The Night That Bound Us

Chapter 3

Sarah woke slowly, her body reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of her bed. For a few quiet seconds, she lay still, staring up at the ceiling, her mind suspended somewhere between sleep and awareness. Then it came again—that strange, unsettling feeling in her gut. It was faint, but persistent, like something was about to happen, something she couldn’t explain.

“Sarah!” Ann’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “Don’t tell me you’re still in bed!”

Sarah groaned softly as she dragged a hand over her face and pushed herself upright. “I’m up!” she called back, though her voice lacked conviction. She sat there for a moment, exhaling slowly before forcing herself out of bed. Maybe it was nothing. Just nerves.

Three weeks had passed since she started work, and somehow, she had settled in. The job was not as overwhelming as she had expected; if anything, it had been relatively calm. Her boss had not resumed, so she spent her days assisting other departments, organizing files, learning systems, and trying to stay out of the way. It was manageable, predictable, and above all, safe.

However, the moment Sarah stepped into the office that morning, she knew something was different. The atmosphere had shifted. Staff moved faster than usual, their footsteps sharper, their conversations shorter and more controlled. There was a sense of alertness in the air, as though everyone was preparing for something important. Or someone.

Her brows furrowed slightly as she took it all in, trying to make sense of the sudden change.

“You’re late.”

The voice came from behind her—sharp and precise. Sarah turned quickly.

“Mrs. Lawson, good morning, ma. I’m sorry, I got stuck in traffic.”

Mrs. Lawson’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before she spoke. “Mr. Hart will be coming in today.”

The words landed immediately, and everything fell into place.

“That explains it,” Sarah murmured under her breath.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Mrs. Lawson snapped.

Sarah straightened at once. “Nothing, ma.”

Mrs. Lawson studied her for a second longer before continuing. “Get yourself ready. Arrange all necessary documents. I will introduce you to him as soon as he arrives.”

“Yes, ma,” Sarah replied.

The hours that followed seemed to drag endlessly. Sarah checked and rechecked the files, her hands moving through the motions while her thoughts remained elsewhere. The uneasy feeling in her stomach had not faded; instead, it had deepened, settling into something heavier.

When the announcement finally came that he had arrived, the shift in the office was immediate. Conversations stopped mid-sentence, movements slowed, and a quiet tension settled over the space.

Mrs. Lawson stood at once. “Come with me.”

Sarah followed, but something about her steps felt off, slower and heavier than usual, as though her body was resisting something her mind had not yet understood.

They stopped in front of the CEO’s office. Mrs. Lawson knocked once.

“Come in.”

The voice from inside was calm, deep, and controlled, and for reasons she could not explain, it made Sarah’s chest tighten.

Mrs. Lawson pushed the door open and stepped inside, and Sarah followed. The moment she crossed the threshold, she froze.

He stood behind the desk, flipping through a document. He was tall, composed, and effortlessly put together, his suit fitting him with a precision that spoke of careful attention to detail. There was an unmistakable presence about him—authority, confidence, and power.

Mrs. Lawson began speaking, but Sarah could not hear a word. Her attention had already shifted elsewhere, pulled back into a past she had not expected to confront.

Memories surfaced without warning—secondary school corridors filled with noise, laughter that lingered too long, voices that were never quite kind. She remembered a bouquet of flowers, bright and hopeful, discarded without a second thought. She remembered a boy standing there, awkward and uncertain, holding onto something she had never returned.

Calvin.

Her chest tightened painfully as recognition settled in.

It could not be.

But it was.

Calvin Hart.

As if sensing her gaze, he looked up, and their eyes met. For a brief moment, something flickered in his expression—recognition, clear and undeniable. Then it vanished, replaced by something colder and more distant, as though she were nothing more than a stranger standing before him.

Sarah’s fingers curled slightly at her sides as the realization settled in. He remembered her, but he chose not to show it.

“Good morning, sir,” Mrs. Lawson said. “This is Sarah Williams, your new personal assistant.”

Calvin’s gaze remained on Sarah for a moment longer before he gave a quiet, dismissive response. “Mm.”

That was all.

Mrs. Lawson blinked, clearly caught off guard by the lack of acknowledgment, but she recovered quickly. “I will take my leave now, sir.”

And just like that, she left, closing the door behind her and leaving Sarah alone with him.

The silence that followed was heavy and unyielding. Sarah stood where she was, her heartbeat loud in her ears. She could not bring herself to lift her head, but she could feel his gaze on her—steady, cold, and unwavering.

“Miss Williams.”

His voice cut through the silence with precision.

“Are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to tell me about my schedule?”

Her breath hitched slightly. “I’m sorry, sir.”

She stepped forward quickly and opened the file in her hands, though her fingers trembled slightly. She hated that he could see it, hated that after all these years, he still had this effect on her.

She began reading, forcing her voice to remain steady as she went through his schedule for the day—meetings, calls, and appointments. Each word felt heavier than the last.

When she finished, there was a brief silence before he responded again with the same quiet, detached sound. “Mm.”

It felt dismissive, as though nothing she had said carried any weight.

She closed the file carefully and turned toward the door, ready to leave. But as her fingers brushed the handle, she hesitated. Something within her refused to let the moment end like that.

Slowly, she turned back.

“Sir,” she said, her voice softer now, uncertain, “you do remember me, right?”

The question lingered in the air, fragile and risky.

Calvin did not respond immediately. He simply watched her, his expression unreadable, and the silence stretched uncomfortably between them. Sarah felt her throat tighten as she waited.

When no answer came, she gave a small nod, more to herself than to him, and turned back to the door. Her hand closed around the handle, and she was about to open it when his voice stopped her.

“I know who you are.”

She froze.

Slowly, she turned back to face him.

His gaze was fixed on her, cold and deliberate. “But I don’t fraternize with things of the past.”

The words were precise and intentional, and they landed harder than she expected. Sarah felt a quiet, painful tightening in her chest, but she did not argue or attempt to defend herself, because he was not wrong. She had been the one to push him away, to dismiss him, to make him feel insignificant.

So instead, she simply nodded once, swallowing the lump in her throat before turning and walking out.

The door closed softly behind her, and only then did she allow herself to breathe.

The office fell eerily quiet after Sarah left.

For several seconds, Calvin remained exactly where he was, his gaze fixed on the door she had just walked through as though he expected it to open again. The silence in the room settled heavily around him, interrupted only by the faint ticking of the clock mounted against the wall.

Slowly, he leaned back into his chair and loosened the knot of his tie slightly, exhaling a long breath he had not realized he had been holding.

His jaw tightened.

Sarah Williams.

Of all people.

A bitter smile tugged faintly at the corner of his lips before disappearing just as quickly.

Memories he had buried years ago began surfacing against his will.

Winston High.

The awkward boy with oversized glasses and uneven confidence. The boy people barely noticed unless they were laughing at him. The boy who followed Sarah around like she was the center of his universe.

Calvin shut his eyes briefly.

He remembered everything with painful clarity.

The sweaty palms whenever she walked past him. The way his heartbeat stumbled over itself anytime she said his name, even casually. The countless conversations he practiced in his head only to forget every word the moment she looked at him.

And then there were the flowers.

God.

The flowers.

He could still remember standing outside that tiny flower shop after school, staring through the glass window for nearly thirty minutes because he could not decide which bouquet she would like best.

In the end, he chose white roses.

Simple.

Pretty.

Just like her.

A quiet scoff escaped his lips at the memory.

What a fool he had been.

His thoughts drifted further back, pulling him into a memory he had spent years trying to forget.

He remembered slipping the bouquet carefully into her locker before classes started, his hands trembling so badly he could barely close it properly afterward. His heart had pounded the entire morning, and for the first time in weeks, he had actually felt hopeful.

Then later that day, he saw her.

She had been standing with her friends in the hallway, holding the bouquet loosely in one hand while laughter echoed around her.

Calvin remembered stopping several feet away, hidden behind the crowd of students moving through the corridor.

He remembered watching.

Listening.

Sarah’s face had twisted in disgust as she stared at the flowers.

“Who even sent this ugly thing?” she had scoffed loudly.

Her friends burst into laughter instantly.

“She probably got it from that weird nerd,” one of the girls mocked.

And Sarah laughed too.

Without hesitation, she tossed the bouquet straight into the trash.

Like it meant nothing.

Like he meant nothing.

Calvin opened his eyes slowly, his expression unreadable.

The memory still stung far more than he cared to admit. Even after all these years, a part of him could still remember exactly how humiliating that moment had felt.

He rubbed a hand slowly over his jaw before shaking the thoughts away.

“Well,” he muttered quietly to himself, his voice calm and controlled, “I’m not that man anymore.”

And he wasn’t.

The insecure boy from Winston High no longer existed. That version of him had been buried years ago beneath ambition, discipline, and relentless determination.

Now he was Calvin Hart, CEO of Hart Holdings.

Respected.

Powerful.

Untouchable.

Yet somehow, one look at Sarah today had unsettled him in ways he deeply disliked.

His gaze drifted briefly toward the office door again before he forced himself back to reality and turned toward his laptop.

Work.

That was all that mattered.

Nothing else.

Meanwhile, Sarah sat silently during the cab ride home, her thoughts tangled in complete chaos.

The city lights outside blurred together into streaks of color, but she barely noticed them. Her mind remained trapped inside that office, replaying every second of the encounter over and over again.

All she could see was Calvin’s face.

Cold.

Unreadable.

Distant.

The way he had looked at her as though she were nothing more than another employee standing in front of him.

Her chest tightened painfully at the memory.

She had expected shock.

Maybe anger.

Maybe even resentment.

But not indifference.

For some reason, that hurt far more.

By the time she arrived home, exhaustion had already settled heavily over her shoulders.

The moment she stepped into the apartment, Ann looked up from the couch.

“Hey, girl,” she said casually before pausing mid-sentence. “Wait… why do you look like you just saw a ghost?”

Sarah did not answer immediately and went straight to her room. She slipped off her heels weakly before walking toward the bed and collapsing face-first onto it.

Ann’s expression changed instantly.

“Sarah?”

No response.

Ann stood up quickly and walked over to her. “Okay, now you’re actually scaring me. Did something happen at work?”

Sarah let out a long, muffled sigh against the pillow.

“My boss resumed today.”

Ann folded her arms immediately. “And?”

Sarah turned her head slightly to look at her.

“Guess who it is.”

Ann groaned dramatically. “Sarah, I’m really not in the mood for suspense right now. Just say it.”

Sarah hesitated briefly before finally speaking.

“Calvin Hart.”

Silence filled the room instantly.

Ann blinked once.

Then twice.

Her eyes widened dramatically as she sat upright. “Wait… THE Calvin Hart? From Winston High?”

Sarah nodded slowly.

Ann stared at her in complete disbelief.

“Oh my goodness.”

Sarah let out a humorless laugh as she sat up properly, dragging a hand through her hair.

“You see my problem now?”

“Wow,” Ann muttered, still visibly stunned. “Okay… I genuinely didn’t expect that.”

Sarah hugged one of the throw pillows tightly against herself.

“You knew how badly we treated him back then,” she said quietly. “Especially me.”

Guilt flickered briefly across her face.

“I was horrible to him, Ann.”

Ann opened her mouth to respond, but Sarah continued before she could interrupt.

“I humiliated him constantly. I made him feel small every chance I got.” Her voice softened slightly. “And now he’s my boss.”

Ann moved closer carefully, her expression gentler now.

“Sarah—”

“What if he wants revenge?” Sarah interrupted suddenly, panic slowly creeping into her voice. “What if he makes my life miserable? What if he fires me?”

“He’s not going to fire you.”

“How do you know that?” Sarah snapped before she could stop herself.

Ann blinked in surprise.

Almost immediately, Sarah sighed and looked away.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured softly. “I’m just…”

“Overthinking,” Ann finished gently.

Sarah remained quiet.

“You didn’t see the way he looked at me today,” she admitted after a moment.

Ann frowned slightly. “What did he do?”

“He barely acknowledged me.” Sarah laughed bitterly. “Honestly, I think that’s worse.”

Ann studied her carefully. “He recognized you?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

Sarah swallowed slowly before answering.

“He said he doesn’t fraternize with things of the past.”

Ann winced immediately. “Ouch.”

“Exactly.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Ann nudged her shoulder lightly.

“Look,” she said calmly, “it’s been years. We were kids back then. Stupid kids.”

Sarah stared down at her hands silently.

“And besides,” Ann continued, “he’s successful now. Rich, powerful… apparently very fine too.”

Sarah rolled her eyes despite herself.

Ann grinned immediately. “What? I’m just saying.”

A small laugh escaped Sarah’s lips before she could stop it.

“There’s the laugh I was waiting for,” Ann said proudly.

Sarah shook her head lightly, though the tension in her shoulders eased slightly.

“You really think he’s over it?”

Ann shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. But I seriously doubt a whole CEO is sitting around planning revenge over secondary school heartbreak.”

Sarah stared thoughtfully at her hands.

Maybe Ann was right.

Maybe she was overthinking everything.

But deep down, something told her the situation was far more complicated than it appeared.

And for reasons she could not explain—

That terrified her.

Later that night, long after Ann had fallen asleep, Sarah remained awake in bed, staring silently into the darkness.

Because no matter how hard she tried—

She could not stop thinking about Calvin Hart.