Chapter 011- Sterling
1772 Words
*Chapter 11*
*Wren’s POV*
And that was the man she hated.
The man she had spent three years trying to forget.
The man she never expected to see again.
Yet there he was.
Sitting comfortably at the head of the boardroom table as if nothing had ever happened between them. A small, unreadable smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.
Damien.
Wren’s heart skipped a painful beat. It felt like someone had reached into her chest and squeezed. She quickly looked away and forced her eyes onto the presentation screen in front of her.
_Don’t look at him._
_Just concentrate._
But the words on the slide blurred. Her palms turned damp against the remote. She tightened her grip until her knuckles whitened.
She had prepared for this.
She had stayed up until 2am going over every slide.
She had rehearsed in front of Lyra until Lyra threatened to throw a pillow at her if she repeated the same sentence one more time.
She knew this presentation inside out.
So why couldn’t she remember a single thing right now?
The air in the room felt thick. Too quiet. She could hear the faint hum of the projector, the scratch of pens on paper, and her own heartbeat thundering in her ears.
“Miss Wren?” Caleb’s voice cut through the silence.
Wren blinked rapidly. “Oh—sorry.”
Her voice came out smaller than she intended. She cleared her throat and tried again.
“This p-project is…” She swallowed hard. The words tangled on her tongue. “It’s actually a project that…”
The silence in the room grew heavier. She could feel every pair of eyes on her.
Caleb noticed her struggle and stepped a little closer. He lowered his voice so only she could hear.
“Wren, calm down,” he said gently. “It’s okay. Take a breath.”
She inhaled slowly through her nose. Her hands were shaking.
“I’ll continue from where you stopped,” he offered, eyes full of concern.
She nodded, grateful tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “Thank you.”
She needed air. She needed somewhere quiet before she completely fell apart in front of everyone.
“Excuse me,” she muttered, already moving toward the door. Her heels clicked too loud against the marble floor. She didn’t look back.
*The Restroom*
The moment the restroom door closed behind her, Wren walked straight to the mirror and gripped the edge of the sink like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
For a second she didn’t recognize the pale, wide-eyed woman staring back at her. Her lipstick was still perfect. Her blazer still pressed. But her eyes were wild.
Then the memories came flooding in—every moment, every word, every painful ending she had tried so hard to bury.
Her eyes filled.
“How dare he?” she whispered, voice shaking. “How dare he sit there so comfortably, like nothing ever happened?”
A tear slipped down her cheek. Then another. Soon she couldn’t stop them.
She grabbed a tissue, wiped her face roughly, and blew her nose before throwing it away. Turning on the tap, she splashed cold water onto her face. The shock of it made her gasp. She stared at her reflection again.
_No. No, Wren._ She patted her cheeks gently. “Don’t let him spoil your day. You prepared hard for this.”
She took another deep breath.
“You got this.”
She nodded at herself, as if the woman in the mirror needed convincing.
“You got this.”
She carefully dabbed the last traces of tears from beneath her eyes with a tissue. She reapplied her lipstick. Straightened her blazer.
She would not let Damien Sterling see her break down.
Not today.
Not ever again.
One final breath, then she turned and walked out.
*Back in the Boardroom*
When Wren re-entered the room, Caleb was still standing beside the projector. Explaining his part.
Damien’s eyes found her the second she stepped inside. She pretended not to notice. Pretended her heart wasn’t racing.
“If she’s alright, you can let her continue,” Damien said.
His voice. God. It was the same. Low, calm, and in control.
The sound of it tightened something in her chest.
Caleb looked at her carefully. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she answered quickly, forcing a small, professional smile. “I can continue.”
He studied her face for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Take your time.”
Wren took the remote and returned to the front of the room. She looked at the presentation. She looked at the NovaTech representatives waiting. And she deliberately avoided looking at Damien.
She wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.
She clicked to the next slide.
“As I was saying earlier…”
Her voice was still a little unsteady at first. But with every sentence it grew stronger. She moved from slide to slide, explaining the branding concepts, the market research, the design choices, the overall vision. She talked about color psychology and user engagement and projected ROI.
This time she didn’t stutter. She didn’t stop. She didn’t glance in his direction even once.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him. Leaning back in his chair. Arms crossed. Watching her.
But she kept going.
When she finally reached the last slide, she straightened her shoulders.
“That concludes the presentation. Thank you for listening.”
There was a brief silence, then polite applause from the NovaTech team.
Wren released a quiet breath. It was over. She hadn’t humiliated herself.
Caleb walked over to her once the room started clearing. “You did well.”
“Thank you.”
“Despite the little hiccup at the beginning, you recovered nicely.”
She managed a faint smile. “Thank you.”
She hesitated. Her head was pounding. “Caleb… can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Would it be okay if I went home after the presentation?”
His expression shifted slightly. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes. I just…” She paused. She couldn’t say _I just saw the man who broke me and I need to not be here_. “I don’t really feel well enough to stay for the rest of the day.”
Caleb studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. You’ve done your part today. Go home and get some rest.”
Relief loosened her shoulders. “Really?”
“Yes. Just make sure you’re alright.”
“I will. Thank you so much.” She gave him a grateful smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, Wren.”
She gathered her things and left the boardroom without looking back even once.
*Wren’s Home*
By the time Wren reached the apartment, she felt completely drained. Her makeup was still intact, but she felt like she’d run a marathon.
She stood outside the door and knocked.
“Lyra?”
No answer.
She knocked again. “Lyra, open the door, please.”
Still nothing.
She leaned her forehead against the wood and knocked a third time. “Lyra!”
Finally the door opened. Lyra stood there with damp hair, a towel wrapped around her shoulders and coffee in her hand.
“What took you so long?” Wren asked tiredly.
“I was in the shower.” Lyra stepped aside to let her in.
Wren walked past her and dropped her bag on the couch with a heavy thud. Lyra’s eyes narrowed as she studied her friend’s face.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
“What happened, Wren? You left this morning in high spirits, and now you look completely… off.”
Wren didn’t answer. She went straight to the kitchen and poured herself water. Her hands were still shaking.
Lyra followed her. She stepped closer, then noticed her eyes. Her expression changed.
“Wait.” She pointed. “Your eyes are red.”
Wren looked away. “They’re not.”
“Wren.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.” Lyra folded her arms. “What happened?”
Wren remained silent. She had spent the entire taxi ride home trying to convince herself that it didn’t matter—that seeing him hadn’t affected her, that she was over it. But the moment she was home, the walls came down.
Finally she whispered, “I met him today.”
Lyra’s eyes widened. “Damien?”
Wren nodded. “Yeah.”
“You met Damien today?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
Wren swallowed. “He’s the CEO.”
Lyra’s mouth fell open. “Wait.” She blinked several times. “Damien is your CEO?”
“Yes.”
“Woah.” Lyra looked genuinely stunned.
The thing is..." Wren frowned, thinking aloud. "Why haven't I thought about it?"
Lyra tilted her head.
"Thought about what?"
"Sterling."
She looked at Lyra.
"The Sterling Group. As in Damien Sterling."
Lyra's eyes widened again.
"Oh my goodness."
"
Wren nodded miserably.
Lyra slowly sat down beside her on the couch. “So all this time you’ve been working at Sterling Group and you didn’t realize the CEO was him?”
Wren shook her head. “No. I’ve never seen his picture. And Caleb just said ‘the CEO’ will be there. I thought—” She laughed bitterly. “I don’t know what I thought.”
Lyra stared at her for a long moment, then exhaled. “This is crazy.”
“Tell me about it.” Wren leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. “I didn’t even know he was coming. I just walked into the boardroom and there he was. Sitting there. Smirking.”
Lyra shook her head slowly. “Wow.”
Wren opened her eyes again. “I thought I was going to mess up the entire presentation.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I almost did.”
“But you didn’t.” Lyra squeezed her hand. “You’re stronger than you think.”
Wren stared straight ahead. “I still don’t understand why he has to be there.”
Lyra gave her a look. “Because he’s the CEO?”
Wren glared. “That’s not funny.”
“I know.” Lyra paused, then asked the question Wren had been avoiding all day. “So… what will you do now?”
Wren didn’t answer right away.
Because whatever she decided, one thing was already painfully clear.
Damien Sterling was no longer just a person from her past.
He was her boss.
- Writer
