MY EX RETURED AS A BILLIONAIRE

Chapter four

CHAPTER FOUR

Sophie’s POV

Friday morning arrived faster than I wanted it to.

I'd barely slept.

The Kessler presentation was finished by two in the morning, and I'd gone over it so many times that the slides had started making no sense to me.

I told myself it was normal.

Just pre-presentation nerves.

Nothing more.

I walked into the conference room at exactly nine.

The Kessler executives were already seated around the table.

Ryan sat at the head of it, looking as calm and unreadable as ever.

I caught his eyes for half a second before quickly looking away.

“Whenever you're ready, Ms. Carter,” he said.

His voice was flat.

Professional.

Like Wednesday night hadn't happened.

Like he hadn't stood beside my desk with a cup of coffee that proved he remembered things about me he shouldn't.

I pushed the thought away and began.

The presentation went well.

Better than well.

By the time I reached the retention numbers, the lead executive was nodding along and asking questions that told me he was genuinely impressed.

I answered each one as confidently as I could.

When the presentation ended, he stood and shook my hand.

“Impressive work for someone so new.”

I smiled.

“Thank you.”

I didn't look at Ryan.

I didn't need to.

I could feel his eyes on me from across the table.

And somehow, that was worse.

After the executives left, I began packing my laptop.

Ryan remained by the door.

“Good work,” he said.

Simple.

Short.

Exactly the kind of thing a boss should say to an employee.

“Thank you, Mr. Black.”

I reached for my bag.

“Sophie.”

I stopped.

He was looking at my hand.

At my ring.

I hadn't even thought about it.

I hardly noticed the ring anymore.

But Ryan was staring at it like it had suddenly become the most important thing in the room.

“You're engaged.”

It wasn't a question.

I swallowed.

“Yes.”

Something changed in his face.

It was quick.

So quick I almost missed it.

His jaw tightened, and his eyes dropped to the ring again before he looked back at me.

“Congratulations.”

The word sounded strange.

Not angry.

Not happy.

Just...

Heavy.

“Thank you.”

Neither of us spoke.

The silence became uncomfortable.

Ryan finally stepped aside.

“You should get some rest. You've had a long week.”

I nodded.

“Have a good day, Mr. Black.”

I walked out.

But even after I reached my desk, I couldn't stop thinking about the way he'd looked at my ring.

It wasn't the look of a boss congratulating an employee.

It was something else.

Something I didn't understand.

---

That evening, Daniel took me out to dinner to celebrate.

“To the woman who just landed a two-million-dollar client in her second week,” he said, raising his glass.

I smiled and clinked mine against his.

“To surviving my first big presentation.”

We both laughed.

But even as I smiled, my mind kept drifting somewhere else.

“You okay?” Daniel asked.

I looked at him.

“I'm fine.”

“You've been quiet since I picked you up.”

I picked up my glass.

“I'm just tired.”

He studied me for a moment.

“Is it the new job?”

I hesitated.

“Why?”

“You've seemed different since you started.”

My fingers tightened slightly around the glass.

“Different how?”

“Distracted.”

He paused.

“Like something is bothering you.”

I looked down.

For a second, I thought about telling him.

I thought about saying Ryan's name.

About telling him that the man I had spent three years trying to forget was now sitting in an office above mine.

But what would I even say?

That seeing Ryan had brought back feelings I didn't understand?

That I couldn't stop thinking about the past?

I wasn't ready for that conversation.

“It's just the pressure,” I said. “The company is bigger than I expected.”

Daniel watched me for another second.

Then he reached across the table and took my hand.

“I understand.”

He smiled.

“For what it's worth, I'm proud of you.”

I smiled back.

“Thank you.”

His phone suddenly buzzed on the table.

He glanced at the screen.

Something flickered across his face.

It was gone almost immediately.

He turned the phone face down.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

He picked up his glass.

“Just work.”

I nodded.

I didn't ask again.

I had enough things on my mind already.

---

Ryan’s POV

I shouldn't have asked about the ring.

I knew that the moment the word left my mouth.

But I asked anyway.

Because some reckless part of me needed to hear her say it.

“I'm engaged.”

Two words.

They had been sitting in my head for hours.

I'd known about Daniel.

I'd known Sophie was engaged before she ever walked through the doors of Brightstone.

But knowing it from someone else was different from hearing it from her.

She was really going to marry someone else.

I sat alone in my office long after the building had emptied.

The city lights reflected against the glass windows.

But I barely noticed them.

Ella found me there.

She knocked once before walking in.

“You asked her about the ring.”

I looked at her.

“I saw it.”

“That isn't what I said.”

I said nothing.

Ella sighed and sat across from me.

“You're making this harder than it needs to be.”

“How?”

“You know how.”

I looked away.

“She deserves to move on.”

“And do you?”

I didn't answer.

Ella studied me.

“You've spent three years pretending you don't care.”

“I don't have a choice.”

“You always have a choice.”

Her words stayed between us.

I looked toward the window.

“I don't want to ruin her life.”

“Then don't.”

She stood.

“But don't pretend you aren't affected either.”

She walked toward the door.

Before leaving, she turned around.

“And Ryan?”

I looked at her.

“If you ever decide to talk to Sophie about the past, make sure you know exactly what you're going to say.”

Then she left.

I sat there alone.

My eyes moved toward the drawer beside my desk.

I opened it.

The photograph was still there.

Sophie.

Laughing beside the lake.

My arm wrapped around her.

She looked happy.

So did I.

I ran my thumb over the edge of the photograph.

Three years had passed.

But I still remembered that day perfectly.

I remembered what she was wearing.

What we ate.

The stupid joke that made her laugh.

The way she rested her head against my shoulder.

I remembered everything.

And that was the problem.

I placed the photograph on my desk.

For years, I'd kept it hidden.

Tonight, I didn't put it away.

My phone buzzed.

I looked at the screen.

For a moment, I simply stared at the notification.

An old message.

One I hadn't opened in years.

My thumb hovered over it.

Then I locked my phone.

Not tonight.

I wasn't ready to open that door again.

But deep down, I knew something I'd spent three years trying to ignore.

Sophie was back in my life.

And sooner or later, the past would have to be faced.