Chapter 1
1710 Words
Chapter One: Regret in the Boardroom
Daniel sat at the head of the long glass table. He tapped his pen against a stack of blueprints. His crisp navy suit and appearance projected the image of a man in control, but the loose grip on his pen betrayed his unease.
The Carter Empire, his life's work, was at risk.
“We need a final decision on the South Manhattan project,” said Ethan Gary, his contact person and closest ally.
“If we don’t bring in a designer by Friday, Victor’s firm might be favoured.” He added.
Daniel clenched his jaw at the mention of Victor. That man had been a thorn in his fresh for years.
“We’ll finalize it today,” Daniel said with some kind finality.
Ethan adjusted himself, he shuffled through his tablet. “There’s something you should know. The client specifically requested Victor’s firm and Amelia Laurent’s firm for the project.”
The names hit Daniel like a gut punch. “You mean Amelia my ex-wife?” Daniel asked concernedly.
Ethan nodded. “She has become one of the top interior designers in this city. The client won’t budge. If we want this deal, we need her.”
Daniel leaned back in his chair, his chest tightened and ached. He stared vainly straight and bowed his head.
Three years had passed since they divorced. But the memory of Amelia walking out of his life still haunted him.
He remembered her fiery eyes, her trembling voice the day she accused him of betrayal—it was all too clear to him.
“She won’t work with me,” Daniel said flatly.
“She doesn’t have to like you,” Ethan countered. “She just has to deliver. The question is, can you handle working with her?”
Daniel didn’t answer. He sat still.
The idea of seeing Amelia and not to talk about meeting her again was unthinkable.
His heart started beating fast. How can I face a woman I had failed so spectacularly? He asked nobody in particular.
But the stakes were too high.
“We shall bring her in,” he said finally. “But keep it professional.”
Amelia glanced at the email on her screen and smiled. Her lips tightened as she read the project details.
“This is huge,” Eva her business partner and best friend. “Landing this deal would skyrocket us to the next level.”
Amelia nodded, but her attention was focused on the email’s closing line. “Project to be managed by Carter Enterprises.”
Her stomach twisted and her face changed.
Is anything the matter? Eva asked concernedly.
Amelia hadn’t spoken to Daniel since their divorce, and she had no intention of reopening old wounds.
“You okay?” Eva asked again, as she noticed the shift in her expression.
“Carter Enterprises,” Amelia said quietly.
Eva frowned. “Daniel Carter?”
Amelia nodded. “I don’t think I can do this.”
Eva crossed her arms. She stared at Amelia, emotionally and said. “Amelia, this isn’t about Daniel. This is about us, about everything we’ve worked for. Don’t let your past with him ruin this opportunity.”
Amelia sighed, and shook her head. “Eva was right, but that didn’t make it any easier.” She muttered.
The meeting of all interested parties were scheduled. Before the time Daniel was pacing the conference room. His nerves tensed.
He stopped abruptly when the door opened, and Amelia walked in.
Time seemed to freeze as he took her in. She looked as stunning as ever. Her flashy dressing complemented her confident steps.
Amelia’s eyes were noticeably dull. “Mr. Carter,” Amelia said coolly, taking a seat without waiting for an invitation.
“Amelia,” he responded, weakly with softer voice than normal.
Ethan cleared his throat, and broke the tension. “Let’s get started.”
For the next one hour, they discussed about designs, budgets and timeline. Amelia spoke with precision. She displayed professionalism.
Daniel stool few glances as she spoke.
Finally, the meeting drew to a close.
“My team will get the initial concepts drafted by Friday,” Amelia said. She stood and left.
Daniel rose as well, his heart pounded “Amelia, wait.”
She paused but didn’t turn around. “What is it?”
“I just—” He muttered, the words almost choked his throat. “Thank you for agreeing to this.”
She turned and faced him. Her expression did not betray her mood. “I didn’t do this for you, Daniel. I did it for the project. Let’s keep it that way.”
Before Daniel could respond she walked out. He stood still and was over taken by gilt.
Victor adjusted himself and leaned back in his leather chair. He stool a smug smile as he played on his lips.
His assistant stood up nervously. He held a tablet that displayed the latest news, the South Manhattan project.
“So, Daniel brought in Amelia Laurent,” Victor said, his tone dripped with amusement. “How poetic.”
“Should we move forward with the next phase?” his assistant asked.
Victor miffed. “Absolutely. Let’s see how long Carter’s empire can holds up under pressure.”
Amelia walked out and drove away with speed. Seated beside her was Eva.
The door closed behind Amelia., and Daniel stood motionless for few minutes before he recollected himself.
Ethan confusedly remarked. “I think we need to do our home work well. We can’t afford to toy with this project.”
Daniel turned to him. Stared straight into his eye. “Ethan, this required more than doing our home work. The matter is how to handle Amelia and Victor.”
“You are correct. I heard that Victor played dirty in your divorce with Amelia.”
Daniel nodded slowly. He bowed his head clichéd his teeth audibly.
That name cut him like a knife. It had been years, but the sting of what happened was still fresh.
Daniel’s fists clenched at his sides. He remembered how easily Victor had worked between them—how he had poisoned everything.
He had seen the cracks in his marriage. But never understood the depth until it was too late.
He took a deep breath, and tried to shake off the thoughts. “Amelia was gone.”
Suddenly, Daniel remembered that they were still in the conference room. He smiled and requested that Ethan, should meet him later in the day at the club..
Daniel sat alone in his office quietly. He muttered. “The meeting was over. But everything had changed.”
His phone rang. He managed to grip his phone. Hello!
“My name is Jane. I’m calling from Jerk best.”
“Yea, Jane what can I do for you?
“We are interested in partnering with your company in Manhattan Project.”
Daniel cleared his throat. Jane I’m sorry, I guess you have to call me next week.
He dropped the phone without decorum. He grabbed the design off the table. He ran his fingers over the paper. His thoughts were on the past.
“Victor exploited my weaknesses. He used my blind spots against me. And he succeeded to tore us apart.”
He knew Victor’s game all too well. But Daniel wasn’t the same man who had let him win before.
He had no intention of playing into Victor’s hands this time. Not when so much was at stake.
But how was he going to fix this? The merger? Amelia? The guilt flashed at him, but he couldn’t afford to dwell on it. Not now.
The buzz of his phone broke his train of thought again. His heart skipped.
Amelia?
He picked it up with trembled hand.
No. It wasn’t Amelia. It was Victor.
“What do you want?” Daniel snapped with low and tight voice.
Victor’s voice sounded through the phone with mocking tone Daniel hated. “How’s it going, Daniel?
Can you stop that now or drop the phone on you?
“I hope you are busy working with your ex-wife, I see. I’m sure that’s… delightful.” Victor retorted.
Daniel frowned. “Don’t play games with me, Victor.”
Victor chuckled. “Oh, I’m not playing game with you. I’m just reminding you of something you’ve forgotten.”
What is that if I may ask?
“Amelia is mine. You lost her the moment you let me in.”
Daniel’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. “I’m not letting you mess this up.”
Goose pimple covered Daniel’s body. He went silent for a couple of seconds.
Victor’s laughter echoed in his ear. “It’s already messed up, Daniel.”
Stop being stupid Victor. Daniel sparked but the phone slipped from his hand and hit the table.
“Your life have been messed up for years. And no matter what you do, she’s never going to forgive you. You’re just chasing ghosts.”
The words stung. Daniel wasn’t about to back down. “You don’t know anything about what’s between us, Victor. Stay the hell out of this.”
There was a brief silence, then Victor’s muttered. “You really think you can fix this?”
Sure, why not. Fools like you can’t stop me.
You really think you can waltz back into her life after all this time? She’s moved on. And you’re a distraction now.”
The line went dead.
Daniel stood there for a moment, stared at the phone confusedly.
Five minutes later. “Victor thinks he can control everything. He has a wrong impression of himself. I’m done being blind.”
His mind flashed back to the merger with Amelia. He needed to do something fast.
A new message popped up on his screen.
“We need to talk. There’s something you don’t know.” – Amelia.
His heart skipped. His pulse quickened. She was still in this. He wasn’t the only one with unfinished business.
Daniel didn’t waste another second. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. He wasn’t going to let Victor win this time.
He wasn’t going to let Amelia go without a fight. Not again. He concluded.
- Writer
