From Lies To Love

Chapter 15

Emily was scanning the shelves, reaching for a jar of pasta sauce when she heard the familiar, condescending voice behind her.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the former queen of Blackwood Enterprises.”

Emily stilled for half a second before composing herself. She placed the jar in her cart and turned to see Melissa standing there, a smirk plastered on her overly made-up face.

“Melissa,” Emily greeted, her tone neutral but unimpressed.

Melissa tilted her head slightly, eyes filled with feigned curiosity. “Didn’t think I’d run into you here. Guess you’ve got a lot of free time now that you’re no longer running around after Me Blackwood.”

Emily arched a brow, not taking the bait. “Everyone needs to eat, Melissa. Or do you have personal assistants grocery shopping for you now?”

Melissa chuckled, giving an exaggerated shrug. “Oh, wouldn’t that be nice? But some of us still work hard for our positions.” Her smirk deepened. “Speaking of positions, I couldn’t help but notice how close Linda and Mr Blackwood have become these days. Almost inseparable, really.”

Emily kept her expression neutral, but she could feel her pulse quicken slightly. She knew Melissa was only saying this to provoke her, but still there was something unsettling about it.

Melissa leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as if she were letting Emily in on a secret. “You know, Mr Blackwood used to be so… distant with everyone. But Linda? She’s always there now. At the company. At the firm. I even heard she’s been handling his personal affairs lately. Who knows? Maybe she’s finally managed to break through that icy wall of his.”

Emily’s fingers curled slightly around the handle of her cart. She hated that Melissa was watching so closely, waiting for a reaction.

Melissa smirked, clearly enjoying herself. “I mean, let’s be real, Emily. You were his secretary. How many secretaries actually end up with their boss? That’s just a fantasy, isn’t it? And now that you’re out of the picture, someone else is bound to step in.”

Emily let out a small, amused laugh, throwing Melissa off guard. “Melissa,” she said, tilting her head, “for someone who claims not to care about Ryan’s personal life, you sure do pay a lot of attention to it. Almost obsessively so.”

Melissa’s smile stiffened. “I just find it interesting, that’s all.”

“Oh, I’m sure you do,” Emily mused. “But you’re forgetting something. You’ve been watching Ryan from the sidelines for years—and yet, not once has he ever looked at you the way he’s looked at me.”

Melissa’s face darkened. “Enjoy it while it lasts,” she said, her voice laced with venom.

Emily smirked. “I plan to.”

Melissa let out a huff before turning on her heel and walking away, her posture tense.

Emily exhaled, shaking off the encounter as she returned to her shopping.

Melissa was just another reminder people were watching, waiting, and assuming they knew everything.

But if there was one thing Emily had learned about Ryan Blackwood, it was that he made his own choices.

And she’d be damned if she let Melissa, or anyone else, make her doubt where she stood.

Emily shut the door behind her, dropping the grocery bags on the kitchen counter with a little more force than necessary. She let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her hair as Melissa’s words replayed in her mind.

"Linda is always with Ryan now… I wouldn’t be surprised if something is going on between them."

Emily scoffed, shaking her head. Why do I even care? she thought, but the twinge in her chest said otherwise.

She paced the living room, arms crossed as doubt slowly crept in. Melissa could just be stirring up trouble… but what if she’s right? Linda had always been efficient, professional, and undeniably attractive. She worked closely with Ryan just like Emily used to. But now, Emily was on the outside looking in.

She sat down on the couch, her heart pounding slightly. It wasn’t jealousy… was it? She didn’t even know what she and Ryan were anymore. He had kissed her, asked her to be his real girlfriend, and yet had anything really changed?

Emily leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

"You’re overthinking this," she muttered to herself. Ryan can do whatever he wants.

But the idea of Linda being the one he wanted made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

The air in Ryan Blackwood’s office was thick with the scent of polished wood and freshly brewed coffee, but none of it eased the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He sat at his expansive desk, flipping through the latest contract revisions, his sharp eyes scanning every detail with precision.

A knock came at the door.

“Come in,” he said without looking up.

The door swung open, and Linda stepped inside, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. She carried a thick folder, holding it close to her chest as she approached his desk.

“I have the financial report you requested,” she said, placing it neatly in front of him.

Ryan didn’t immediately acknowledge her, his attention still on the contract in his hands. A long silence stretched between them before he finally picked up the file, flipping it open.

Linda cleared her throat slightly. “The fourth-quarter projections are strong, but there’s a minor discrepancy in the logistics division. The numbers from our overseas shipments don’t quite match the inventory reports.”

Ryan’s jaw tightened. “And why wasn’t this caught sooner?” His voice was calm but carried the unmistakable edge of authority.

Linda remained poised. “It was subtle. Whoever handled the initial reports either overlooked it or” she hesitated for a fraction of a second, “it was intentional.”

That caught his attention. He finally looked up, his steel-blue eyes locking onto hers.

“Intentional?”

Linda nodded. “We won’t know for sure until a deeper audit is done, but something isn’t adding up.”

Ryan leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers against the polished desk. “Fix it. And if you find out someone’s playing games with my company’s numbers, I want names.”

Linda gave a curt nod. “I’ll handle it.”