The Terms
1284 Words
By nine the next morning, Sierra had already read the acquisition documents twice.
By ten, she had found three potential legal problems.
By eleven, she had stopped thinking about Sebastian.
Or at least, she had convinced herself she had.
“Your eleven o'clock is here.”
Sierra looked up from her laptop.
“Already?”
Her assistant nodded.
“Mr. Vale is waiting in Conference Room Three.”
Of course he was.
Sierra closed her laptop.
“Thank you.”
She gathered her documents and walked toward the conference room, reminding herself that Sebastian Vale was a client.
Nothing more.
The moment she opened the door, she knew that was going to be difficult.
Sebastian was standing by the window, his phone in one hand.
He turned when she entered.
His gaze traveled briefly over her before settling on her eyes.
“You're late.”
Sierra glanced at her watch.
“I'm two minutes early.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you say I was late?”
“Because I wanted to see if you'd argue.”
She stared at him.
“I don't have time for games.”
“Neither do I.”
He pulled out a chair.
“Sit.”
Sierra sat across from him and placed the documents on the table.
“I reviewed the acquisition agreement.”
“And?”
“There are problems.”
“I expected that.”
“Three major ones.”
Sebastian leaned back.
“Tell me.”
Sierra opened the file.
“First, the ownership structure of the subsidiary you're acquiring isn't as clean as it appears. There's a pending dispute that hasn't been fully disclosed.”
“I know.”
She paused.
“You know?”
“Yes.”
“Then why wasn't it included in the documents you gave me?”
“Because I wanted to know if you'd find it.”
Sierra slowly closed the file.
“You were testing me.”
“I was testing my legal counsel.”
“You could have simply asked for my credentials.”
“I already know your credentials.”
His eyes remained fixed on hers.
“I know exactly how good you are.”
She ignored the compliment.
“Second, there's a regulatory issue that could delay the acquisition by at least six months.”
“I know.”
She frowned.
“And the third?”
Sebastian was silent.
Sierra waited.
“The third problem,” he said, “is the one I hired you to solve.”
He slid another folder across the table.
Sierra opened it.
Her expression changed.
“This isn't part of the acquisition.”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“Something personal.”
She immediately pushed the folder back.
“Then I'm not interested.”
“Open it.”
“No.”
“Sierra.”
“Mr. Vale—”
“Open it.”
There was something in his voice that made her pause.
Not anger.
Something else.
Reluctantly, she opened the folder.
The first page was an old legal document.
Her eyes widened.
She knew that document.
She had seen it three years ago.
Her name was on it.
So was Sebastian's.
Her heart began to pound.
“Where did you get this?”
“I kept it.”
“Why?”
“Because you left it behind.”
Sierra turned the page.
Then another.
Her hands started to tremble.
Sebastian noticed.
“What happened three years ago, Sierra?”
She looked up sharply.
“You know what happened.”
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
“I know what you told me.”
Her throat tightened.
“You said you didn't love me anymore.”
Sierra looked away.
“I thought that was clear.”
“No.”
He leaned forward.
“It wasn't.”
She forced herself to meet his eyes.
“You moved on.”
“Did I?”
The question silenced her.
Sebastian reached into the folder and pulled out another document.
He placed it between them.
Sierra stared at it.
A letter.
Her letter.
The one she had written three years ago.
The one she had never sent.
Her face went pale.
“You shouldn't have this.”
“I found it.”
“Where?”
“In your old apartment.”
Sierra stood abruptly.
“You went through my things?”
“No.”
Sebastian stood as well.
“My mother did.”
Sierra froze.
His expression darkened.
“She found it after you left.”
Sierra couldn't breathe.
Sebastian stepped closer.
“She gave it to me six months ago.”
“Why?”
“Because she thought I deserved to know the truth.”
Sierra's eyes burned.
“There was no truth.”
“Then look me in the eye and tell me you left because you stopped loving me.”
She couldn't.
The silence between them said everything.
Sebastian's jaw tightened.
“I knew it.”
“You don't know anything.”
“Then tell me.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because it doesn't matter anymore.”
His eyes hardened.
“It matters to me.”
“It was three years ago.”
“It was three years of my life.”
Sierra looked away.
“I had to leave.”
“Why?”
She said nothing.
Sebastian took another step.
“Was it because of my family?”
Her eyes flickered toward him.
He noticed.
“Was it my father?”
“Don't.”
“Did someone threaten you?”
“Sebastian—”
“Did someone make you choose between me and your career?”
She swallowed.
“Stop.”
“Then tell me what happened.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
Her voice broke.
“Because if I tell you, everything changes.”
Sebastian stared at her.
“Maybe everything was supposed to change.”
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Sierra picked up her bag.
“I need to go.”
“Sierra.”
She walked toward the door.
His voice stopped her.
“If you walk out now, I'm not going to stop you.”
She turned.
Sebastian's expression was unreadable.
“But don't mistake that for letting you go.”
Her heart shattered a little.
“You don't get to decide that.”
“No.”
He looked directly at her.
“But neither do you.”
Sierra left.
She didn't see Sebastian close his eyes after the door shut.
She didn't see the pain cross his face.
And she didn't know that the letter she had thought was lost forever contained a secret that could destroy the Vale family.
A secret Sebastian had only just begun to uncover.
---
Across the city, Sierra stood inside the elevator of her law firm, staring at her reflection.
She looked composed.
Professional.
Calm.
Everything a successful lawyer was supposed to look like.
But inside, she was falling apart.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
She hesitated before answering.
“Hello?”
No response.
“Hello?”
A man's voice finally came through.
“You shouldn't have gone back to Sebastian.”
Sierra froze.
“Who is this?”
“You know exactly who I am.”
Her blood ran cold.
“What do you want?”
A pause.
Then—
“I want you to remember why you left him.”
The call ended.
Sierra stared at the screen.
For three years, she had tried to bury the past.
But someone had just reminded her that the past had never really buried her.
And now that Sebastian was back—
**the secret she'd sacrificed everything to protect was coming back with him.**
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