Chapter 12
800 Words
The conference hall fell silent the moment the doors opened.
Several people instinctively turned toward the entrance. Conversations died mid-sentence, chairs stopped moving, and even the executives who had been quietly discussing the upcoming partnership straightened in their seats.
Everyone knew who was supposed to arrive.
Carter Corporation.
The largest and most influential corporation in Flinton City.
For years, their presence alone had been enough to command respect.
A group of assistants entered first, followed by several senior executives dressed in dark tailored suits. Their appearance immediately drew attention from everyone in the room, but it wasn't enough to cause this level of silence.
No.
They were waiting for someone else and just then the chairman stood from his seat with a welcoming smile.
"It seems our guests have finally arrived."
A few people exchanged excited glances.
"I heard Mr. Carter is attending personally."
"Really?"
"That's what I was told."
"Then today's meeting is far more important than we thought."
Asia heard the whispers but paid them little attention. She was still reviewing the final page of her presentation when another figure stepped through the doorway.
For a brief moment, she didn't look up,then the room became strangely quiet.
The kind of quiet that made people lift their heads without realizing it.
Her fingers paused over the tablet.Something felt off.
Slowly, she looked toward the entrance and instantly froze.
The world seemed to stop moving.Her heartbeat stalled so suddenly that she wondered if she had imagined what she was seeing.
The man standing near the entrance was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Confidence seemed to follow him effortlessly, the kind that couldn't be learned or imitated.
Every step he took carried the quiet authority of someone who had spent years commanding rooms far larger than this one.
But it wasn't his appearance that stole the air from her lungs,It was his face.
It was “Alex Carter”.
The tablet nearly slipped from her hands.For one terrifying second, Asia genuinely forgot where she was.
Even the voices around her faded into nothing and all she could see was him.
For a quick minute she recalled Promises whispered between two teenagers who had believed they would have forever together.
Thoughts of the questions that had never been answered.
Despite all these thoughts running through her mind now,he was here.
Standing less than twenty feet away,Looking exactly like the ghost she had spent years trying to forget.
As though sensing her gaze, Alex lifted his head and his eyes found hers instantly.
The effect was immediate.
He stopped walking.
One of the executives beside him continued speaking for another few seconds before noticing he was no longer moving.
Alex didn't hear a word he had said because across the room stood the woman he had spent years searching for.
Asia Richmore.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Neither of them looked away.
The years between them suddenly felt meaningless.
Rachel's eyes widened from her seat.
"Oh my God," she whispered under her breath.
She knew.
She knew every sleepless night Asia had spent crying after Alex disappeared.
And judging by the look on Alex's face, he recognized Asia the exact same second she recognized him.
The chairman cleared his throat awkwardly and the sound broke whatever invisible spell had settled over the room.
Alex blinked once before finally tearing his gaze away.
Asia immediately looked down at her tablet while pretending to flip through her presentation.
Her pulse was racing.
“Not now”. She muttered under her breath.she quickly sat up and adjusted her blouse as was almost time for her to go on stage.
A few minutes later, when her name was called, she rose from her seat and walked confidently toward the front of the room.
She delivered every statistic flawlessly, answered every question from the board, and explained her proposal with the same confidence that had earned her position at Glanton Industries.
More than once, she could feel Alex's gaze on her but she ignored it.
That was perhaps the hardest thing she had ever done.
When the presentation finally ended, applause filled the room as several executives nodded approvingly.
Even Mr. Glanton looked pleased.
"Excellent work, Miss Richmore."
"Thank you, sir," Asia replied politely.
She gathered her documents and prepared to return to her seat.
And just then a familiar voice stopped her.
"Miss Richmore."
The room instantly quieted.
Asia's fingers tightened around the folder in her hand.
Slowly, she turned to see alex standing.
His gaze remained fixed on her, unwavering and intense.
For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.Then Alex finally broke the silence.
"It's been a long time."
Asia's heart slammed against her chest.
And suddenly every eye in the conference room was on them.
- Writer
