The shading hunt

The elevator dinged softly as it reached the top floor. Ciela tightened her grip on the strap of her handbag, her heart pounding faster than she wanted to admit. This was supposed to be a fresh start, a new job, a new beginning after years of struggling to rebuild her life. Sterling Corporation wasn’t just any company; it was one of the most powerful in the city. Landing a position here was the chance she had prayed for. “You can do this,” she whispered under her breath as the elevator doors slid open. The reception area was sleek and modern, filled with glass walls and polished marble. Every detail screamed wealth and power. She straightened her blouse, forcing her nerves into silence as she walked toward the conference room where her new team was gathered. Inside, chatter filled the air. People shuffled papers, connected laptops, and exchanged polite greetings. Ciela introduced herself to a few colleagues, smiling despite the knot in her stomach. This was it, her second chance at life. Nothing could go wrong. “Good morning, everyone.” The deep, commanding voice cut through the room like a blade. Conversations died instantly, chairs scraped against the floor as people rose. She wished it was a dream, or she was hearing things and even though it was a dream, she wanted to wake up from it. But it looked like heaven was playing with her by not answering her prayer because immediately she turned around. The glass door swung open, and there he was. Adrian Sterling. The man who had shattered her world five years ago. Her ex. Her first love. Her greatest heartbreak. He strode into the room with effortless authority, dressed in a tailored black suit that fit him like a second skin. His presence filled the space - tall, broad-shouldered, exuding the kind of power that made people instinctively lower their gaze. But Ciela couldn’t look away. The room felt small Her pulse hammered in her ears. She remembered the way he used to smile at her, the way his hands once held her as if she were fragile glass. But there was no warmth in his expression now. Only steel. “Please, be seated,” Adrian said, his gaze sweeping over the room. Then it stopped. Locked, surprised look on his face, but it went as it came on her. Ciela’s blood ran cold. For a heartbeat, the world seemed to be still. He didn’t blink, didn’t move, just stared at her as though she were the last person he expected to see and yet the one he had been waiting for all along. Her fingers dug into the edge of the table. She wanted to disappear, to melt into the floor. She could still feel his intense gaze pinned on her. Don’t look at him. Don’t. But she couldn’t stop. His lips curved slowly, dangerously, into a smirk. “Well, well,” Adrian drawled, his voice dripping with amusement that only she understood. “What a surprise to see you again… Miss Reyes.” Every eye in the room swung toward her. She could hear the low murmur of her colleague around her, which made her swallow the lump forming in her throat and curse while breathing. She couldn’t believe this was happening on the first day of her work. ‘Who is she’ This is just the first day of her work’ Have they known each other before? Was she hired by him? The space felt too small for her, she didn’t want to be anywhere, but here, she couldn’t look up as she felt his intense gaze on her. Only if she had known he worked here, she wouldn’t have come here. Suddenly, he heard him cough a little, which made every noise die down, and she looked up and noticed his grin which was plastered like a warning or promise that she couldn’t pinpoint. Heat burned up her neck, shame and anger mixing in a storm she hadn’t felt in years. Her colleagues glanced between them, sensing something unspoken but too afraid to ask. Ciela forced her features into a mask, refusing to let him see how badly he still affected her. “Good morning, Mr. Sterling,” she said coolly, though her voice trembled at the edges. Adrian’s smirk deepened, as if he could hear her unspoken thoughts, as if he knew she was fighting to hold herself together. The meeting began, but Ciela barely heard a word. Every time Adrian spoke, every time his gaze brushed her way, memories she had locked away clawed their way back to the surface. The night of their breakup. The betrayal she could never forgive. The tears she swore she would never shed again. She thought she had buried the past. She wanted to resign right now and also couldn’t bear the thought for a moment of working under him as she thought the betrayal would haunt her anymore, but now she knew she was wrong. “Mrs Reyes,” she heard his voice, which made her drift away from her thought and she looked up and could feel everyone's gaze on her and the deep frown formed on his face. The air conditioning in the room didn’t help to ease away the tension in the room. “Sorry,” she muttered, her voice barely audible, praying the ground would swallow her before he saw how shaken she truly was and looked away, avoiding eye contact with him, but she knew one thing for sure was that this thing was far over, and she could lose her job, which would cost her a lot and she won't run again But now, the past was standing at the head of the conference table, wearing an expensive suit and a cruel smile. And worst of all, he was her new boss.