Chapter 2. The Man Across the Table

Averon City.

The sound of Andrea's heels echoed through the corridor of Preston Firm as she approached the conference room. A leather folder rested against her side, held firmly in one hand. Her expression was composed, her posture straight, and her pace unhurried.

To the employees at Preston Firm, Andrea Willow Romanof was the Ice Queen, a senior corporate attorney known for her sharp judgment and an intimidating ability to remain calm under pressure. She rarely allowed anything to distract her from work, and she certainly didn't make a habit of entertaining office gossip.

Today, however, the whispers following her through the corridor were difficult to ignore.

The representative from ECO Construction had arrived for their scheduled meeting. According to the staff, the company's CEO was attending in person, a detail that had stirred considerable curiosity throughout the firm.

Andrea paid little attention. She had spent the previous evening reviewing the case file and was already familiar with the issues her client wanted addressed. Whoever sat across the conference table, her job remained the same.

She pushed open the glass door.

And stopped.

The man seated at the far end of the conference table was the last person she had expected to see.

Elio.

For a fraction of a second, the room seemed to fall silent. Her fingers tightened around the leather folder, and the steady rhythm of her breathing faltered. She had imagined meeting him again more times than she cared to admit, but never quite like this.

Their eyes met.

Elio remained still, his gaze fixed on her face. He had spent years wondering what he would feel when he finally saw her again. Now that she was standing only a few steps away, he found himself unable to look anywhere else.

Andrea looked beautiful. Her hair fell neatly around her shoulders, and the familiar features he had carried in his memories were still there. Yet the warmth he once knew was nowhere to be found.

She looked at him as though he were a stranger.

"Andrea, Mr. Cruz has been waiting for you."

Mr. Winston's voice brought her back to the present. He had noticed her brief hesitation, although he couldn't possibly know the reason behind it.

Andrea drew a quiet breath and stepped forward.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting, Mr. Cruz."

She took the seat across from him, placed her folder on the table, and opened it. The movement was deliberate, giving her something to focus on besides the man she had spent years trying to forget.

Elio watched her settle into her chair. He wanted to ask how she had been, whether she was happy, and what had happened in her life since the day he disappeared. He wanted to know whether she had ever looked for him again.

Instead, he remained silent.

"Thank you for placing your trust in Preston Firm, Mr. Cruz," Andrea began. "I've reviewed the preliminary report submitted by your legal department, along with the documents concerning the dispute involving your company's coastal bridge development project."

She arranged several papers in front of her.

"From the information we've received, ECO Construction holds valid permits for the project. However, another company has filed a claim arguing that part of the construction site falls within an offshore drilling concession under its control. They've submitted documents that appear to grant them overlapping rights to the same area."

She turned one of the documents toward him.

"The problem is that both parties seem to possess government-issued authorization. If the claimant can establish that its concession predates ECO's permits, it could challenge the legitimacy of your construction rights. That would put the entire project at risk of suspension and expose your company to substantial financial losses, not to mention potential disputes with investors."

"How strong is their claim?" Elio asked.

"Not strong enough to convince me yet, but not weak enough to dismiss." Andrea pointed to a section on the report. "There are inconsistencies between the registration dates and the administrative records we've obtained. The geographical boundaries stated in their concession documents also differ from the coordinates recorded in the original project approval."

She looked up briefly.

"I don't intend to challenge the validity of their documents based on assumptions. We need the original records, the complete history of the permits, and the correspondence between the relevant authorities and both companies. Until we understand how these overlapping rights came into existence, making an aggressive legal move would be premature."

Her explanation was precise, her tone even. She was not going to let personal history interfere with a case that could affect hundreds of people and a substantial business investment.

Unfortunately, the man sitting opposite her seemed to have other priorities.

Elio's attention had barely left her face. He caught the small movements she made whenever she paused to consider her next words. Occasionally, she pressed her lower lip between her teeth, a habit she had possessed since their university days.

It was familiar enough to make him forget, for a moment, that they were sitting across a conference table rather than sharing a quiet evening together.

"You're nervous, Ms. Willow."

Andrea's pen stopped moving.

The name slipped from his mouth with the ease of an old habit. Everyone at Preston Firm knew her as Ms. Romanof. Only one person had ever called her Willow.

She slowly lifted her gaze.

"Are you listening to me, Mr. Cruz?"

"I am."

"Then perhaps you could tell me what I just said."

A faint smile touched his lips. "You were explaining the discrepancies in the permits. Although I have to admit, your reaction is considerably more interesting than the documents."

Andrea closed her folder halfway.

"If you're unable to concentrate on the matter that brought you here, we can reschedule this meeting. I have no intention of wasting my time explaining a legal dispute to someone who would rather observe my expressions."

Elio leaned back in his chair, seemingly unbothered by her irritation.

"Perhaps I should be concerned about the attorney assigned to my company. If a simple meeting with me makes you this nervous, I might have to reconsider whether you're the right person to handle the case."

For a moment, Andrea felt the familiar heat of anger rise beneath her composure. He had always known how to provoke her, and apparently five years had done nothing to change that particular talent.

She placed her pen on the table.

"Being nervous is a human response, Mr. Cruz. It has nothing to do with my ability to represent your company. If you have concerns about my professional qualifications, you're welcome to raise them with Mr. Winston. Otherwise, I suggest we return to the matter at hand."

Her answer was reasonable, and Elio knew it.

He also knew he was being deliberately difficult. He had spent years imagining this reunion, yet now that he finally had her in front of him, he was reduced to provoking her just to get a reaction.

It was a poor way to begin again, but he couldn't deny that he had missed the woman who never hesitated to challenge him.

The meeting continued for another hour. They discussed the documents required from ECO Construction, the possibility of requesting an independent review of the disputed boundaries, and the next steps should the opposing company refuse to cooperate. Andrea also requested access to the original correspondence between ECO's project team and the relevant authorities.

By the time they finished, a follow-up meeting had been scheduled for the following week.

Andrea gathered her papers and stood.

"Mr. Cruz, my team will contact your legal department regarding the additional documents. We'll proceed once we've completed the preliminary verification."

"Very well."

She gave him a brief professional nod before leaving the room.

Elio remained seated for a few seconds, watching the door close behind her. He had expected anger, perhaps even a confrontation, but her cold professionalism had been harder to bear than he anticipated.

She had spoken to him as though he were nothing more than a client.

He rose from his chair.

There were still too many things he wanted to say, and he wasn't prepared to let her walk away without hearing at least one of them.

By the time he reached the corridor, Andrea was already several steps ahead, heading toward her office.

"Ms. Willow."

His voice stopped her.

Andrea halted, her back still turned toward him.

For the first time since he had returned to Averon, Elio was about to speak to her without a conference table between them.