Unexpected reunion
1764 Words
Six months later.
The elevator doors opened onto the thirty-second floor of Chen Group headquarters, and suddenly it felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Not because I was nervous.
Because corporate offices were freezing.
Honestly, I still didn’t understand why rich companies treated air conditioning like a competitive sport.
“Morning, Miss Chen.”
I smiled politely at the receptionist as I stepped into the marketing department, coffee in hand and laptop bag hanging from my shoulder.
Three months ago, everyone here had treated me carefully.
The chairman’s daughter.
The heiress.
The girl who probably got handed her internship because of her last name.
Now things were different.
Not perfect.
But better.
Because I’d worked for it.
“Lila!”
I turned as Mina from design hurried toward me holding several folders against her chest.
“There you are. Mr. Han’s been looking for you since eight.”
I frowned. “Why?”
Mina lowered her voice dramatically. “Big project.”
Every office had at least one employee who survived entirely on gossip and caffeine.
Mina was ours.
“What kind of project?” I asked.
“No idea. But executives are involved.” She leaned closer. “And apparently Mercer Holdings is partnering with us.”
My stomach dropped instantly.
No.
Absolutely not.
Kai had been gone for six months.
Six whole months of:
no accidental hallway meetings,
no late-night library sessions,
no dangerous smiles.
Mostly.
We still texted occasionally.
Very occasionally.
Okay, maybe more than occasionally.
But it wasn’t the same.
Distance had made things safer.
Manageable.
Or at least that’s what I’d been telling myself.
Mina noticed my expression immediately.
“You okay?”
“Fine,” I lied automatically.
“Right.” She clearly didn’t believe me. “Conference Room A. Good luck surviving capitalism.”
---
Conference Room A looked exactly how rich corporations wanted conference rooms to look.
Glass walls.
City skyline view.
Expensive coffee nobody actually drank.
At the far end of the table sat my father alongside several department heads.
And directly across from them—
Mercer Holdings.
My pulse stumbled once.
Then twice.
Because Kai Mercer was sitting there in a charcoal suit, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, dark hair slightly shorter than before.
Older.
Sharper.
Still devastatingly attractive.
Fantastic.
Exactly what I needed at nine in the morning.
He looked up the second I entered.
And smiled.
Not the careless grin from high school.
This one was quieter.
Warmer.
Like seeing me mattered.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Dad noticed me immediately. “Lila. Sit.”
I forced myself forward calmly despite the fact my heartbeat had completely betrayed me.
There were two empty seats left.
One beside Mina.
And one beside Kai.
Naturally, Mina slid into hers first.
Traitor.
Which left—
“You can sit here,” Kai said smoothly, pulling out the chair beside him.
Every executive in the room noticed.
Wonderful.
I sat anyway because I valued professionalism and also because causing a scene in front of senior management sounded exhausting.
“Morning,” Kai murmured quietly as I settled beside him.
“You’re back.”
“Miss me?”
“No.”
“Still lying, huh?”
Before I could answer, Dad cleared his throat.
Instant silence filled the room.
“As everyone knows,” he began, “Chen Group and Mercer Holdings have agreed to jointly develop the Horizon Youth Initiative.”
Slides lit up across the screen behind him.
A youth entrepreneurship and scholarship program.
Interesting.
“The campaign will combine education outreach, digital branding, and investor partnerships,” Dad continued. “This project will receive major press coverage.”
One of the Mercer executives spoke next. “Given the public visibility involved, both companies need strong coordination.”
“Which brings us to team leadership,” Mr. Han added.
Please not me.
Please.
“Chen Group’s project lead will be Lila Chen.”
My soul left my body temporarily.
Beside me, Kai looked entirely too pleased.
“And Mercer Holdings’ representative,” Dad finished evenly, “will be Kai Mercer.”
Absolutely not.
I stared straight ahead with the calm expression of someone definitely not internally screaming.
Mina kicked my foot lightly beneath the table.
Excitedly.
Again.
Traitor.
The meeting continued around me in a blur of budgets, campaign schedules, and launch timelines.
Unfortunately, Kai turned out to be annoyingly competent.
Again.
He discussed investor outreach strategies confidently, challenged weak projections without sounding arrogant, and somehow managed to impress half the room before the meeting ended.
Very rude of him, honestly.
By the time everyone started gathering their documents, my headache had fully arrived.
“This is going to be fun,” Kai said quietly beside me.
“It’s going to be work.”
“Same thing if you like your coworkers.”
“I don’t.”
His mouth curved slightly. “Cold.”
Before I could reply, Dad approached our side of the table.
“Kai.”
Kai straightened slightly. “Sir.”
“You’ll coordinate directly with Lila from now on.” Dad’s gaze sharpened. “This project matters. I expect professionalism.”
“We’ll handle it,” Kai said calmly.
Dad studied him for a second before nodding once and leaving.
The second he disappeared, I exhaled slowly.
Kai noticed immediately.
“You know,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “most people get excited when they see me.”
“Most people need higher standards.”
“Ouch.”
I stood, gathering my laptop. “We’ll schedule planning sessions later this week.”
“You busy tonight?”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“For work,” he clarified innocently. “Relax, Chen. Human Resources is right outside.”
I narrowed my eyes.
He looked entirely too entertained.
“There’s a networking dinner tonight,” he continued. “Executives from both companies are attending. We should probably coordinate beforehand.”
Unfortunately, he was right.
I hated when he was right.
“What time?” I asked carefully.
His smile widened slightly like he’d already won something.
“Six.”
---
The networking dinner was being held at the Grand Meridian Hotel downtown.
Of course it was.
Rich business people loved chandeliers almost as much as they loved pretending to enjoy sparkling water.
I arrived exactly on time wearing a black dress professional enough for corporate settings but simple enough not to attract attention.
Unfortunately, Kai Mercer existed.
So attracting attention became unavoidable anyway.
The second I stepped into the private event hall, I spotted him near the windows speaking with several executives.
Black suit.
No tie this time.
One hand in his pocket.
Dangerously handsome under soft golden lighting.
Honestly offensive behavior.
Mina appeared beside me instantly.
“Okay,” she whispered dramatically. “Now I understand your emotional issues.”
“I don’t have emotional issues.”
“You absolutely do. That man looks like he was designed in a laboratory for female suffering.”
I nearly choked on air.
Before I could respond, Kai looked over.
And immediately excused himself from the executives.
Toward me.
Of course.
“You made it,” he said softly once he reached us.
Mina looked between us with the excitement of someone watching live television drama.
“I’m leaving,” she announced suddenly. “For professionalism reasons.”
Then she disappeared immediately.
Coward.
Kai laughed quietly. “Your coworkers are funny.”
“They’re nosy.”
“Same thing.”
A waiter passed with drinks.
Kai picked up two glasses automatically before handing one to me without asking.
Exactly the kind I liked.
Again.
I frowned slightly. “How do you still remember that?”
His expression softened unexpectedly.
“I remember a lot about you.”
Dangerous.
The ballroom suddenly felt too warm.
Before I could recover, one of the senior executives approached us smiling politely.
“There you two are.”
Mr. Patel from Mercer Holdings.
Wonderful.
“We were just discussing the partnership,” he continued smoothly. “Very smart decision putting the Mercer and Chen heirs together publicly. Investors love chemistry.”
I nearly inhaled my drink wrong.
Kai somehow remained calm.
“This project isn’t about publicity,” I said professionally.
“Of course.” Mr. Patel smiled knowingly anyway. “Still, the media will enjoy the story.”
After he walked away, I turned toward Kai immediately.
“This is exactly why I didn’t want this project.”
He leaned slightly closer. “Because people think we look good together?”
“Because people talk.”
“They’ve always talked.”
“That doesn’t make it easier.”
For once, Kai’s teasing expression faded slightly.
“No,” he admitted quietly. “It doesn’t.”
The honesty surprised me.
Soft music drifted through the ballroom while conversations blurred around us.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Kai glanced toward the dance floor where several couples had started slow dancing.
And before I could prepare myself—
he held out his hand.
My heart stopped functioning normally.
“Kai—”
“It’s one dance.”
“We’re working.”
“And networking.” His mouth curved slightly. “Very professional.”
I stared at his hand.
Dangerous.
Everything about him was dangerous.
But six months hadn’t changed one terrifying truth:
a part of me still wanted him anyway.
Slowly—
far too slowly—
I placed my hand in his.
Kai’s fingers closed gently around mine.
Warm.
Steady.
And suddenly the ballroom noise disappeared beneath the sound of my own heartbeat.
He guided me onto the dance floor carefully, one hand settling lightly at my waist.
Not possessive.
Not careless.
Just there.
“You’re nervous,” he murmured.
“I’m reconsidering all my life choices.”
He laughed softly.
God.
I’d missed that sound more than I wanted to admit.
We moved slowly beneath golden lights while conversations echoed around us.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then Kai looked down at me quietly.
“You cut your hair.”
I blinked. “That’s what you noticed?”
“It looks good.”
Something warm twisted painfully in my chest.
“Singapore changed you,” I said softly before thinking better of it.
His expression shifted slightly.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “It did.”
“How?”
He was quiet for a second before answering.
“It made me realize what I wanted.”
The way he looked at me afterward made my pulse stumble hard.
Dangerous.
So unbelievably dangerous.
Because deep down—
I already knew exactly what he meant.
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