Chapter 1: The Designer and the CEO*
The glass doors of Blackwood Enterprises slid open with a soft hiss, and Lila Morrison stepped into a world she had spent five years trying to forget.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor, steady and professional. She clutched the portfolio against her chest like a shield. Five years. Five years since she’d walked out of this building with nothing but a one-way ticket and a secret growing under her heart.
“Lila Morrison for the 9 AM meeting with Mr. Blackwood,” she told the receptionist, keeping her voice level.
The girl’s eyes widened. “-right. The new lead designer.”
New. She’d built her own label from scratch in London, but here, she was starting over. Anonymity was the whole point. If anyone recognized her, if _he_ recognized her, everything would fall apart.
“Elevator’s ready,” the receptionist said.
The 48th floor smelled the same. Cedar and expensive cologne. Adrian’s signature scent. Lila shut the thought down immediately. He wasn’t Adrian to her anymore. He was Mr. Blackwood. CEO. Billionaire. Her former husband.
The boardroom doors opened, and her breath caught.
He stood at the head of the table, tall and immovable in a charcoal suit. His jaw was sharper than she remembered, his dark eyes colder. Five years hadn’t softened him. If anything, power had carved him into something dangerous.
Adrian Blackwood’s gaze swept over the room, landing on her last. For half a second, something flickered there. Recognition? Surprise? It was gone before she could name it.
“Lila Morrison,” he said, his voice low and clipped. “You’re late.”
“I’m on time,” she replied, meeting his eyes. She couldn’t let him see it shake her. “Your invitation said 9 AM.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Sit.”
The meeting passed in a blur of fabric samples and cut sheets. Lila forced herself to focus on the work, on the collection she’d spent months designing. This was why she’d come back to New York. Blackwood Enterprises was the biggest fashion house in the country, and they needed her talent. She needed their resources.
When it was her turn to present, she walked to the front with her head high.
“This collection is called ‘Second Skin,’” she began. “It’s about armor and vulnerability. Every piece is designed to make a woman feel untouchable.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed as she flipped through the sketches. “Untouchable?”
“Yes.” She held his gaze. “No one gets in unless she lets them.”
The room was silent. The other executives shifted uncomfortably. Only Adrian stayed still, studying her like she was a problem he hadn’t solved yet.
“Bold,” he said finally. “Reckless. I like it.”
The meeting ended with a contract offer. Lead designer. Six figures. Full creative control.
Lila signed it.
She told herself it was just business. That she was strong enough to work for him without falling apart. That five years and an ocean were enough distance to keep her secret safe.
She was wrong.
As she left the boardroom, Adrian’s voice stopped her in the hall.
“Lila.”
She turned slowly. “Mr. Blackwood?”
His eyes searched hers, dark and intense. “We need to talk. Alone.”
Her heart slammed against her ribs. Five years. She’d told herself she was ready. But one look from him, and she was twenty-one again, in love with a man who didn’t believe she was enough.
“I’m busy,” she said, forcing a smile. “Maybe another time.”
She walked away before he could stop her.
But she felt his eyes on her the entire way to the elevator.
And she knew. Running a second time wouldn’t be as easy.
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