Something About Her
588 Words
Chapter 2
Damien
Damien Blackwood was used to confidence. To crisp suits, firm handshakes, and eyes that didn’t flinch when they met his. But the girl standing in his office? She was...different.
He couldn’t place it.
There was something in the way she stared—like she’d seen a ghost. Like he was the ghost.
He flipped through her resume, scanning with practiced ease. Good academic record. No scandals. But no high-level work experience either.
“So why do you want to work here, Miss Johnson?”
She hesitated for a second—barely long enough for most to notice. But Damien noticed everything.
“I need a stable job,” she replied, voice low but steady. “I’m efficient, reliable, and I learn fast.”
He tapped his pen against the desk, watching her closely. Her posture was polite, respectful—but guarded. Like she was holding something back.
He leaned forward slightly. “Have we met before?”
Her breath hitched, just for a moment. Her fingers clutched the strap of her handbag tighter, knuckles whitening. But her lips curved into a small, almost apologetic smile.
“I don’t think so, sir.”
A lie.
He didn’t know why he was so sure—but something inside him stirred. Not quite memory, but something deeper. A whisper. A pull.
Where have I seen those eyes?
Damien leaned back again, dismissing the feeling. He had no time for ghosts. Just contracts, meetings, and people trying to impress him for a paycheck.
But still, as he offered her the job—because, oddly enough, something in him wanted her to stay—he couldn’t shake the feeling that this girl was more than just another assistant.
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Ariella
Her heart wouldn’t stop pounding. She stood outside Blackwood Enterprises, the weight of the moment pressing down on her shoulders like lead.
He didn’t remember her.
And worse—he had offered her the job.
Ariella stared at the city street, watching cars blur past like time itself was mocking her. This job could change everything. The salary alone could finally give her son a better life. A better home. A future.
But could she survive working for the man who unknowingly gave her that son?
Her phone buzzed. A picture of her son, Liam, popped up—a reminder from the daycare app that it was almost pickup time.
She swiped it away, but tears stung at the corners of her eyes.
Damien Blackwood. The father of her child.
He didn’t even recognize her face. Not even the way she froze when he looked at her. Not even the way her hands trembled as she left his office.
She had told herself for years that it didn’t matter. That she didn’t need him. That she had made peace with raising Liam on her own.
But being in the same room with him again—hearing his voice, seeing his eyes—it cracked open something inside her she thought was buried.
If she took this job, she’d be walking into danger. Not physical—but emotional. Every single day would be a reminder of a past he had forgotten... and she never could.
But if she didn’t?
She clenched her fists.
Liam deserved more than minimum wage and secondhand toys.
She could do this.
She had to do this.
Ariella took a deep breath, wiped her eyes quickly, and whispered to herself:
“For Liam.”
Then she turned back toward the building—and stepped into the storm.
- Writer
