THE GHOST RETURNS
1162 Words
The meeting had just ended.
Nobody seemed to realize it.
The chairman was still speaking, still thanking investors for attending, but nobody in the ballroom was listening anymore.
Every conversation had become about one person.
Avery Hale.
“I thought she was dead.” He said to himself.
Three damn years.
Three years since he’d watched her walk out of his life.
Three years since she’d disappeared without a trace.
People don’t just vanish for three years without a trace, unless they wanted to.
Now she has returned out of nowhere.
Standing in the middle of Knox Holdings like she owned the place.
The realization hit him like a punch to the chest.
The shares she’d acquired weren’t random.
This wasn’t some emotional return, he thought to himself.
He was certain she was back for revenge fueled by heartbreak.
It was strategy.
Every move she made had been calculated.
Every share she had purchased was with purpose.
She had bought enough stock to become one of the company’s major shareholders.
Enough to influence decisions.
Enough to challenge the board.
Enough to challenge him.
And that alone scared him.
He watched her shake hands with several investors.
She greeted every investor with a polite smile.
Her posture remained perfectly straight, and her cold eyes betrayed none of the emotions she once wore so openly.
She looked like a stranger wearing Avery’s face.
And somehow that hurt more than her hatred.
Because once upon a time, those eyes had looked at him like he was her entire world.
Now they looked through him.
The worst part was that she didn’t seem affected by seeing him.
Not even a little.
Three years ago, if he walked into a room, Avery’s attention would find him instantly.
Her eyes would brighten.
Her smile would appear before she even realized she was smiling.
He used to take that for granted sometimes.
God, he took everything about her for granted.
Now she was speaking to investors, discussing company projections, smiling politely at comments she probably didn’t care about.
And she never once looked in his direction.
As if he didn’t exist.
As if he wasn’t the man who had once promised her forever.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
Maybe I deserved that, Grant said to himself.
No.
He definitely deserved it.
Because while Avery had spent three years rebuilding herself, he had spent three years trapped in the ruins of what he destroyed.
The company had grown.
His wealth had doubled.
The media called him one of the most powerful CEOs in the country.
Yet none of it mattered to him.
Not when every success felt strangely empty.
Not when every penthouse apartment felt too quiet without her in it.
Not when every woman he dated eventually reminded him of the one woman he couldn’t forget.
Avery Hale.
She was the mistake that followed him everywhere.
The regret that refused to die.
The crowd slowly parted as Avery walked towards the private hallway.
Grant watched her disappear into the private hallway.
His feet refused to move.
Three years ago, she had walked away from him without looking back.
He had stood exactly the same way, frozen, convinced she’d return after she calmed down.
She never did.
Tonight he wasn’t making that mistake again.
He was going to regret it if he let her walk away without talking to her.
With a feeling he might never get another chance to talk to her.
He hesitated
Then he followed.
He wasn’t running after her, and he wasn’t calling her name again. He simply followed with quiet determination.
The hallway is quieter than the ballroom.
The music becomes distant.
Their footsteps echo.
Grant calls out.
“AVERY.”
Avery stops on hearing her name.
But doesn’t turn immediately.
She can and will always know who it belongs to.
slowly, she turned to face him.
No tears.
No anger.
Just composure.
He opened his mouth but no words came out.
For three years, he’d imagined this moment countless times.
He’d imagined yelling at her, demanding answers.
Asking why she had disappeared.
Yet now that she stood in front of him, every speech he had rehearsed for three years vanished.
“You’re alive,” Was all he managed.
Avery’s lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile.
Folding her arms across her chest.
One perfectly shaped eyebrow lifted.
“Clearly.” Avery replied.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed those little flashes of attitude until now.
Then it occurred to him: this wasn’t the Avery who cried in front of him three years ago
She was colder.
Three years ago, she used to hide behind him whenever reporters appeared.
Tonight she answered questions without blinking.
She was dressed like someone who belonged among billionaires.
She wore none of the jewelry he had once given her.
She was confident.
“Where have you been?”
“Why didn’t you contact anyone?”
“Why come back if you were going to stay hidden for three years?”
More and more Grant kept asking questions.
Avery answered almost nothing.
A small laugh escaped her lips.
Then he remembered.
She used to laugh like that when she wanted to hide how nervous she was.
Silence followed.
Avery looked at him.
Grant swallowed.
“Do you know how many times I searched for you?”
She still said nothing.
Grant would have given anything to know what was going through her mind.
“You didn’t seem interested in my whereabouts when you destroyed my life.”
“I’m here because I have business with Knox Holdings.” She responded.
Avery turned about to take her leave.
He blocked her path-not aggressively but because he wanted answers
“Is this really about the company or about me?” Grant asked staring into her eyes in hope of finding something he couldn’t tell.
Maybe a little bit of love.
“You will find out when everyone else does.” Avery said.
Then she walked away, her heels echoing in the quiet halls.
He stands there, unable to move.
“Sir.” Lola called out approaching Grant.
He didn’t answer.
“We have received a confidential report.” She continued.
He finally looks at her.
Lola Cole is the company’s COO and Grant’s oldest friend.
“About Avery Hale, someone has been quietly buying shares in Knox Holdings for over two years.” Lola said.
Grant froze.
“Two years?”
“Nobody had known they were connected till now.” She said.
“This isn’t revenge born yesterday.” Grant realized.
She had it all planned out.
Every single move.
“There is something else.” Lola continued opening a file she was holding.
It had a red confidential stamp on it.
Only highly confidential company files bore a stamp like that on them.
“She has requested access to tomorrow’s emergency board meeting.”
“And according to the legal department, she has every right to be there.”
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