answer among themselves while Damien waited for an answer, a brow raised as he tapped the side of his chin patiently.

“Nothing?” He asked. “No one?”

My heart pounded faster against my ribcage as I rubbed my palms together to keep the restless feeling inside. I knew the answer. Hell, I had even lived the answer.

“Alright, since—“

Without thinking, I shot my hands up in the air. “I know.” The feeling of being watched doubled again, but this time, with all eyes turning to my direction at once.

“Please come forward,” Damien said with a smile, a spotlight moving to my position just when I rose to my feet and straightened my shoulders, walking towards the stage.

“The first move,” I said, taking a deep breath as I pushed back the image of Killian at the back of my mind, is to stabilize internal leadership. Panic at the top creates chaos at that base.

I watched as the man tilted his head to the side as I spoke, surprise filling his features. Biting the insides of my cheeks, I continued, “You reassess your cap table, tighten operations, and then drive narrative control before competitors weaponize the collapse. You don’t just rebuild. You launch again. Bigger, faster but smarter.”

The room suddenly swept into an atmosphere of silence as everyone gazed at me with unreadable expressions, leaving me to shrink behind my hair and wondering if I’d messed something up, but then—

Roars of cheers and applause took over, with people standing up to their feet and confirming my speech with a round of claps.

I exhaled deeply, smiling widely as I descended the stage and pushed through the crowd, savoring the true feeling of having freedom at the tip of my fingers, until I saw Bella running towards me.

Oh, shit—

“Gosh, I leave you for a minute—okay, maybe an hour—and you vanish into a sea of the world’s richest investors and suddenly become the attention itself?”

I laughed, my cheeks still flushed from the adrenaline pumping in my veins. “I couldn’t help it, sorry.”

“Don’t ever be sorry for being yourself, Bella.” She said with a grin and pulled me into a warm hug, “I’m proud of you.”

“Excuse me?” a voice interrupted, making us pull away and lock eyes with the person. It was Damien knight,  the CEO of this show.

“What’s your name?”

“Serena Calloway.” I breathed out, licking my lips in excitement.

I watched as his eyes lingered for seconds before he nodded politely. “That was quite impressive, Serena.”

“Thank you,” I replied with a wide smile. “It’s nothing really, Mr. Knight. I try.”

He blinked, the corner of his lips twitching slightly as he smiled and adjusted a sleek, black earpiece behind his ears. One that I hadn’t noticed before, which was surprising.

“I’m not Damien Knight,” he revealed in a smooth voice, “But I work for him.”

Before I could react, he slipped a black card between my fingers with a sharp gaze that held so many promises.

“Call this number,” he said, taking a step back. Tonight, 9pm sharp. He’s looking forward to working with you.

My jaw dropped as I stood frozen, watching him take a few steps away from me, then he suddenly paused and turned back with a firm smile, “Don’t be late, Serena. Mr. Damien Knight doesn’t offer second invitations.”