Episode 14
540 Words
Echoes of Yesterday
Three days after the charity gala...
The Green Future Initiative entered its final design phase.
For the first time since the project began, Larson Automotive and Emerald Motors worked together without constant arguments.
The engineers exchanged surprised looks.
"It feels... peaceful today."
"Maybe the CEOs are finally getting along."
---
Inside the design studio...
Jade carefully studied the latest blueprint.
Kyle walked over and placed another file on the table.
"I made a few adjustments to the suspension."
Jade skimmed through the pages.
A few seconds later, she looked up.
"This is... actually good."
Kyle folded his arms.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It wasn't."
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"I've heard that before."
For a brief moment, they laughed.
Diana and Verona looked at each other.
"Did they just laugh together?" Diana whispered.
"I believe they did," Verona replied with a proud smile.
---
That evening...
The project team decided to celebrate another successful milestone with dinner at a quiet rooftop restaurant.
The atmosphere was relaxed.
Everyone laughed and shared stories.
It was the first time Kyle and Jade had spent time together outside work without arguing.
As they prepared to leave, dark clouds rolled across the sky.
Within seconds...
Rain poured heavily.
The guests hurried for shelter.
Jade froze.
Her breathing became uneven.
The sound of thunder echoed through the night.
Kyle noticed immediately.
"Miss Jordan?"
She didn't answer.
Her eyes remained fixed on the rain.
A memory flashed through her mind.
A little boy...
Sitting alone beneath an old tree...
His clothes soaked by the rain.
His tiny hands trembling.
She remembered taking off the colorful bracelet her grandmother had given her.
"Here..."
"You can have it."
"Whenever you're scared, look at it."
"You'll become brave."
Jade stumbled backward.
"My head..."
Kyle quickly caught her before she could fall.
"Jade!"
She looked into his eyes.
Another memory surfaced.
The little boy...
His eyes.
His voice.
His face...
She couldn't see it clearly.
Then...
Kyle glanced down at her wrist.
She was wearing a delicate silver bracelet.
For a split second...
It looked almost identical to the one hidden in the wooden box at his mansion.
His heart skipped a beat.
"No..."
"It can't be..."
Jade slowly looked up.
"Kyle..."
"Have we..."
"...met before?"
Before Kyle could answer, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.
The loud thunder startled Jade.
She instinctively clung to him.
Kyle gently wrapped his coat around her shoulders.
"It's okay."
"You're safe."
Those words...
Those exact words...
Made Jade's heart race.
Why did they sound so familiar?
Standing under the restaurant's entrance, Diana watched them with a smile.
"I've never seen Jade let anyone this close."
Verona nodded.
"And Kyle has never looked at anyone the way he looks at her."
Far across the street...
A black car remained parked in the shadows.
The mysterious man lowered his binoculars.
"They're beginning to remember."
He picked up his phone.
A cold voice answered.
"Then it's time."
"The final phase begins tonight."
The call ended.
As the rain continued to fall...
Neither Kyle nor Jade realized that the forgotten promise made years ago was slowly finding its way back to them.
End of Episode 14
- Writer
