Chapter 1: First Meeting After Seven Years (Part 2)
667 Words
My fingers tightened around my handbag until my knuckles turned white.
The silence inside the elevator was suffocating.
I kept my head lowered, praying he wouldn't look at me for more than a second. My heart pounded so loudly that I was certain he could hear it.
Please don't recognize me... Please...
The elevator doors slid shut, and it began to rise.
Ding.
Second floor.
Neither of us spoke.
I could feel his presence beside me, calm and intimidating. The expensive cologne he wore filled the small space, reminding me of the boy who used to smell like fresh rain after football practice.
No.
He wasn't that boy anymore.
He was a stranger.
Or perhaps... I was the stranger.
"You don't work here."
His deep voice shattered the silence.
I flinched.
"I... I do," I answered softly without raising my head. "Today's my first day."
For a brief moment, he didn't respond.
Then he asked coldly, "Then why are you using this elevator?"
Confused, I finally looked up.
"I'm sorry?"
"This elevator is reserved for the CEO."
My face instantly turned pale.
"I... I didn't know."
His expression remained unreadable.
"New employees should learn to pay attention."
"I'm really sorry, sir. I was late and wasn't looking..."
The apology slipped out before I could stop myself.
He simply stared at me.
Those golden eyes lingered on my face for a second longer than necessary, as though something about me felt strangely familiar.
My heartbeat became uneven.
Had he recognized me?
No...
He couldn't have.
Seven years had changed both of us.
I quickly lowered my gaze again.
"I'm sorry, sir."
The elevator finally stopped.
Ding.
The doors opened.
Without waiting for another word, I hurried out as though my life depended on it.
Only after putting several steps between us did I release the breath I had been holding.
"Oh my God..."
I pressed a hand against my racing heart.
"What kind of first day is this?"
"Kathy!"
A cheerful female voice called my name.
I turned around to see a woman wearing an employee ID approaching me with a smile.
"You must be the new programmer."
"Yes."
"I'm Emily from Human Resources. We've all been waiting for you."
"I'm so sorry I'm late."
She laughed.
"Don't worry. It happens."
As we walked down the hallway, I couldn't help looking back toward the elevator.
The doors had already closed.
Luther was gone.
A strange ache settled in my chest.
Seven years.
Not once had I imagined our reunion would happen like this.
"Are you okay?" Emily asked.
"Y-Yes."
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
I forced a weak smile.
"Just a little nervous."
Emily nodded in understanding.
"Everyone is nervous on their first day."
She suddenly stopped walking.
"Oh... and one more thing."
"Yes?"
"The man you just met..."
I swallowed hard.
"...is our CEO."
The words hit me like lightning.
"Our... CEO?"
Emily smiled proudly.
"Mr. Luther Ashford."
For a moment, the world around me went silent.
Luther...
The boy who once chased after me with flowers in his hands.
The boy whose heart I crushed with my own words.
He was now the CEO of the company I had just joined.
Fate truly had a cruel sense of humor.
Meanwhile...
Inside the private elevator, Luther stood silently with his hands in his pockets.
The elevator continued toward the executive floor, but his thoughts remained downstairs.
That woman...
Why did she seem so familiar?
He frowned slightly.
Her voice...
Her eyes...
Even the way she apologized...
It stirred memories he had buried years ago.
The elevator doors opened.
"Good morning, Mr. Ashford," his assistant greeted respectfully.
Luther didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked back at the elevator doors that had just closed.
A name suddenly flashed across his mind.
Kathy...
His eyes narrowed.
"No..."
"It can't be her."
Yet the feeling refused to disappear.
If fate had truly brought her back into his life...
This time...
He would never let her walk away so easily.
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