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{ FORTY SIX }

Author: Lara P
last update publish date: 2026-06-20 00:26:59

ALICE

By the time the application portal closed twenty-four hours later, one hundred and thirty-six submissions had been received.

Three days had passed since I'd begun reviewing them. Three days since CARINE had appeared on my screen.

I looked up from the tablet in front of me as a knock sounded at the door. Teenah stepped inside, a folder tucked beneath one arm.

"Mrs. Laurent.” She stopped in front of my desk. "The selection committee will be assembling in ten minutes."

For a moment, my gaze
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  • TOO LATE TO WANT ME BACK    { FORTY EIGHT }

    VAYLENSaturday arrived clear and warm, and by the time the city had fully shaken itself awake, I was already dressed and ready to leave, the ring box resting inside my jacket pocket.Jenny came downstairs in a white sundress, her hair loose, sunglasses pushed up on her head. She looked at me when she got in the car and immediately narrowed her eyes."Why are you smiling?""I'm not smiling." But the smile was not cooperating with me."You are." She studied me for another second before turning toward the window. "Where are we going?""The beach."She turned back."Which one?""You'll see."She looked at me again, longer this time, then settled into her seat.I pulled away from the curb. From the corner of my eye I saw her trying and failing to hide a smile.---We reached Velmira Cove just before noon.It was quieter than the main stretch…a curved bay with pale sand and water that shifted between green and deep blue depending on where the light caught it. A few people moved along the s

  • TOO LATE TO WANT ME BACK    { FORTY SEVEN }

    VAYLENThe SUV rolled to a stop just outside the perimeter gates of our downtown project.Morning had barely broken. The eastern sky still carried traces of violet as the first wash of sunlight settled over steel, concrete, and glass.The construction site was already alive.Tower cranes stretched across the skyline like silent giants while concrete mixers rumbled near the loading bay. Workers in reflective vests moved between scaffolding and unfinished floors, their voices rising above the steady rhythm of machinery.I stepped out of the vehicle. Several of the foremen acknowledged me with brief nods before returning to work.Most of them had been here since five. Seeing me on-site before sunrise was no longer unusual. I preferred seeing a project wake up rather than hearing about it afterward."Morning, Mr. Morgan."I looked over as Chen, the site project manager, approached with a rolled set of drawings tucked beneath one arm and a paper cup of coffee in the other."Morning."I fel

  • TOO LATE TO WANT ME BACK    { FORTY SIX }

    ALICEBy the time the application portal closed twenty-four hours later, one hundred and thirty-six submissions had been received.Three days had passed since I'd begun reviewing them. Three days since CARINE had appeared on my screen.I looked up from the tablet in front of me as a knock sounded at the door. Teenah stepped inside, a folder tucked beneath one arm."Mrs. Laurent.” She stopped in front of my desk. "The selection committee will be assembling in ten minutes."For a moment, my gaze lingered on her before I nodded and set the tablet aside."Thank you."She returned the nod and turned toward the door. A second later, it closed softly behind her, leaving the study quiet once more.For the first time since the accident, I'd returned to Diamond Global headquarters that morning. The dull ache in my ankle was still there, but it no longer demanded my attention with every step. It was manageable now. Not enough to keep me away from work any longer.I gathered my tablet and made my

  • TOO LATE TO WANT ME BACK    { FORTY FIVE }

    ALICEMy phone lit up on the coffee table.Teenah.The moment I answered, her voice exploded through the speaker."Alice Laurent... you're a very wicked woman."Her voice was light, completely without malice. I could hear the smile underneath it before she'd finished the sentence."What — what happened?""Oh, don't 'what' me." She laughed. "You've been hiding Julius Roland from me.”A smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it. Of course she would read meaning into it. I had seen this coming. The moment she left earlier with that look on her face, I knew exactly where her mind had gone.I shook my head lightly, still smiling as I tried to steer the conversation back to harmless ground."Teenah..." I laughed softly. "You're imagining things.""Hmm… tell me more ma'am…" There was far too much satisfaction in her voice."Alice, we've known each other for too long."I said nothing."I saw the way he looked at you." She paused deliberately. "And I definitely saw the way you looked at h

  • TOO LATE TO WANT ME BACK    { FORTY FOUR }

    VAYLEN Diamond's gaze moved from Julius to me, waiting. "Uncle Julius has work tomorrow." The excitement on her face dimmed at once. "But—" "However," I cut in before she could finish. My eyes shifted to Julius. "If you're not in a hurry, you can stay for dinner." She went completely still. For a second, she simply stared at me then she swung toward Julius. "See?" Before he could answer, she had already taken hold of his hand. "You can stay." Julius drew a breath, but whatever response he intended to give was lost when she grabbed his other hand with her second hand and immediately started pulling. "Come. You have to help Lisa." "Diamond—" She didn't even slow down. "Guests don't sit alone." By then, she was already halfway to the kitchen. "That's rude." Her answer floated back over her shoulder. Julius allowed himself to be led away without the slightest resistance. As he passed, he glanced back at me. I looked away, pressing my lips together and offering no rescue

  • TOO LATE TO WANT ME BACK    { FORTY THREE }

    VAYLEN We talked long into the night before I finally left.By the time I stepped out of the apartment building, evening had settled over the city. The streets were quieter now, the rush of the day giving way to something slower.I got into my car and started the engine. The drive home passed more quickly than it should have.More than once, I caught myself smiling at nothing before turning my attention back to the road.Whatever the evening had been, I wasn't ready to put a name to it yet.---The following morning, I arrived at the office earlier than usual.There was no urgency in my steps, no weight pressing at the edges of my thoughts as I crossed into the building and made my way to my office. Even the usual sound of phones ringing and assistants moving through the corridors felt distant.I settled into my chair and opened the first contract on my desk. The work had barely begun when my phone rang.Marcus.I answered without taking my eyes off the document in front of me."Mr.

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