WHEN THE PAST CHOSE US

Chapter One.

Serena — first person.

The elevator doors separated on the thirty-second floor,and for a minute she forgot how to breathe. 

Blackwood Holdings doesn't look like an office,it looks like something built to remind you exactly how small you are,glass walls stretching floor to ceiling,the city laid out below like it belongs to whoever sits at the top of the building. Her reflection followed her across the polished floor,blazer too stiff,heels too loud,badge clipped crooked to her collar. She fixed it twice before she the reception desk.

“Serena Hart,” the receptionist said without looking up from her screen, “You're in Marketing Strategy,third door on the left,someone will be there to orient you.”

She thanked the woman warmly,and she meant every word far more deeply than anyone could guess. Getting this job had not been easy,it had taken six exhausting months, countless applications,and four intense interview rounds with people whose names she had repeated so often that they felt like flashcards she memorized for an exam,there had been moments when she had almost convinced herself that she wasn't good enough,yet somehow against all those fears, she made it.

Now she stood inside the very building she had always admired from the outside for years. During her old lunch breaks,she used to walk past these towering glass walls, wondering what it felt like working there. It had always seemed like a place reserved for extraordinary people, people who had already figured their lives out,standing in the lobby now,she could hardly believe she  belonged there. 

The memory of telling  her father about the job drifted into my mind.

He had laughed,but it hadn't been the joyful laugh she expected. It was much quieter,almost hesitant, as though the news had surprised him in a way he couldn't explain.He had repeated the company's name slowly.

“Blackwood,” he had said thoughtfully. “That's a big name to work under,Ser.”

For a brief seconds,his expression had grown distant,almost troubled. But before she could ask what was wrong,he had wrapped her in a tight hug and told her how proud he was. She chose to focus on the hug rather than the strange look on his face, she convinced herself he was only nervous. Parents worry,that's normal,there was no reason to think otherwise.

A few moments later,she was guided toward the marketing department. The office stretched out before her in neat rows of desks, with employees already typing away despite the early hour, the steady clicking of keyboards blended with the soft hum of fluorescent lights, creating the familiar rhythm of people already immersed in their work.

Before Serena could decide where to stand,a cheerful woman wearing a company lanyard approached her with a clipboard tucked under one arm.

“You must be the new girl,” she said with a welcoming smile. “I'm Priya,come with me and I will get you settled.”

Priya moved quickly,talking just as fast. She pointed out the kitchen, joked about the printer that seemed determined to jam whenever someone was in a hurry  and showed Serena where the conference rooms were located. Everything felt overwhelming,yet exciting. Serena listened carefully, trying to remember every detail. 

As they reached the end of the hallway,Priya lowered her voice.

“And that's Mr.Blackwood's office.”

Serena instinctively looked toward the frosted glass door, written neatly across it were the words: DAMIEN BLACKWOOD. Even his office door somehow looked intimidating, as though it warned people not to interrupt unless absolutely necessary.

“Is he really that scary?” Serena asked with a nervous laugh .

Priya let out an amused sneer.

“He once fired someone during their first month because a presentation used the wrong shade of blue,not the wrong logo,not incorrect numbers,just the wrong shade of blue.”

Serena blinked.

“You're kidding.” She said,

“I wish I was,” Priya replied.

They both laughed,but Serena couldn't ignore the knot tightening in her stomach.

She had always believed that dedication eventually pays off,throughout her life,she had trusted that if she worked hard, stayed honest, treated people kindly,and refused to lose herself in the process, good things would eventually find her. It was a lesson her mother had repeated throughout her childhood.

“The best things come to people who wait without becoming bitter.”

Those words had shaped Serena into the woman she was, they had carried her through difficult years,disappointments,and sacrifices. Until now,she had never questioned them.

Still standing in a company ruled by a man everyone seemed to fear, she couldn't help wondering if kindness and patience would be enough to work here.

The morning passed quickly.

By ten o'clock, Serena finally had her own desk,a company laptop that stubbornly refused to cooperate until the fourth login,and a large stack of brand manuals thick enough to match her university textbooks.

She welcomed the work.

Reading through the material gave her something to focus on besides her nerves. Slowly,she became absorbed in learning the company's voice, its identity,and its expectations.

This was exactly why she had fought so hard for the position.

It wasn't because of the impressive office building.

It wasn't the breathtaking city view.

It wasn't even the generous salary, although finally being able to shop for groceries without checking her bank balance first certainly felt like a blessing.

She wanted something deeper than that.

She wanted to contribute.

She wanted to build meaningful campaigns that mattered.

She wanted to prove to herself more than anyone that she was capable of succeeding somewhere important.

She was studying a presentation about third-quarter marketing strategies when Priya suddenly appeared beside her desk again. This time,the easy smile she wore earlier had disappeared.

“Conference room,” Priya said urgently, “Now.”

Serena looked up in confusion.

“What happened?”

“Mr. Blackwood wants everyone reviewing the Whitmore pitch before noon. Someone forgot to include you, so congratulations  you've been thrown into the deep end.”

“But…. I haven't even finished onboarding.”

Priya gave her a sympathetic smile. 

“That's pretty much how things work around here.”

Swallowing her anxiety,Serena grabbed her laptop and hurried after her.

Every step toward the conference room made her heartbeat louder.

When they reached the open doorway,Serena saw Damien Blackwood for the first time.

Without everyone else's opinions echoing in her mind,he looked surprisingly ordinary for a split seconds.

His dark hair was slightly untidy.

His sleeves were rolled neatly to his forearms.

His attention was completely fixed on the laptop in front of him, expression calm and intensely focused.

Then he looked up.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

His piercing gray eyes settled on Serena,sharp enough to make her feel as though he could read every nervous thought she was trying to hide.

“You're new”,he said simply.

It wasn't a question.

“Serena Hart,” she replied,forcing herself to meet his gaze. “Today is my first day.”

“Then you only have thirty seconds to catch up.”

Without further introduction,he rotated his laptop toward her.

“Tell me what's wrong with this pitch.”

For one hopeful second,Serena glanced toward Priya.

Priya avoided eye contact with her entirely. 

Serena understood once that she was on her own.

So, she focused on the presentation instead.

Years of studying marketing had taught her to look beyond attractive designs and polished wording. Every campaign needed to answer one question: What does the client truly need,even if they don't know how to ask for it?

She studied the slides carefully.

Thirty seconds passed.

Then another.

Damien remained silent.

He simply watched her,waiting with a patience that somehow felt even more intimidating than anger would have.

Finally,  Serena spoke.

“The tone is wrong.”

He remained silent,encouraging her to continue.

“You're presenting Whitmore as though they're an old company trying to become modern. But that's exactly what they've been doing in their recent campaigns,and it hasn't worked. It makes them seem insecure about who they are,they don't need to reinvent themselves,they need to embrace what already makes them different and expand it.”

The room fell completely silent.

Serena's confidence evaporated almost instantly.

She wondered if she had just embarrassed herself on her very first day of work.

Then she noticed the smallest change in Damien's expression.

It wasn't quite approval,neither a smile.

But it was enough to tell her she had said something worth hearing. 

“Rewrite slide six,” he said calmly. “You have one hour.”

Relief rushed through her so suddenly that she almost forgot how to breathe.

She was about to thank him when her eyes accidentally drifted to an open folder resting on the corner of his desk.

A label clipped to the front caught her attention,and before she could stop herself,she read the words written across it.

— ✦ —

There, in black print above her own name, is a note she was never supposed to see:FLAG–FAMILY NAME MATCH. HART.