THE CEO'S FORGOTTEN WIFE

Ava Bennett had imagined meeting Alexander Black again in a thousand different ways. In some of those fantasies, she was angry. In others, she was crying. Sometimes she imagined herself walking past him without giving him so much as a glance, proving that the woman he had abandoned three years ago no longer cared. But never—not once—had she imagined meeting him like this. Behind a massive mahogany desk. In a perfectly tailored black suit. With his name displayed on a silver plaque in front of him. ALEXANDER BLACK CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Ava stopped breathing. For several seconds, she simply stood in the doorway. The woman beside her cleared her throat. “Miss Bennett?” Ava blinked. “Yes?” “The interview.” Right. The interview. She had come here for a job. Not to relive the worst three months of her life. Not to see the man who had disappeared without a word. And certainly not to discover that the company she had spent weeks trying to get into was owned by the same man whose face had haunted her dreams for years. Ava tightened her grip around the folder in her hands. “Sorry.” She stepped into the office. Alexander didn't move. His eyes remained fixed on the documents in front of him. He looked different. No. That wasn't true. He looked exactly the same. Maybe even better. His dark hair was neatly styled, his jaw covered with a faint layer of stubble, and his expression was as cold and unreadable as Ava remembered. Three years had passed, yet one look at him was enough to bring everything rushing back. A tiny apartment. A cheap ring. A promise. A wedding certificate. And then— Nothing. He had disappeared. No explanation. No goodbye. No message. Nothing. Ava swallowed hard. She had spent the last three years convincing herself that she was over him. Apparently, she had been lying to herself. “Sit.” His voice was deeper than she remembered. Ava slowly lowered herself into the chair opposite his desk. Alexander finally looked up. Their eyes met. For one brief second, something flickered across his face. Recognition. She saw it. She knew she did. But it disappeared almost immediately. His expression became completely neutral. “Your name?” Ava stared at him. She almost laughed. Almost. Instead, she answered quietly. “Ava Bennett.” He glanced at her résumé. “Age?” “Twenty-five.” “Education?” “Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.” “Work experience?” She answered each question carefully. Professionally. As if she had never known him. As if they had never stood together in a tiny courthouse and promised to remain married. As if she hadn't spent months wondering whether he was dead or alive. Alexander continued reading. Ava watched him. She couldn't understand it. His face gave nothing away. How could he sit there so calmly? How could he look at her as though she were a complete stranger? Finally, he placed the résumé on his desk. His eyes met hers again. “Have we met before?” Ava's heart stopped. There it was. The question she had never expected to hear. She stared at him in disbelief. “You don't remember me?” Alexander's eyebrows moved slightly. “Should I?” Ava's fingers curled around the edge of her folder. “You're asking me that?” “I asked you a question.” His tone was calm. Almost annoyingly calm. Ava looked at him for several seconds. Then she noticed something. His left hand. A silver watch covered his wrist, but beneath it was a faint mark. The same place where his wedding ring had once rested. Her eyes dropped to his desk. There was no ring. Of course there wasn't. She had given up looking for it a long time ago. But she remembered the ring he had worn. A simple silver band. The one she had chosen because they couldn't afford anything expensive. Alexander had promised never to take it off. Apparently, promises meant nothing to him. “I'm sorry,” Ava finally said. She stood. “I don't think I'm the right person for this job.” Alexander's expression changed. “You haven't finished the interview.” “I don't think there's any point.” “Sit down, Miss Bennett.” Something about his voice made her pause. Ava looked at him. He was still watching her. “Why did you apply to Blackstone?” “Because I need a job.” “That isn't what I asked.” “It is the answer.” Alexander leaned back in his chair. For the first time, Ava noticed something unusual in his expression. Curiosity. “You knew who I was before you entered this office.” It wasn't a question. Ava's heart began pounding. “So?” “So why did you apply here?” Ava laughed bitterly. “Because I didn't know you owned the company.” His eyes narrowed. “You didn't?” “No.” “And if you had known?” “I wouldn't have come.” Silence filled the office. Alexander studied her. Ava could almost feel him trying to figure her out. She wondered if he could see the anger beneath her calm expression. Did he remember their wedding? Did he remember the way he had held her hand? Did he remember telling her that he would never leave? Or had he erased everything as easily as he had erased her from his life? “Why did you disappear?” she asked. Alexander's face immediately hardened. “I don't know what you're talking about.” “You know exactly what I'm talking about.” “I don't.” “You disappeared three months after we got married.” The room went silent. Alexander stared at her. For the first time since she had entered the office, his perfect composure cracked. Only slightly. But Ava saw it. His fingers tightened around the pen in his hand. “You're mistaken.” “No.” “I've never been married.” Ava felt something inside her break all over again. She reached into her handbag with trembling fingers. She pulled out her phone. Then she opened the photograph she had kept hidden for years. A photograph from their wedding day. She placed the phone on his desk. Alexander looked at it. His eyes widened. There he was. Younger. Smiling. His arm wrapped around Ava's waist. And on his left hand was the silver wedding band she had given him. For several seconds, Alexander said nothing. Ava watched his face carefully. “You're telling me you don't remember that?” His jaw tightened. “I said I have never been married.” “Then explain the picture.” He looked at the photograph again. Something unreadable crossed his face. Then he pushed the phone back toward her. “I can't.” Ava frowned. “What?” “I said I can't explain it.” “Why?” Alexander stood. He was taller than she remembered. Or perhaps she had simply forgotten how intimidating he could be. He walked around the desk and stopped a few feet away. “Ava.” Her name. The way he said it made her heart twist. He remembered. He had to. “Don't say my name like that.” His expression softened for half a second. Then it disappeared. “You need to leave.” Ava stared at him. “After three years, that's all you have to say?” “I don't want you here.” “Good.” She grabbed her handbag. “I don't want to be here either.” She turned toward the door. “Ava.” She stopped. She didn't look back. Alexander's voice was quieter now. “Don't tell anyone about what happened today.” Ava slowly turned around. “What?” His face was completely serious. “Whatever you think you know about me, keep it to yourself.” “Why?” He didn't answer. Instead, he looked toward the large windows overlooking the city. Ava followed his gaze. Nothing seemed unusual. Then Alexander spoke again. “Because if the wrong person finds out that you've come back into my life…” He paused. “…you won't be safe.” Ava's blood ran cold. “What are you talking about?” Alexander looked at her. And for the first time, she saw something she had never expected to see in his eyes. Fear. Not for himself. For her. Before Ava could ask another question, the office door opened. A sharply dressed man stepped inside. He stopped when he saw Ava. His face went pale. Alexander immediately turned toward him. “Get out.” The man didn't move. His eyes remained fixed on Ava. Then he whispered something that made Ava's stomach drop. “She survived?” Alexander's expression turned deadly. “Leave. Now.” The man backed out of the room. The door slammed shut. Ava stared at Alexander. “Who was that?” Alexander didn't answer. Instead, he walked toward the door and locked it. Then he turned back to her. “We have a bigger problem.” Ava's heart pounded. “What problem?” Alexander looked at her for a long moment. “The people who separated us three years ago…” He paused. “They know you're here.”