Chapter 2
1210 Words
LEO
Forgiveness is something I don't believe in. Revenge on the other hand? That's always been my
niche.
The moment she closed my office door behind her, the silence enveloped me thick, charged, and unwelcome.
I glared at the door which she'd just disappeared, hoping the burning in my chest would subside.
It didn't.
She abandoned me five years ago as if I was nothing. No farewell and no reason. Just a f*****g
note on a velvet ring box. The box that held the ring I have her
The funny thing was, the ring wasn't even inside, she took the ring
and ran. Probably sold it off at a pawn shop for some extra cash.
And now, she came to my office and stood in front of me as if she hadn't shattered everything
that had ever mattered to me.
Worse, she looked exactly the same green eyes bright with guilt, voice soft as always, like velvet
against my skin. And that scarf. She used to wear it when she painted. The irony doesn't escape me.
I pressed the intercom. “Eliana”
Seconds later, the glass door slide open and Eliana Lila walked in, tablet in hand, her lips
already pursed in irritation.
“You’re actually hiring her?” she asked, her voice low as she tried, unsuccessfully to contain her.
“Yes I am,” I replied. “And she starts tomorrow.”She left you, Leo,” she said, concerned about lacing her voice. “At the altar."
"Wow, I didn't know," I replied dryly.
Her mouth twisted into a sneer. "This is a big mistake, Leo and as your closest friend, I can’t
allow it."
"She’s not coming back into my life Eliana. That’s not what this is. I want her where I can see her.
Where I can humble her.
Eliana crossed her arms. "I still don’t like that idea, Leo. This whole situation,” she said
uncrossing her arms and waving it around. “Is not ideal."
I scowled at her. "I don't pay you to psychoanalyze me, Eliana."
“No,” she said. "You pay me to clean up after your messes, just like this one. Just remember, some
stains don't come out no matter how hard you wash them."
With that she spun and left my office.
______________________________
By the time I arrived at my penthouse that night, Boston was a shroud of steel and lights outside
my floor to ceiling windows. The kind of view that once made me feel invincible. Now, it just made
me feel… numb.
I poured myself a glass of whiskey and walked over to the photo wall next to the fireplace. My life,
in photographs product launches, gala events, board meetings. Pictures with men with too
much power and too little loyalty.
And there, in the corner, was a picture that I never had the courage to remove.
Aria. In the picture, she was laughing and had paint on her cheek. My hoodie wrapped around
her small frame.
She obviously had no idea I still had the picture. Never knew that I watched her disappear from
gallery listings, from social media, from all of them.
I hired a private investigator, then another and still, I was no step closer in discovering her
location. It was as if she had never existed.
Until today.
The instant her name hit the HR's inbox, I felt it. Like a shiver beneath my skin.
And I knew.
I didn't hire her to torment her. Not exactly.I hired her because some part of me needed to see if she could still look me in the eye and act like
what she did never happened.
But today, I realized she was still the same heartless woman that left me standing at the altar.
_____________________________
The next morning, she arrived on time. She sat outside my office, her hair tie back, wearing a plain
black top and slacks that hugged her thighs deliciously. She looked… smaller. But not broken.
I buzzed her in.
She waled into my office quietly, a pen and notepad in her slim hands.
"There’ll be no small talk today," I told her. "This is not a reunion and neither is it a reconciliation.
This is business. Got it?"
"Yes," she replied, her eyes cast down.
"You will handle my calendar which involves scheduling my appointments, dealing client
correspondence, travel arrangements, and events organization. If you get it wrong once, I won't
give you a second chance. If you cross a line once, you're out."
She nodded.
I stood up and walked past her to the window. "Let's be clear, Aria. Whatever we had, it died
five years ago."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Her voice was very low when she answered. "I didn't come here for a second chance, Leo."
"No," I replied. "You probably came here to plot one evil scheme or the other like always.”
She didn’t reply and I was thankful for that. I didn’t want to hear her voice at all again.
————————
That afternoon, Eliana sent me a report about the PR for our latest investor gala. She also
included a note: "We need a face. Someone softer. I suggested myself or Aria."
Her cheekiness made me laugh.
Instead, I replied: "Noted. I'll make that call at the press run."
Downstairs, I watched Aria. She moved with purpose, answering calls, booking itineraries, routing vendors. The rest of the assistants remained behind. They whispered, of course.
Everyone knew.
At five, I called her back in.
"Tomorrow," I informed her, not looking up from my screen, "you'll be with me at the gala location."
She blinked. "As?"
"My assistant."
Her lips parted as if to say something else but she didn't.
"I need you here by 7:30pm.
She nodded and turned to leave.
But before she could open it, I stopped her, "Wear something that makes you look,” I paused and
looked up. “Presentable."
With a huff, she left the room, slamming the door behid her with an audible bang.
---
That night, my brother walked into my penthouse uninvited.
"Did you really hire her?" Kade said, plopping down on my couch as if he owned it.
"I did."
"Jesus, man,” he said, swirling the whiskey he took without permission.
"I mean. I understand. She broke you. But damn. That's like hiring a fire to put out your
matchsticks.".
"She's not a threat."
"She's Aria. That alone makes her a threat."
I didn't answer.
He leaned forward, his face more serious now. "Just…be careful. Not everyone comes back
empty-handed."
—--------
It was 1:17 a.m and my phone buzzed.
It was a text from Eliana:
Check your inbox. Urgent.
I opened the email.
A headline stared back at me:
"Tech Titan's Secret Flame? Exclusive: Leo Hallway and Former Fiancée Reunite in Office
Romance?"
Attached was a zoomed-in, close-up shot from the security camera. Me and Aria in the office in
a too personal position. The angle was bad too. It seemed like I was bending in to kiss her.
And according to Eliana’s message, it was an anonymous leak.
I dropped the phone and a wide smile spread across my face.
The game had officially begun.
- Writer
