Billionaire regrets: Chasing his lost love

Not My Enemy

Sienna

What would you do if the man you supposedly hate with every fiber of your being was standing in front of you looking like a god on a hot Tuesday morning?

Despite being several feet away from me, I couldn’t deny how good Drey Falcon was looking. He was so tall I’d probably have to tilt my head to look up at him and he seemed to occupy almost all the surrounding space.

My heart was still thumping rapidly in my chest. I hadn’t expected to run into him so soon, but more than that, I didn’t expect how my body would react to him. Every memory I’ve tried to bury for the past five years rushed up to the surface. Choking me.

But I pushed them back in before I could start reliving them, pulling at the anger that had kept me going for the past five years.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Sienna?” Jason pressed forward, his arm digging into my skin as he looked down at me, concerned, drawing his lip into a tight, thin line. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I shook my head. I might have, because when I looked up again, Drey was gone. The spot where he’d been standing was empty and there was no sign of him anywhere. I dragged air into my lungs and shook my head again to clear the fog.

“I’m fine,” I answered quickly, my fingers tightening around the luggage. “I think I’m jet-lagged. Let’s just go. I need coffee and a very long sleep.”

For some reason, Jason didn’t argue with me. I had no idea if he’d seen Drey as well, but if he did, he was quite good at keeping it to himself. Yes, that was Jason Carter. Most enigmatic and very good at minding his business. I guess that was why we got along so well for as long as five years.

“Sienna!” I started as Uncle Charles’ booming voice reached my ears. He was walking towards us from where Drey had stood a while ago. The children screeched and ran for him, jumping excitedly into his open arms.

“Yes, I missed you guys as well,” although he was talking to the kids, his eyes were on me, or rather, eyeing the distance which didn’t exist between Jason’s body and mine. Uncle Charles had never tried to hide what he thought about my relationship with Jason.

“Give the man a chance,” he always said. “Hasn’t he chased you long enough? And Sienna, don’t forget. Jason Carter is nothing like Drey Falcon.”

And my answer was always the same. “I’m not ready for that yet, Charles. I have the kids to take care of and a company to run. Between those two, I don’t have the time for a relationship.”

But it was a lie. Even Uncle Charles knew that much. I suspected that was why he always tried to meddle and play matchmaker any chance he got.

Jason stepped forward, pulling the twins back to his side, so Uncle Charles could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“You look well, Sienna,” he said, eyeing me from head to toe. “I guess you took my advice and started taking care of yourself more?” He leaned towards Jason and whispered something which made both of them chuckle.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Can we just get out of here before you both start conniving? My feet are killing me. And my back. In fact, my whole body is crying out. I don’t know how the rest of you don't feel it.”

They all laughed, and Uncle Charles fell in step beside me. While he told me about the house he prepared for us and how our new headquarters in New York was doing, I kept glancing around, checking if I’d see him again.

The drive to the town house Charles had prepared was quite short. Or maybe I was too distracted, my eyes catching on every dark car window, every tall man in a suit, half expecting Drey to materialize again out of nowhere.

He didn’t. Of course, he didn’t. New York was a big city, and Drey Falcon had a life that had nothing to do with a woman named Elena Hale.

Still, I couldn’t shake the thought of him. It even followed me all the way home.

The house itself was beautiful. It was a brownstone in a quiet part of the city, far enough from the Falcon empire’s usual haunts that Charles must have chosen it deliberately. The twins tore through the rooms the second the door opened, shrieking about who would get which bedroom, and for a moment I let myself just watch them, grateful for the noise, grateful for anything that wasn’t the echo of Drey’s name in my head.

“They’ll settle in fast,” Charles said, coming to stand beside me in the doorway. “Children always do.”

“I hope so.” I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the warmth of the house. “I just don’t want them to feel like they’re constantly starting over. I want to create a home for them here. A permanent one again.”

“You will. You’re home now. All of you, and I’m grateful for that.” He studied me carefully, the way he always did when he was about to say something I wouldn’t want to hear. “You saw him, didn’t you? At the airport.”

I stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Luna.” His voice was gentle, but firm. “I may not have raised you, but I know you well enough to know when you’re lying to me.”

I exhaled slowly, my shoulders sinking. “Yes. I saw him, but he didn't see me.”

“Are you sure?”

“He walked away, Charles. If he’d recognized me, do you really think he would have just walked away?”

He tilted his head, the way he always did when he was thinking. “Maybe not,” he finally said. “But you should know that running into him again is only a matter of time. He’s still deeply involved with Falcon Holdings, and NovaTech’s expansion into New York puts us in the same circles whether we like it or not.”

I shrugged. I’d spent the past five years preparing for the day our paths crossed again. “I know.”

Charles patted my back. “You don’t have to face him alone when it happens.”

I glanced toward the living room, where Jason and Ethan were engaged in deep conversation. Emma was perched on his shoulders, directing him like a tiny, delighted foreman.

“I’m not alone,” I said quietly. “I have them. I have Jason. And I have you.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

I did know it. I just wasn’t ready to unpack what it meant.

“Charles,” I said, changing course before he could push further, “tell me about the board. What am I walking into on Monday?”

He seemed to accept the deflection, at least for now. “The Stanford Group’s remaining shares are still scattered, but we’ve secured enough allies on the board to make our case. Enough people remember your father fondly, and enough of them distrust Arthur Falcon to want to see him challenged.”

“And Drey?”

Charles hesitated. “Drey Falcon controls a significant portion of Falcon Holdings now. More than Arthur, in some respects. If you’re going to reclaim what’s yours, at some point, you’ll need to go through him, not just around him.”

My stomach twisted, even after five years, I wasn’t sure I was ready for a confrontation with Drey Falcon. “It’s fine. I’m prepared.” No, I wasn’t.

Uncle Charles smiled through and nodded. “You still remember what tomorrow is, right?”

I offered a warm smile and pushed the tears that gathered in my eyes back. “Of course. It’s my parent’s death remembrance.”