After Us

Present Day—Unexpected Connection

The next morning, sunlight creeks through the half-closed blinds of Layla’s bedroom. She’s been awake for a while, but her mind keeps churning with unresolved thoughts. She refuses to let Evan—or that damn note—consume her day. Not today.

The soft knock at her door is her first call to action.

She looks toward the door, expecting the little Sophia, or worse, her Mother and then there she calls out.

“Layla,” Megan calls out, “breakfast is ready.”

Layla keeps quiet for a while before she speaks back “Alright, I’ll be out now !” she puffs out.

This is the kind of feeling where anyone would lay off a day at work to have a slice of peace but not her job.

She stands up anyways, stretches and heads first to the bathroom, she stands there staring at her reflection in the eyes from the mirror, looking obviously tired and consumed with thoughts.

The next thing she does is rinse off her face with the cool rushing water that relaxes and soothes her—exactly what she needs before heading out of her room.

In the kitchen, her mom is toasting bread while Sophia flips through her storybook on the table, already dressed, ready and waiting for a lift. Layla joins them, clutching a steaming mug of coffee.

“Hiii Mummy…You look like you didn’t sleep,” Sophia says, her tone curious

“Mummy is fine, okay?” Layla replies tersely.

“Your eyes are swollen and reddish, Did you sleep at all o….You were working all night? “

Layla chuckles, if only it was work stress, she imagined.

“Hey Baby, Mummy is fine, okay?” She hopes it ends the conversation—and to her relief, it did.

Thirty five minutes later, Layla is ready for work but heads to drop Sophia.

“Goodbye, Mum” Sophia waves, jumping off the car and walking into the crowd of students on the walkway.

Layla watches her till she can’t find her again, she exhales and steps into the bustling New York road.

Being one of the top marketing strategists at her firm gives her the sense of control and accomplishment she craves, especially on days like this when her personal life feels like a storm threatening to unravel her.

By the time she steps into the sleek glass doors of M&T Marketing Group, she’s managed to hide her worries while she trades nods and waves with her colleagues, their faces already buried in emails and calls.

Just as she settles into her chair and opens her emails, her desk phone buzzes.

“Layla?” It’s her boss, Ashley..

“Yes please?”

“Can you meet me in my office in five?”

The phone is down before Layla has a chance to respond. Whatever Ashley wants, it’s clearly urgent. She grabs her notebook, takes a breath, and heads to the top floor.

As Layla walks in, She is seated at her desk, her expression poised but unmistakably pleased.

“Morning, Layla. Please, sit,” She says, gesturing to the leather chair across from her.

Layla complies, folding her hands in her lap as she awaits the news that births the urgency.

“I’ve got a fantastic opportunity for you,” She begins, leaning back and folding her arms. “We’ve been approached by Vale Industries, a company in tech and innovation, for a major branding overhaul. They’re in the middle of launching their biggest product yet, and they want us to handle it exclusively.”

Layla’s brows lift in pleasant surprise. “That’s huge. Congratulations to the team—”

“Well,” Ashley interrupts with a knowing smile, “here’s the kicker: they’re not just looking for any strategist. They were very specific about the skill set and experience they wanted. Layla, they asked for you.”

Her chest tightens slightly, but she straightens her shoulders, pride quickly overshadowing nerves. “Me?”

Ashley nods. “They’ve done their research. You have the track record, the vision, and apparently, their decision-maker personally requested you. So, are you interested?”

Is she? Layla thrives under pressure, and a project of this magnitude could be transformative for her career. It’s exactly what she needs to drown out the noise of her personal life.

“I’m in,” Layla says confidently.

Ashley grins, clearly pleased. “I thought you’d say that. We’ll iron out the specifics over the next few days, but for now, I want to introduce you to the client. They’re here for a preliminary meeting.”

“Of course,” Layla says, standing. Her mind is already spinning with ideas for the campaign. This is her chance to make a significant mark, to lead a project that—

“Right this way,” Ashley says, snapping Layla out of her thoughts as they head to one of the sleek conference rooms down the hall.

The double glass doors swing open, and Layla’s eyes instantly land on the man standing near the window.

It takes her brain a full three seconds to register his face.

Evan—Again?

Her breath catches in her throat. He’s here, in the flesh, wearing one of those tailored suits that seems designed to make him look like he’s stepped out of a GQ cover. His hair is styled neatly, and that smirk—damn that smirk—is exactly as she remembers.

He turns at the sound of the door and for the briefest moment, his expression falters. But then it’s back: that maddening, confident smile that makes Layla’s stomach twist in ways she hates.

“Layla,” Ashley says cheerfully, oblivious to the fire burning in Layla’s world. “This is Mr. Evan Vale of Vale Industries, your new client.”

As if she doesn’t know.

For a moment, Layla can’t trust her voice. She’s too busy processing the insanity of the moment. What are the odds? No, it’s not coincidence—it’s Evan.

She fights to keep her face neutral, though she swears her pulse is hammering so loudly he can probably hear it. She extends her hand because what else can she do?

“It’s a pleasure,” she says smoothly, channeling every ounce of professionalism she has.

His hand is warm when it clasps hers, the contact sending an electric jolt up her arm. “You're welcome, Ms Grant,” he says, and his voice is low and amused in a way that only she can interpret.

“Excellent,” Ashley beams, glancing between them oblivious to the charged energy “I’ll leave you two to get started.”

She turns to Layla “ Please keep me posted”

Her words echo like a death sentence.

For Layla, this project just went from career-defining to personally infuriating—and she’s not sure she’ll come out whole.