His Forbidden Second Chance

“Ma’am?” Someone called out. Elena turned around to see who had called her. A young lady walked toward her with a polite smile. “Miss, are you Elena Blackwood?” she asked. “Yes,” Elena answered. “The secretary would like to discuss a few things with you concerning the event planning.” “Alright, then.” Elena adjusted the folder in her arms and followed the woman toward the reception office. Her mind was already going over the event details and everything that still needed to be arranged. She turned the corner without looking ahead and suddenly bumped straight into someone. The files in her hands went flying. “Oh my God!” she gasped. Papers scattered across the floor. Elena immediately bent down. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She hurriedly began picking up the papers. “Oh my, I’m so clumsy.” She picked up another document and muttered, “I almost killed someone just now.” There was no response. Elena picked up the last document and finally stood. The first thing she noticed was the man’s height. He was tall, dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit. His dark hair was neatly styled, and his expression was hard enough to make her forget her apology for a second. But then she looked into his eyes and froze. His eyes were fixed on her. Not angrily. Not even with annoyance. But with shock. A kind of shock so deep that his entire body had gone still. He looked at her as if he had just seen a ghost. Elena blinked. She glanced behind her. There was no one there. When she looked back at him, he was still staring. She frowned slightly. “Are you okay?” The man’s lips parted, but no words came out. His eyes moved slowly over her face, as if he were searching for something—or someone. Elena shifted uncomfortably. “I’m really sorry about the files. I didn’t mean to.” “Who are you?” His voice was low. She frowned. “I just told you. I’m sorry.” “No.” He took a small step closer. His eyes never left her face. “Your name,” he demanded. Something about the way he asked made Elena’s smile disappear. “Elena,” she replied coldly. The moment she said it, his expression changed. It was almost as if the name had confirmed something he desperately did not want to believe. “Elena…” he repeated under his breath. Elena stared at him. “How do you know my name?” He didn’t answer. Instead, he kept looking at her. For a few seconds, neither of them moved. Then a voice called from the end of the hallway. “Sir?” The man finally looked away. His jaw tightened. He glanced at Elena one last time before turning toward the voice. But he stopped after only two steps. Without looking back at her, he asked quietly, “Does she know?” The person behind him hesitated. “Know what?” His eyes returned to Elena. For the first time, something besides shock showed in them. Fear. “No,” he said quietly. “She doesn’t know anything.” And then he walked away. Elena remained standing in the middle of the hallway, completely confused. She looked down at the papers still clutched in her hands. Who was that man? And why had he looked at her as if he were staring at a ghost?