Episode 7
549 Words
An Unwelcome Return
The following morning...
The atmosphere inside Emerald Motors was unusually cheerful.
The company's latest prototype had passed its first round of safety tests with outstanding results.
Employees applauded as the results were announced.
"Congratulations, Miss Jordan!"
"You've done it again!"
Jade smiled gracefully.
"This success belongs to everyone. Thank you for your hard work."
The employees cheered louder.
Diana grinned.
"See? You're not as scary as everyone thinks."
"I never said I was."
"You just have a resting billionaire face."
Jade couldn't help but laugh.
---
Meanwhile...
At Larson Automotive...
Kyle reviewed the same test results.
"The prototype performed well," one engineer reported.
Kyle nodded.
"Send our congratulations to Emerald Motors."
The room fell silent.
One executive blinked.
"Sir... congratulations?"
Kyle looked up.
"The project's success belongs to both companies."
"Yes, sir."
Verona smiled proudly.
The cold CEO was changing, little by little.
---
That afternoon...
Jade was leaving Emerald Motors when the receptionist called out.
"Miss Jordan!"
"You have a visitor."
Jade frowned.
"I wasn't expecting anyone."
As she stepped into the reception hall...
She froze.
Standing there in a navy-blue suit was a man she never wanted to see again.
Brian.
Her college boyfriend.
The man who had shattered her trust years ago.
"Hello, Jade."
Her expression instantly turned cold.
"What are you doing here?"
Brian swallowed hard.
"I... I wanted to talk."
"I have nothing to say to you."
"Please."
"It'll only take a few minutes."
Diana stepped forward protectively.
"She said no."
Brian looked at Jade with regret.
"I know I hurt you."
"I know I don't deserve forgiveness."
"But I've regretted it every single day."
Jade's hands clenched into fists.
Memories came rushing back...
Brian laughing with another girl.
Cruel whispers spreading across campus.
Students pointing fingers at her.
The humiliation.
The betrayal.
The nights she cried alone.
"Leave."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Jade..."
"I said leave!"
The entire reception area fell silent.
Without another word, Brian lowered his head and walked away.
Jade stood motionless, trying to steady her breathing.
Diana gently held her shoulder.
"You don't have to face him alone."
Jade forced a smile.
"I know."
---
Across the street...
Kyle had just finished a meeting nearby when he noticed the commotion through the glass entrance of Emerald Motors.
He saw Brian walking away with a defeated expression.
Then he saw Jade.
Her eyes were filled with pain.
Kyle had never seen her like that before.
For the first time...
He realized that behind her confidence...
She was carrying invisible scars.
"What happened?" Verona asked.
Kyle kept his eyes on Jade.
"I don't know."
"But whatever it was..."
"It still hurts her."
---
Elsewhere...
Layla, Tiana, and Ariana sat inside an upscale restaurant.
Layla smiled after receiving a text message.
"It's done."
Tiana smirked.
"So Brian finally showed up."
"He did."
Ariana lifted her glass.
"And this is only the beginning."
The three women laughed.
None of them noticed a waiter quietly taking a picture of their table before slipping away.
Someone else...
Had started investigating them.
As the sun disappeared beyond the city skyline, fate quietly rearranged the pieces of a story that had begun years ago.
The past had returned.
And this time...
It wasn't leaving without a fight.
End of Episode 7
- Writer
