Chapter three

“Mr. Adrian Vale here is interested in acquiring part of the company,” Laney explained carefully.

My stomach tightened.

The man looked strange the same, but the energy he gave me—the attention—didn't feel like he knew me anyhow.

Could people look this alike.

“It’s a pleasure seeing you again, Melinda,” he said calmly.

Again.

The word struck me harder than it should have.

Laney frowned immediately. “You two know each other?”

For a brief second, nobody spoke.

I could feel Laney’s eyes moving between the two of us while my mind struggled to steady itself. Adrian, however, looked perfectly calm, standing there with one hand tucked into his pocket as though this meeting meant absolutely nothing to him.

Meanwhile, my pulse had started pounding so hard that it made me uncomfortable.

No.

This wasn’t happening.

Not here.

Not after all these years.

I forced myself to breathe normally before answering.

“We knew each other a long time ago,” I said carefully.

Laney looked relieved enough by the explanation, but curiosity still lingered on his face. “Small world.”

“You could say that,” Adrian replied smoothly.

His voice had changed with age. It was deeper now, colder in a controlled sort of way, yet it still carried the same unsettling calmness I remembered from years ago.

That calmness used to scare people.

Especially when he was angry.

I tore my eyes away from him and moved toward the desk, pretending to organize some folders just to give my hands something to do.

“When exactly did you two meet?” Laney asked casually.

“Teenage years,” Adrian answered before I could speak.

The way he said it made my chest tighten.

Not because the answer was wrong.

Because of how much history he managed to hide inside two simple words.

Laney gave a small nod. “Well, that explains the familiarity.”

Familiarity.

If only he knew.

I finally looked at Adrian properly again, trying to understand what exactly I was seeing. He looked nothing like the reckless young man I remembered. That man had carried chaos around him naturally. He had been charming, impulsive, and dangerous in ways most people failed to notice until it was too late.

This man standing before me was different.

Controlled.

Polished.

Expensive.

Even the watch around his wrist probably costs more than some people’s yearly salary.

But the eyes remained unchanged.

That was the worst part.

Those same patient eyes watched me like he already understood every thought crossing my mind.

Laney gestured toward the couch again. “Please, sit.”

Adrian sat first.

I remained standing.

Something about sitting near him suddenly felt like surrender.

Laney loosened his tie slightly before speaking again. “Mr. Vale has been reviewing several firms across the city for the past few months. Apparently, ours caught his attention.”

“Apparently?” Adrian repeated mildly.

Laney laughed awkwardly. “Well, more than apparently.”

Adrian leaned back comfortably. “Your company has potential.”

“And with your investment,” Laney quickly added, “we would expand nationally within two years.”

I nearly scoffed internally.

Laney was already speaking like a man trying to impress royalty.

And honestly, maybe he had reason to.

I had heard the name Adrian Vale before, but I never thought it'd be someone I knew.

Adrian’s gaze shifted toward me again.

“You seem surprised to see me.”

The statement sounded harmless to Laney.

To me, it felt like a blade sliding gently against skin.

“I didn’t expect it,” I admitted.

“People rarely expect the past to return.”

My fingers tightened around the folder in my hands.

He remembered.

Of course he remembered.

That stupid promise.

That reckless affair.

Laney, thankfully too distracted by business to notice the tension thickening inside the room, opened another file on his desk.

“Well, regardless of your history together, this could become a very important partnership for all of us.”

Us.

The word almost made me laugh.

Laney had no idea he was inviting a storm directly into the building.

Because this man for as far as I've known him, he's not a business man, not at all.

Adrian crossed one leg over the other lazily. “Melinda works closely with you, doesn’t she?”

“Very closely,” Laney answered immediately. “Honestly, she practically runs this place.”

“I see.”

The way Adrian said those two words made heat crawl uncomfortably across my skin.

He knew exactly what kind of woman I had become.

Ambitious.

Careful.

Controlled.

Nothing like the reckless girl he once knew.

Or at least that was what I wanted to believe.

Laney continued speaking enthusiastically about expansion plans, marketing strategies, future branches, and acquisition possibilities, but his voice slowly faded into background noise inside my head.

Because Adrian kept watching me.

Every few seconds I caught his eyes on me again as though he were studying whether I had changed or merely learned how to hide myself better.

Finally, unable to tolerate it any longer, I interrupted.

“Excuse me,” I said evenly. “I need a cup of coffee.”

Laney waved absentmindedly. “Could you bring some for us too?”

“Of course.”

I turned quickly and walked out before either man could say another word.

The moment the office door closed behind me, I released a shaky breath.

My heart was racing embarrassingly fast.

Doris looked up immediately from her desk the second she saw my face.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

I ignored the question and walked straight toward the coffee machine near the hallway window.

Doris followed behind me almost instantly.

“Melinda.”

Still I said nothing.

She lowered her voice. “Who’s in there?”

I grabbed a cup harder than necessary. “An investor, I guess.”

“That investor nearly made Laney sweat through his suit.”

That sounded accurate.

I stared into the dark coffee pouring slowly into the cup.

My reflection stared back faintly from the glass window nearby.

I’ve been cornered.

And I hated it.

Doris folded her arms. “Okay, now I’m definitely concerned. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Maybe I had.

Because the boy I once knew should have stayed buried in the past where I left him.

Yet somehow, he'd walked back into my life—calling himself Adrian Vale.

I returned with three cups of coffee, carefully balancing them as I handed each one out without a word. The moment they were taken, I turned on my heel and headed back toward my office, eager to escape the heavy atmosphere of the room.

Before I could make it out completely, Laney’s voice cut through the space.

“Call the executives,” he ordered flatly. “I want everyone in the conference room within thirty minutes.”

I paused just long enough to nod.

“Got it.”

Then I continued walking.

But even as I left, I could feel Adrian’s gaze lingering on me—silent, assessing, and far too aware—long after I had stepped out of the office and back into the corridor.