Chapter 3: Distance that started to breathe

Alina Virelle woke up in a place that had no memories of him.

That alone felt like silence she could finally breathe inside.

The apartment was simple, clean, and unfamiliar. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed a city that didn’t know her name yet. No servants. No Drax Villa staff. No expectations waiting behind every door.

Just her.

She sat up slowly, brushing her hair back, letting the morning light touch her face.

For a moment, she didn’t move.

Not because she was sad.

But because she wasn’t used to mornings that didn’t belong to someone else’s schedule.

Her phone lay on the table nearby.

It had been turned on again.

And the notifications were still there.

Dozens.

Missed calls.

Unknown numbers.

Lucien Drax.

Again and again and again.

She stared at the screen without expression.

Then placed it face down.

And walked away.

Viremont — Drax Corporation

Lucien Drax had not slept.

His office lights were still on even though morning had already broken across the city.

Reports were scattered across the table.

All pointing to the same conclusion.

She was not coming back.

“Sir,” his assistant said carefully, “we’ve confirmed Madam Virelle has fully separated her movements from all known family channels. Even her legal team is refusing cooperation with outside inquiries.”

Lucien didn’t respond immediately.

He was standing by the glass window, staring down at the city like it had personally offended him.

“She’s cutting all links,” the assistant added quietly.

A pause.

Then

Lucien finally spoke.

“She’s building distance.”

His voice was calm.

But not normal calm.

Controlled calm.

Dangerous calm.

The kind that didn’t accept outcomes.

Only resisted them.

The assistant hesitated.

“Sir… should we continue searching aggressively?”

Lucien turned slightly.

“No.”

One word.

The assistant blinked.

Lucien’s gaze darkened slightly.

“If she wants distance…”

A pause.

“She’ll learn what it costs.”

Her first meeting started at 1:00 PM.

Alina walked into the conference room alone.

No introduction.

No hesitation.

Just presence.

The executives stood when she entered.

Not because they were told to.

Because they felt it.

Something had changed in her.

She sat at the head of the table, placing her files down neatly.

“Begin.”

No softness in her voice.

Just control.

The meeting flowed.

Numbers.

Expansion plans.

Market strategy.

But beneath it all

Something shifted.

One executive cleared his throat carefully.

“Miss Virelle… Drax Corporation has started acquiring shares in two of our overseas partners.”

A quiet pause filled the room.

All eyes turned slightly toward her.

Waiting.

Expecting reaction.

Alina didn’t react immediately.

She simply closed the file in front of her.

Then looked up.

“Let him.”

One executive frowned slightly.

“Miss Virelle, this could destabilize”

“No.”

Her interruption was calm.

Final.

“He’s not destabilizing anything.”

A beat.

“He’s reacting.”

Silence.

Then she stood.

“Meeting over.”

And just like that

She walked out.

 

Viremont — Drax Tower

Lucien stood in front of a screen displaying global transaction movements.

Every line pointed to her.

Every move she made.

Every expansion.

Every refusal.

She wasn’t hiding.

She was moving forward.

Without him.

“Sir,” his assistant said, “Madam Virelle has refused all formal communication channels.”

Lucien didn’t turn.

“She rejected the negotiation request?”

“Yes.”

A pause.

Then

Lucien exhaled slowly.

“Send it again.”

The assistant hesitated.

“Sir… we’ve sent it seven times already.”

Lucien’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“Then send it eight.”

Silence.

The assistant nodded quickly and left.

Lucien remained still.

Then quietly

“She thinks she can erase me.”

Not anger.

Not frustration.

Something quieter.

More unsettling.

Interest.

 

She returned to the apartment late.

City lights stretched endlessly outside her window.

She removed her coat slowly, placing it aside.

Then poured herself a glass of water.

Simple.

Quiet.

No one asking where she had been.

No one waiting for her.

Her phone vibrated.

She looked at it.

Lucien Drax.

Again.

This time, she didn’t turn it off immediately.

She stared at it.

Longer than before.

Then

She answered.

Silence on both ends.

Finally

His voice came through.

Low.

Controlled.

“You’re avoiding me.”

Alina took a sip of water.

“No.”

A pause.

Lucien’s tone tightened slightly.

“You disappeared.”

“I left.”

Another silence.

Then Lucien spoke again.

“You think this ends like this?”

Alina placed the glass down.

Her voice stayed calm.

“It already did.”

Click.

She ended the call.

No shaking hands.

No hesitation.

Just decision.

Viremont — Same Night

Lucien stood frozen.

The phone still in his hand.

The line dead.

For a long moment, he didn’t move.

Then slowly

He looked at the screen again.

As if waiting for it to change.

It didn’t.

Something unfamiliar crossed his expression.

Not anger.

Not rejection.

Something closer to realization.

She wasn’t reacting like before.

Not emotional.

Not defensive.

Not hurt.

She was… gone.

On her own terms.

And that

He didn’t like.

Not at all.

Alina stood by the window that night.

Wind moved softly through the curtains.

She looked at the city below.

And for the first time…

She didn’t feel like she was looking back at her life.

She felt like she was stepping into a new one.

Her phone lit up again on the table.

Unknown Caller.

Then Lucien Drax.

She didn’t answer.

Instead, she turned the phone face down.

And whispered softly to herself

“Now I can breathe.”

But far away…

Lucien Drax was no longer trying to call her.

He was starting to move toward her.

And this time…

He wasn’t going to stop at silence.