CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

Chris was acting strange.

Not terrible.

Not rude.

Just… different.

And the worst part was that I couldn’t even explain it properly.

The calls became shorter.

The texts became drier.

And every time I mentioned work, his mood changed.

At first, I told myself I was overthinking.

But by the second week at Blackstone, even I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

“Babe, are you even listening to me?”

I blinked and looked up from my laptop.

“Huh?”

Chris sighed from across the table.

We were at a quiet café near his office, yet the atmosphere between us felt oddly tense.

“I said my manager dumped an entire presentation on me today.”

“Oh.” I immediately closed my laptop guiltily. “Sorry. Work has just been hectic.”

“Clearly.”He sighed.

The way he said it made my chest tighten.

I studied him carefully.

Chris looked good as always—clean haircut, fitted shirt, classy wristwatch.

He had always carried himself confidently.

That was one of the things that attracted me to him.

But lately, something about him felt distant.

“You’ve been irritated with me recently,” I said carefully.

“Irritated?”

“Yes.”

He scoffed softly and leaned back in his chair.

“You barely have time for me anymore, Lara.”

“That’s not true.”

“It kinda is.”

I opened my mouth to argue—

then closed it again.

Because maybe… he wasn’t completely wrong.

Blackstone had consumed most of my time lately.

The workload was intense.

And somehow Adrian Romano kept scattering my already stressed brain.

“You know I’m trying,” I said softly.

Chris rubbed his jaw tiredly.

“I know.”

But he still sounded annoyed.

I stared at him for a moment before asking quietly,

“Are you unhappy that I got the job?”

His eyes immediately snapped to mine.

“What?”

“You’ve been acting weird since I started working there.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Then what is it?”

He looked away briefly.

And that tiny action told me everything.

Oh my God.

“Chris…”

“You know Blackstone is a huge company, Lara,” he said carefully. “People work for years before getting positions like yours.”

My stomach dropped slightly.

“So?”

“So don’t you think it’s suspicious?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“You think I didn’t earn it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But you implied it.”

Chris exhaled heavily.

“Lara, I’m just being realistic.”

“No,” I said quietly. “You’re belittling me.”

Silence.

The tension between us thickened instantly.

Few weeks ago, we never argued like this.

Now it felt like we were constantly misunderstanding each other.

Chris leaned forward.

“Look, I’m happy for you, okay? I just don’t want you getting carried away.”

Carried away?

I laughed softly in disbelief.

“I struggled for six years to get a job, Chris.”

“I know that.”

“So why does it feel like my success bothers you?”

“It doesn’t bother me.”

But his tone lacked conviction.

And for the first time since we started dating…

I felt hurt around him.

The rest of the date ended awkwardly.

Chris drove me home afterward, but even inside the car, the silence felt heavy.

When we arrived, he finally spoke.

“You know I love you, right?”

I looked at him quietly.

“I know.”

“Then stop looking at me like I’m the enemy.”

I sighed tiredly.

“I don’t want us to fight.”

“Then don’t twist my words.”

My chest tightened again.

Twist his words?

Was I really overreacting?

Before I could respond, Chris leaned over and kissed my forehead gently and then my lips.

“I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

I stepped out of the car slowly and watched him drive away.

Something felt wrong.

Deeply wrong.

And no matter how much I tried—

I couldn’t shake the feeling.

Monday morning arrived too quickly.

Blackstone Conglomerate was already alive with movement when I stepped out of the elevator on the executive floor.

Employees walked briskly through the hallways carrying files and tablets, their voices low and professional. The atmosphere alone screamed power.

I adjusted the sleeve of my cream blazer nervously and tightened my grip on the documents against my chest.

Two weeks.

I had survived two whole weeks at Blackstone.

Barely.

“Miss Finn?”

I turned immediately.

It was Amelia from HR.

“The executive board meeting was moved upstairs,” she informed me. “You’ll be presenting the operational reports directly.”

My stomach dropped.

“Directly?”

She nodded sympathetically.

“The CEO requested to sit in.”

Oh no.

No no no.

I suddenly regretted existing.

Amelia gave me an encouraging smile before walking away, leaving me standing there internally panicking. Of course being an operation manager means you would see the CEO constantly.

I took a deep breath and headed toward the conference room.

The large glass doors opened automatically the moment I approached.

And instantly—

the room fell silent.

My heels slowed against the polished floor as my eyes moved across the long table filled with executives and board members.

Then I saw him.

Adrian Romano.

At the head of the table.

Of course.

Where else would the CEO sit except at the center of everyone’s fear?

He looked unfairly composed in a black suit, one hand resting lazily against the arm of his chair while the other flipped through documents.

Power radiated around him so naturally it almost irritated me.

The moment his green eyes lifted to mine—

my chest tightened strangely.

Not butterflies this time.

Something else.

Something deeper.

A strange familiarity washed over me suddenly.

Those eyes…

Why did they feel familiar?

I slowed unconsciously.

I had seen eyes like that before.

Somewhere.

A long time ago.

But where?

The feeling disappeared before I could grasp it properly.

“Miss Finn,” Adrian said calmly.

His voice pulled me back instantly.

Every executive around the table turned toward me expectantly.

God.

I wanted to evaporate.

“Good morning, sir,” I greeted professionally.

His gaze lingered on me for a second too long.

Not enough for others to notice.

But enough for me to feel it.

“Begin,” he said simply.

I swallowed nervously and started the presentation.

Thankfully, once work started, my confidence returned little by little.

I explained productivity reports, supplier delays, and operational adjustments as clearly as possible.

And surprisingly—

people listened.

Even Adrian.

Especially Adrian.

He barely spoke throughout the meeting, but every time I glanced his way, his eyes were already on me.

Like he was studying me.

Trying to figure something out.

It unsettled me more than it should have.

By the time the presentation ended, my nerves were completely exhausted.

One of the executives nodded approvingly.

“Excellent analysis, Miss Finn.”

“Thank you,” I replied politely.

I started gathering my files quickly, desperate to leave before my anxiety consumed me completely.

“Miss Finn.”

I froze immediately.

No.

Slowly, I looked up.

Adrian had stood from his seat.

The room somehow felt smaller when he moved.

“I’d like a word.”

Every executive suddenly became interested in their laptops.

I nodded stiffly while the others quietly filtered out of the room one by one until it was just the two of us.

Just like last week.

The silence felt dangerous.

Adrian walked toward me slowly.

Calmly.

Controlled.

“You handled yourself well,” he said.

Relief flickered briefly through me.

“Thank you, sir.”

“You were nervous.”

“I think anyone would be nervous presenting in front of a CEO.”

A faint smirk touched his lips.

“Yet you still did well.”

Why did his compliments feel so intense?

I looked away first.

Big mistake.

Because now I noticed how close he was standing.

Too close.

I could smell his cologne again.

Clean. Expensive. Addicting.

Focus, Lara.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he observed calmly.

“I haven’t.”

“You looked ready to run the moment you entered.”

Because I WAS.

“I was focused on work.”

“Hm.”

Again with that hum.

Like he could hear thoughts I hadn’t spoken aloud.

My eyes lifted to his again unwillingly.

And there it was.

That strange feeling.

Familiarity.

His green eyes unsettled me in the weirdest way.

Like they belonged to a memory I couldn’t fully reach.

Adrian noticed my staring immediately.

“What is it?” he asked quietly.

I blinked quickly.

“Nothing.”

“You’re looking at me strangely.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks instantly.

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

I exhaled softly in frustration.

“Your eyes just look familiar somehow.”

For the first time since I met him—

Adrian looked genuinely surprised.

Very brief.

Almost impossible to notice.

But I saw it.

Then his expression smoothed over again.

“Do they?”

I nodded slowly.

“It feels like I’ve seen them before.”

Something unreadable crossed his face.

Then he stepped back slightly.

“Interesting.”

That was it?

Interesting?

Before I could think further, Adrian glanced toward the door.

“You should get back to work, Miss Finn.”

Dismissed.

Just like that.

But as I turned to leave—

“Lara.”

I stopped instantly.

It was the first time he had said my name without “Miss Finn or Little lamb.”

Slowly, I looked back.

A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

“You’re staring again.”

Oh my God.

I walked out immediately before my dignity collapsed completely.

But even after the conference room doors closed behind me—

I still couldn’t shake the feeling.

Those eyes.

I knew them.

Somehow… somewhere…

I knew them.