The Woman in the Past
986 Words
Elara barely made it through Monday.
Every time her phone vibrated, she expected another message from Caleb. Every time someone mentioned Morrow Capital, her attention shifted automatically.
It irritated her.
Worse, it distracted her.
She stood inside the office kitchen stirring coffee she no longer wanted while staring blankly through the glass walls of the building.
“You’ve been quiet all morning,” Priya said, entering behind her.
“I’m working.”
“You say that every time you’re emotionally confused.”
Elara sighed softly. “Can we not do this today?”
Priya leaned against the counter. “Fine. Then answer one question honestly.”
Elara already regretted this.
“Do you still feel guilty about university?”
The question settled heavily between them.
For years, Elara had convinced herself the past didn’t matter. They were teenagers. Everyone said stupid things at nineteen.
But Caleb’s return had forced her to revisit memories she buried long ago.
The jokes.
The laughter.
The way he always sat alone pretending none of it bothered him.
“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly.
Priya looked surprised by the honesty.
Before either of them could continue, Elara’s phone buzzed.
A message.
From Caleb.
Come to the executive floor.
No greeting.
No explanation.
Just the message.
Priya raised an eyebrow immediately. “Wow. Billionaires really text like movie villains.”
Elara grabbed her phone quickly. “I hate you.”
“You’re blushing.”
“I am not.”
But unfortunately, she was.
Caleb’s office felt strangely familiar now.
That bothered her too.
The assistant opened the door for her before quietly leaving again.
Caleb stood near the windows with his sleeves rolled slightly above his wrists, reviewing documents on a tablet. Even something as simple as that looked unfairly attractive.
He glanced up briefly when she entered.
“You came.”
“You own the company,” Elara replied. “Ignoring you seems financially irresponsible.”
A faint smile touched his mouth.
“There’s the attitude I remember.”
She hated that part of her liked hearing him say that.
“What did you want?” she asked carefully.
Caleb placed the tablet down. “We have a charity gala this weekend. Investors, media, business partners.”
“And?”
“And you’re attending with me.”
Elara blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “Why would I attend with you?”
“Because the media already noticed us at the acquisition party.”
“That’s exactly why this is a bad idea.”
Caleb walked closer slowly. “You care too much about what people think.”
“And you don’t care enough.”
“True.”
His calm confidence made arguing difficult.
Elara folded her arms. “You could literally ask any woman in this city.”
“I know.”
The answer came too smoothly.
“So why me?”
For the first time since she entered the office, Caleb became quiet.
Then he looked directly at her.
“Because I’m curious what happens when someone from your past suddenly sees you differently.”
The honesty caught her off guard again.
“You make everything sound complicated,” she murmured.
“No,” Caleb replied softly. “Just honest.”
Silence settled briefly between them.
Elara looked away first. “This gala… is it actually business?”
“Mostly.”
“And the other part?”
His eyes held hers steadily.
“You.”
Her heartbeat stumbled.
This man was dangerous.
Not because he was rich.
Because he spoke too calmly while saying things capable of completely unsettling her.
Before she could respond, a woman suddenly entered the office without knocking.
Tall. Beautiful. Elegant.
And clearly comfortable around Caleb.
“There you are,” the woman said smoothly before noticing Elara.
A brief pause followed.
Then she smiled politely. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t realize you were busy.”
Elara immediately stepped back slightly.
Caleb’s expression remained unreadable. “Elara, this is Vanessa Laurent.”
The name sounded familiar.
Vanessa extended her hand confidently. “We’ve met before, actually. Your father hosted a fundraiser two years ago.”
Elara shook her hand politely. “Right.”
But her attention shifted toward Caleb almost immediately.
Vanessa noticed it too.
“I was just asking Caleb if he’s still attending dinner tomorrow night,” Vanessa said casually.
Something uncomfortable twisted inside Elara’s chest before she could stop it.
Ridiculous.
She had absolutely no right feeling possessive.
Caleb answered calmly. “I’ll let you know.”
Vanessa’s eyes moved between them with quiet curiosity.
Then she smiled again. “Well, I won’t interrupt.”
The moment she left, the office became silent.
Elara grabbed onto the first professional thought she could find.
“She’s beautiful.”
Caleb studied her carefully. “That sounded personal.”
“It wasn’t.”
“You’re lying again.”
She rolled her eyes immediately. “Do you enjoy analyzing me?”
“More than I should.”
The answer came so naturally that Elara forgot how to breathe for half a second.
Dangerous.
Everything about this situation kept becoming more dangerous.
Caleb moved toward his desk again. “So. The gala.”
“You really don’t give up.”
“Rarely.”
Elara hesitated.
Every logical instinct told her refusing would be smarter.
But another part of her—the reckless, curious part—wanted to see where all this tension between them would lead.
Finally, she sighed.
“Fine.”
Caleb looked almost amused. “Fine?”
“Don’t make me regret it.”
He stepped closer again, stopping just near enough to make her pulse quicken.
“Elara,” he said quietly, “I think we both passed the point of being careful a long time ago.”
And somehow, that frightened her more than anything else he had said so far.
- Writer
