My Secretary, My Weakness

Chapter 16: When The Past Comes Back

For most of her life, Elen Cruz had believed that some wounds eventually healed. Not completely, not perfectly, but enough.

Enough to keep moving forward. Enough to keep smiling and enough to pretend they no longer hurt. She would soon discover how wrong she was, because some wounds never truly disappeared. They simply waited patiently and quietly. For the right moment to reopen.

Tuesday morning began normally. The kind of calm that often arrived before disaster. Elen was reviewing reports when an email notification appeared on her screen.

At first, she ignored it. Her inbox received hundreds of messages every week. Most weren't urgent. Most could wait, but she guess this one couldn't.

The sender was anonymous. No name. No company. No identifying information. Immediately, unease settled in her chest.

Slowly, she opened it and froze. Attached was a photograph. It was an old photograph. One she hadn't seen in years. One she wished had remained forgotten forever. The image showed a younger version of her mother. Standing beside a man. Smiling, happy and a whole family picture.

That was before everything fell apart. Before abandonment. Before betrayal. Before pain.

Elen's hands trembled slightly. Then she noticed the message beneath it.

"I wonder what Valez Corporation would think if they knew where you really came from."

The blood drained from her face. For several seconds, she couldn't breathe. Couldn't even think and move. Because she recognized exactly what this was.

It's not an accident nor curiosity.

A threat.

Someone had deliberately searched through her past. And now they were weaponizing it.

Across the building, Ayden was in the middle of a board discussion when his phone vibrated. A message from Mia. A very unusual message.

Something is wrong with Elen.

His expression immediately changed. The board noticed. Unfortunately for them. Because the meeting instantly lost his attention.

Two minutes later, he was already leaving. Ignoring several confused executives behind him.

Inside her office, Elen remained motionless. The photograph still displayed on her monitor. Memories she had spent years burying resurfacing one by one. Her father leaving. The arguments. The financial struggles afterward. The humiliation her mother endured. The endless questions from relatives.

The pity. The judgment. The loneliness. Everything she thought she had escaped. Everything she thought she had overcome. It all came rushing back.

The knock on her office door barely registered. Neither did the second one. Or the third.

Eventually, the door opened. Ayden entered and immediately stopped, because something was wrong.

Elen sat completely still. Staring at the screen. Her eyes looked distant, fragile, and lost.

The sight unsettled him instantly. Because this wasn't the composed woman he knew. This wasn't the strong woman who faced board investigations and family insults without flinching. This was someone hurting. Deeply.

"Elen."

No response. He approached slowly. Then his gaze landed on the screen. The photograph. The message.

And suddenly... Everything clicked. A dangerous silence filled the room. Ayden read the words once.

Then again. His jaw tightened. Not because he was surprised. Because he was furious. Someone had crossed a line. A serious one.

And judging by the look on Elen's face...

The damage had already been done.

"Elen."

This time, she looked up. Finally. And for the first time since he'd met her...

Ayden saw tears in her eyes. Not falling, not yet. But there. Barely restrained. The sight hit him harder than he expected. Far harder.

"It's stupid." Her voice sounded quiet.

Unsteady. So unlike her. Completely unlike her.

"No."

The answer came immediately. Without hesitation and doubt.

Elen laughed bitterly."It happened years ago."

"It still matters."

The simple statement broke something inside her. Because he understood. Even without explanation, details, and questions. He simply understood.

And somehow...That made everything worse. The tears she had been holding back finally escaped. Only one. Then another. Then another. Ayden's heart clenched painfully. Because seeing Elen cry felt fundamentally wrong. Like something that shouldn't exist. Like something the world wasn't supposed to allow.

An hour later, they were gone. Far away from Valez Corporation. Far away from employees. Far away from whispers. Far away from rumors.

Ayden hadn't asked permission. Hadn't accepted objections. Hadn't offered alternatives. He had simply taken her away.

And for once...Elen hadn't argued.

Now they sat beside a quiet lake outside the city. The afternoon sunlight reflected softly across the water. The area remained peaceful. Silent.

Hidden from the rest of the world. Neither spoke immediately. There was no rush. No pressure a d expectations. Just stillness.

Eventually, Elen broke the silence. "My father left when I was ten."

Ayden remained quiet, listening. He let Elen spoke and finish first because he knows that this is what she needs the most right now.

"My mother spent years trying to keep everything together."

Her gaze remained fixed on the lake. "I watched her work three jobs."

A faint smile appeared. It was a sad, tired, and painful smile.

"I watched relatives judge her." The smile disappeared. "And when things got difficult..." Her voice weakened. "He disappeared."

The final words barely rose above a whisper. For several moments, only silence followed. The wind moved gently across the water. The world continued turning. Unaware of the memories being reopened.

Then Ayden spoke quietly.Carefully.

"He was a fool."

Elen laughed. A surprised laugh. A genuine one like he actually agree to what Ayden have said despite everything, because the answer sounded so simple.

So certain. So Ayden.

"You don't even know him."

"I don't need to." The certainty in his voice made her look at him. And what she saw there stole her breath.

m Not pity. Not sympathy. Not judgment. It was respect.

Anger on her behalf. Protectiveness. Concern.

Everything she had secretly wished for. Everything she never expected to receive.

Hours passed conversation drifted naturally afterward.

Memories, stories, childhood experiences,

dreams, and fears. The kind of conversations people only shared when trust already existed.And perhaps that was the most dangerous realization of all.

She trusted him. Completely. Somewhere along the way...

Ayden Adrian Valez had become the person she felt safest with.The thought terrified her.Because safety often led to attachment and attachment led to heartbreak.At least that's what life had taught her.

Yet sitting beside him now...The lesson felt less convincing.

As evening approached, they walked slowly along the lakeside path. The sky had begun turning gold. Soft sunlight filtering through the trees. The atmosphere felt almost unreal. Too peaceful. Too perfect.

At one point, Elen stumbled slightly on an uneven stone.

Before she could react Ayden caught her. One hand around her waist. The other around her arm. Steadying her instantly.

The world seemed to stop. Just for a moment. Neither moved. Neither looked away. The distance between them disappeared completely Elen's breath caught.

His hand remained against her waist. A warm, strong, protective, and dangerous touch she ever felt. Very dangerous. Because suddenly she became aware of everything. The way he looked at her. The way he always looked at her. The way his expression softened whenever she smiled.

The way he remembered small details. The flowers. The bookmark. The rooftop. The banquet. The lake. Everything. Every single thing.

And for the first time... She stopped pretending not to understand. Ayden's feelings had become impossible to ignore. The realization hung heavily between them.

Unspoken yet undeniable.

"Elen."

Her name sounded different coming from him. Softer and warmer.More personal.

She looked up.

Meeting his gaze. And immediately forgot how to breathe.Because whatever he was about to say...

It mattered.

A lot.

"I—"

His words stopped.

For the first time in her life, Elen witnessed Ayden Adrian Valez struggle. Actually struggle. The powerful CEO who could negotiate billion-dollar deals without hesitation suddenly seemed unsure. Almost nervous. The sight affected her far more than it should have.

Then his phone rang. Of course. Because fate remained cruel. The moment shattered instantly. Reality rushing back.

Ayden closed his eyes briefly. Clearly regretting the interruption.

Then answered. His expression darkened almost immediately. "What happened?"

Elen's stomach tightened. The call lasted less than a minute. When it ended, silence followed. Heavy silence.

"What is it?"

Ayden looked at her. His expression hardening. "The anonymous account."

Immediately, she understood. "The one spreading rumors?"

He nodded. "We found a connection."

A pause. Then—

"To Vanessa."

The words landed heavily between them. Because suspicion was one thing. Proof was another. And suddenly...Everything changed.

Elsewhere in the city, Vanessa Laurent stood inside her penthouse staring at her phone. An email had just arrived. A warning from someone inside her network. Evidence had surfaced.

People were asking questions. And for the first time since beginning this campaign...The situation wasn't entirely under her control. Slowly, her expression darkened. Because she realized something dangerous. Her plan had failed.

Instead of driving Ayden and Elen apart...She had pushed them closer together. Far closer. And judging by recent developments, they are much closer than either of them realized.

The realization infuriated her. Because losing wasn't something Vanessa tolerated. Ever. She stared out at the city lights. Thinking. Planning. Calculating. Then finally smiled. A cold, sharp, and determined one.

If subtle attacks weren't enough...Then perhaps it was time for something much bigger. Something public.

Something impossible to hide. Something capable of forcing Ayden to choose once and for all.

And when that choice arrived...Vanessa intended to make sure it destroyed someone. The only question remaining was who. Meanwhile, far beyond the city, beside a quiet lakeside path, Ayden and Elen continued walking together beneath the fading sunset. Neither realizing how close they had come to changing everything. Neither realizing that the next storm would force them to confront feelings they could no longer avoid.

And this time...

Running wouldn't be an option.