CHAPTER 1: "THE EMAIL"*
287 Words
The email came at 7:03am.
*Subject: New CEO Announcement*
*From: HR@SterlingTech.com*
*Body: We are pleased to welcome Mr. Daniel Sterling as our new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.*
My coffee went cold.
Daniel Sterling.
The Daniel.
The boy who kissed me in the rain and left me with a note that said _"I have to go. It's for the best."_
The boy who ghosted me for 3 years.
And now he’s my boss.
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.
`Conference Room A. 9am. We need to talk. -D`
My hands shook. Not because I was scared.
Because I was angry.
3 years. No calls. No closure.
And he thinks we can just "talk"?
I typed back with shaking fingers:
`You fired me 3 years ago. You don’t get to call meetings now.`
The reply was instant:
`I never fired you, Amara. Please. 9am.`
I stared at my name on his screen.
He still had me saved as "Amara ❤️"
The office felt smaller at 8:55am.
When the elevator doors opened, the whole floor went quiet.
He was taller. Sharper suit. Same jaw.
Same eyes that used to look at me like I was the only person in the room.
And now they were looking at me across a conference table.
With 12 other executives watching.
"Good morning," he said, voice low. "Let’s get to work."
Like nothing happened.
Like he didn’t ruin me.
I smiled. The fake one I perfected after he left.
"Morning, Mr. Sterling. What’s the agenda?"
His eyes flickered. Just for a second.
"Hurt," I think.
"First item," he said.
"HR policy update. No dating between managers and staff."
The room laughed.
He didn’t.
He was looking straight at me.
- Writer
