Chapter 7
1187 Words
The morning after the meeting announcement, Kayla hardly slept. Her thoughts kept circling.
The banquet.
Roland.
She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her phone as if it might ring again at any second, just to confirm her worst fears.
A notification suddenly appeared on the screen.
Blossom: “Don’t forget, we need to prepare for the banquet. I’m NOT going alone.”
Kayla stared at the message for a long moment.
Then she slowly stood and walked to her dresser. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out her resignation letter.
The paper trembled in her hands.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
“Will I survive this time?” she whispered. Her voice sounded small and broken.
“Can I really survive?”
The banquet.
Everything that had ruined her life before was waiting for her again. A tear rolled down her cheek.
She returned to the bed and lay back against the mattress, clutching the resignation letter tightly to her chest. She took a deep breath.
She had been given a second chance.
Kayla wasn’t sure she was strong enough to face it all over again.
Closing her eyes, she let out a shaky breath.
Of course.
Blossom wasn’t going to let her go.
***
Inside the Qin Corporation building, Roland stood behind his desk with a stack of employee files neatly arranged in front of him. Tia leaned lazily against the window, watching him with amusement.
“You really asked for employee files because of one elevator moment?” she asked.
Roland didn’t look up. “I asked because I want answers.”
Tia smirked. “Or because you can’t stop thinking about her.”
Roland’s gaze sharpened. “I don’t care about her.” The lie tasted flat.
He tapped the file once. “I care about why she feels familiar.”
Tia casually pulled out her phone and started texting, laughing quietly to herself. Roland finally looked up, annoyance tightening his expression.
“What are you doing?”
Tia grinned shamelessly. “Texting Grandpa.”
She waved her phone proudly. “I told him you might finally bring home a wife soon.”
Roland sighed, tired, and turned back to the files, ignoring her.
Tia clicked her tongue dramatically. “So cold.”
Silence filled the office again.
Roland opened the first file.
Kayla.
His eyes lingered on her employee photo longer than necessary. Something about her face unsettled him—not because he recognized her, but because every instinct inside him kept insisting he should.
His fingers tapped lightly against the desk.
Then Roland set the file down and reached for the office phone.
“HR,” he said when the line connected. “About the annual banquet—confirm the attendance list.”
A pause.
“Kayla.” His voice didn’t change. “Make sure she’s on it.”
Tia looked at him and grinned from ear to ear. “I knew you liked her. You’re even making sure she shows up to the banquet.” She practically sang the last part. “You go, boss man.”
Roland ignored her and picked the file up again, flipping to the next page.
The strange feeling didn’t go away.
***
Blossom sat across from Kayla in the lunchroom, lightly swinging her legs beneath the table.
“You’re still thinking about quitting, aren’t you?” Blossom asked.
Kayla hesitated. “I have to.”
Blossom leaned forward slightly. “Or maybe you’re just running away.” Her voice softened, but the words stayed sharp. “Even though you already know you can’t avoid it forever.”
Kayla froze.
Blossom eased back, “I don’t know what scared you yesterday… but disappearing might only make the situation worse.”
Kayla lowered her gaze to her hands. She wanted to explain. She really did.
But how was she supposed to tell someone: I died because of a man in my past life.
So instead, she stayed silent.
Later that day, Kayla was leaving the office when she bumped into someone turning the corner. A folder slipped from her hands.
“Sorry,” she said quickly, bending to pick everything up.
Another hand reached down at the same time.
Their fingers brushed.
Kayla froze. The air suddenly felt strange. Her breathing stopped for half a second before she slowly looked up.
Roland.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Roland’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to understand why this moment felt… wrong.
Familiar.
And unfinished.
Kayla’s fingers trembled around the papers. Roland noticed immediately.
“You’re shaking,” he said.
His voice was calm, but Kayla pulled her hand away and stood too fast. “I… I’m sorry, Mr. Qin.”
She stepped back, almost instinctively.
Roland didn’t respond right away. His eyes stayed on her face for a second too long.
Not fear. Not curiosity.
Something else.
Something he couldn’t explain.
A voice cut in from behind him. “Mr. Qin, we’re running late for the schedule.”
One of his assistants stood nearby, waiting nervously.
Roland finally looked away. But as he walked past Kayla, that sharp pressure returned inside his head.
Across the hallway, Blossom arrived just in time to see Kayla standing frozen.
“You okay?” Blossom asked quickly.
Kayla nodded. “Yes. I’m fine.”
Her hands were still trembling.
Blossom frowned. “…Did something happen?”
Kayla shook her head again. “No.”
Even Kayla could hear how unconvincing she sounded.
Blossom stared at her for another second before sighing softly. “You really are terrible at lying.”
Despite the tension in her chest, Kayla almost smiled.
***
Roland returned to his office and shut the door behind him. Tia was already sitting on the couch, waiting.
“You saw her again, didn’t you?” she asked casually.
Roland didn’t answer. He pressed his fingers against his temple. The pressure inside his head had returned, but this time there was something else mixed into it.
A faint image flashed through his mind.
Not Kayla.
A different woman.
Brown eyes.
A calm expression.
Standing slightly to the side—
For some strange reason, the violent pressure in his chest eased when he saw her.
Then the image disappeared completely.
Roland’s furrowed. “…Who was that?”
Tia tilted her head. “What are you talking about?”
But Roland was already walking back toward his desk.
Something about this situation felt wrong.
Not just Kayla anymore.
And somehow…
That bothered him even more.
***
That evening, Blossom texted Kayla again.
Blossom: “We’re picking banquet outfits tomorrow.”
Kayla stared at the message for a long moment before typing back.
“…I don’t think I should go.”
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Then:
Blossom: “You’re going.”
Kayla sighed quietly. Before she could reply, another message popped up.
HR: “Reminder: Selected employees must attend the annual banquet. Attendance confirmed under CEO directive.”
Kayla’s grip tightened around her phone. Her heart sank.
Because this no longer felt like a choice.
It felt like fate dragging her back toward him again.
- Writer
