CHAPTER EIGHT: The Distance Between Them
953 Words
The conference room wasn’t ready yet.
Employees moved in and out, arranging files, setting up the projector, and organizing the presentation slides.
Inside her office…
Isla stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city.
She slowly buttoned the sleeves of her blazer before taking a deep breath.
Another day.
Another battle.
A gentle knock echoed through the room.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
Liam walked in carrying a familiar paper coffee cup.
The rich aroma immediately filled the room.
Isla turned around.
The moment she saw the logo on the cup…
A small smile escaped her lips.
It was her favorite café.
“The same coffee?” she asked, surprised.
Liam nodded with a gentle smile.
“I remembered.”
“You remembered?”
He handed her the cup.
“Whenever Mr. Cross ordered coffee for you…”
“I was the one who picked it up.”
“After six years…”
“It became impossible to forget.”
For a brief second…
Isla simply stared at the cup.
Even Damien himself had forgotten.
Yet Liam remembered.
She accepted it with both hands.
“Thank you.”
For the first time since yesterday…
A genuine smile touched her lips.
It wasn’t a big smile.
But it was real
Liam smiled back.
“I’m glad I got it right.”
Taking a sip, Isla closed her eyes.
“Still perfect.”
Liam chuckled softly.
“I’ll wait here.”
“Take your time.”
She nodded.
“I’ll be back after the meeting.”
⸻
Meanwhile…
Inside the executive conference room…
Department heads slowly took their seats.
Low whispers filled the room.
Nobody openly discussed the scandal.
Yet everyone knew.
Every chair was occupied.
Except two.
The CEO’s.
And Isla’s.
One executive quietly leaned toward another.
“Do you think she’ll come?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
Another sighed.
“If I were her…”
“I wouldn’t.”
Just then…
The conference room door opened.
Isla walked in.
Conversations died mid-sentence.
Even the sound of keyboards stopped.
Every pair of eyes turned toward her.
She looked elegant in a tailored ivory blouse beneath a charcoal blazer, her expression calm and unreadable.
Not broken.
Not weak.
Simply…
Untouchable.
She walked past every seat.
Past the chair beside the CEO—
The chair she had occupied for years.
Without hesitation…
She chose an empty seat near the far end of the long conference table.
The movement was simple.
Yet it carried a message loud enough for everyone to understand.
Without saying a single word…
She answered every question in the room.
Silence settled across the room.
Nobody dared to speak.
Isla calmly opened her folder and began reviewing her notes as though nothing around her existed.
⸻
A minute later…
The conference room doors opened again.
Damien entered.
“Good morning, Sir.”
Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone stood.
Except Isla.
She remained seated.
Her eyes never left the documents in front of her.
Damien noticed immediately.
He deliberately cleared his throat.
Usually…
That tiny sound alone would make Isla look up with a smile.
Today…
Nothing.
Not even a glance.
A strange feeling tightened inside his chest.
He slowly walked toward his chair.
Only then did he notice where Isla was sitting.
Far away.
The distance between them wasn’t more than a few meters.
Yet somehow…
It felt impossible to cross.
He quietly took his seat.
“Let’s begin.”
⸻
One department after another presented their reports.
Revenue.
Marketing.
Investments.
Operations.
Damien listened.
Or at least…
He tried to.
Eventually…
“Mrs. Isla.”
“It’s your turn.”
She stood gracefully and walked toward the screen.
The lights dimmed.
Her presentation appeared on the projector.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Without the slightest hesitation…
She began presenting quarterly expansion strategies with complete confidence.
Every chart.
Every statistic.
Every proposal.
Perfect.
Professional.
Precise.
The room listened attentively.
Everyone…
Except Damien.
He wasn’t looking at the screen.
His eyes kept drifting back to her.
The way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The calm confidence in her voice.
The way she carried herself despite everything that had happened.
He barely heard a single word she said.
Instead…
He found himself wondering—
When did she become this distant…?
No.
That wasn’t the real question.
When did I stop noticing her…?
His thoughts were interrupted.
Isla reached for the coffee cup resting beside her laptop.
She took a slow sip.
Damien’s eyes immediately narrowed.
That cup.
He recognized the logo.
The same café.
Only two people knew her exact coffee order.
Him…
And Liam.
His jaw tightened almost instinctively.
Liam…
Since when were you the one bringing her coffee?
The thought irritated him.
He couldn’t explain why.
Why should it matter who bought her coffee?
She wasn’t his wife anymore.
Was she?
He silently looked away.
Trying to convince himself that none of this affected him.
But the uneasy feeling refused to disappear.
⸻
The presentation ended.
Applause echoed through the room.
“Excellent work, Ma’am.”
“Very impressive.”
“Brilliant strategy.”
Isla simply nodded politely.
“Thank you.”
Without waiting for Damien’s comments…
She gathered her files.
“Excuse me.”
She walked out of the conference room before anyone could stop her.
Damien watched the door close behind her.
For several long seconds…
He remained completely silent.
One of the directors finally spoke.
“Sir…?”
Damien blinked.
“…Continue.”
But even as the meeting resumed…
Voices filled the room.
Slides changed.
Questions were asked.
Damien answered every one of them.
Yet somehow…
His mind had already walked out of the conference room with Isla.
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